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The ��«����Ƶ Honors Program is pleased to announce its Honors Students for the 2012-2013 schoolyear. This includes 11 Presidential Scholars and 12 Honors Scholars.

��«����Ƶ Honors was founded in the spring of 2007. Geared to attract top high school graduates and college students, the program has prospered thanks to a network of loyal supporters both in and out of the college. Each year, ��«����Ƶ honors students have attended and presented research at the Great Plains Honors Council and the National Collegiate Honors Council. ��«����Ƶ Presidential Scholars have won six state Caldwell Awards,†six†regional Boe Awards,†and on the national level, four†Coca Cola Gold Awards,†a Hite, a Jack Kent Cooke, and a Guistwhite Award.††��«����Ƶ Scholars also have published essays four times†in Texas journals.

Presidential Scholars are the top scholarship winners who receive tuition, fees, textbooks, free use of laptops, other amenities, and†can attain†free room and board. Honors Scholars receive $1,000 scholarships and are identified as ?rising†stars.? They†participate in all ��«����Ƶ Honors activities and seminars. Students are selected by an honors committee based upon academic performance, a personal essay and letters of recommendation.

"We are as excited as ever about our scholars this year. We have three former valedictorians, a salutatorian, homeschool prodigies, and it seems that every one of the 23 contributes special abilities and talents to our program," Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director, said.

Aside from receiving a scholarship to attend ��«����Ƶ, entering Scholars will enroll in two special six-hour seminars, one in the fall and one in the spring. All honors students participate in the fall Northeast Texas Poetry contest, the spring McGraw Hill Poster contest, and submit papers for major state, regional and national awards and publications.

"I see becoming an ��«����Ƶ Presidential Scholar as an excellent way to enhance my academic success.††It also has been my dream to take advantage of the travel†opportunities†open to Honors Students at ��«����Ƶ," Alisha Richardson, an incoming Presidential Scholar, said.
The ��«����Ƶ Presidential Scholars for the 2012-2013 school††year are as follows:

Presidential Scholars

Chelsea Applegate



 

 

 

 

 

Applegate graduated third in her class at Mount Vernon in 2012. She was Vice President of MVHS?s National Honor Society and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Interact Club, Band, and the Student Council.† She was also a HVHS cheerleader.† She has completed 21 hours at ��«����Ƶ and maintains a 3.9 GPA.

Jacob Brantley



 

 

 

 

 

Brantley was the 2011 valedictorian of Daingerfield High School. Upon entering ��«����Ƶ Honors, he became the 2011 Cypress Bank scholar,receiving a Macbook to use from Cypress? Lone Star branch.††In both his freshman and sophomore years, he†has been†elected to serve as the president of the Honors Student Council, representing all Honors Students on the Honors Committee.† He†has†maintained a 3.75 GPA, presented work at the Great Plains Honors Council, and won an honorable mention in the 2012 McGraw Hill Poster†contest.†The National Collegiate Honors Council accepted Brantley?s proposal to present at their national meeting in Boston in November.† He would like to be an anesthesiologist.

Stephani Calderon



 

 

 

 

 

Calderon graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 2011, where†she advanced†to the national level of competition in Future Business Leaders of America.† She has been very active at ��«����Ƶ, assuming leading roles in such organizations as Students inFree Enterprise (SIFE), Phi Theta Kappa, and Student Government.† She was the first-runner-up in the SIFE regional competition last March.† She currently has a 3.8 GPA, and was cited for her outstanding academic performance last spring by the ��«����Ƶ Honors newsletter,†Alacrity.† The National Collegiate Honors Council accepted her presentation on sovereign default for its 2012 Boston meeting.

Noah Griffin



 

 

 

 

 

Griffin is a home-schooled student from Pittsburg.†He has maintained a 4.0 GPA at ��«����Ƶ. †Griffin is the second of eight children in the Griffin family.† Griffin stars as the president of the anti-saloon League, Wayne Wheeler, in the upcoming ��«����Ƶ honors film on Morris Sheppard, the father of prohibition. His older brother, Isaac, preceded him as a Presidential Scholar and graduated in 2011.

Ricky Huitema



 

 

 

 

 

Huitema graduated fourth in Pittsburg High School?s 2012 class, and has become ��«����Ƶ?s 2012†Cypress†Bank Scholar.† At Pittsburg, Huitema won first place in the district competition of SkillsUSA, and his Quizbowl team placed second in district.† He was a member of Future Farmers of America and the National Honors Society.

Matthew Jordan



 

 

 

 

 

Jordan was the 2012 Salutatorian of Pittsburg High School.† He was a member of the National Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa, and the National Society for High School Scholars.† He has maintained a 4.0 GPA after 29 hours of dual enrollment classes at ��«����Ƶ.† He would like to become a petroleum engineer.

Whitney McIntosh



 

 

 

 

 

A graduate of Winnsboro, McIntosh has maintained a 3.8 GPA at ��«����Ƶ.† Her work on artistic inspiration won $100 and fourth place in the 2012 McGraw Hill Poster Contest.† In her freshman year, she also produced the film,†������DzԾ���,†a tale of vigilantism and rebellion in Northeast Texas after the Civil War that can be viewed†on the†film page of the honors website:†.† She presented the film at the Great Plains Honors Council meeting in April in Kansas City.† The†film was†a runner-up for a 2012 Group Caldwell Prize for the state of Texas.

Emily Parker



 

 

 

 

 

Parker was the 2011 Valedictorian of Pittsburg High School.† At ��«����Ƶ, she was elected treasurer of the Honors Student Council, and was an active member of Phi Theta Kappa.†† Last March, she presented work on the decline of racism in Texas at the Great Plains HonorsCouncil in Kansas City.† The National Collegiate Honors Council has accepted an expanded version of her work for its conference in Boston in November.

Alisha Richardson



 

 

 

 

 

Richardson is a homeschooled scholar from Avinger.† She has a 4.0 GPA at ��«����Ƶ after 13 hours of coursework.† For the recent honors film on Morris Sheppard, Richardson served as Costume Director, sewing the outfits and sashes for every female part.† She plays the role of Lucile Sanderson.

Jessikah Salaverria



 

 

 

 

 

Salaverria is a graduate of Mount Vernon High School.† She was the MVHS secretary of the National Honor Society, a band squad leader for three years, a Rotary Student of the Month, a member of Leaders of Tomorrow, and a treasurer for the Student Chamber of Commerce.† She placed third in the annual Voice of Democracy Contest.

Rehan Shahid



 

 

 

 

 

Shahid graduated fourth in the 2012 senior class of Mount Pleasant High School.† He was Vice President of HOSA and Reporter of the National Honor Society. †Shahid was also a member of the National Technical Honor Society, the Student Council, FBLA, and the Junior Chamber of Commerce.† He attained over 150 hours of specialized healthcare training at TRMC.† He was a recipient of MPHS Blanket awards for Chemistry, andU.S. History.† In district†UIL, he placed†first in Number Sense, and was one of the†top†five in the state in Calculator Applications.† He has received National Congressional Bronze and Silver Awards.

Honors Scholars

Andrew Austin



 

 

 

 

 

Austin is a graduate of the Ozark Adventist Academy in Arkansas.† He has a 4.0 GPA at ��«����Ƶ after one semester.† He has won the President?s Educational Outstanding Achievement Award, a Kiwanis Excellence Award, and a Linsey Parks Memorial Scholarship.† Austin is also the producer of the 2012 ��«����Ƶ Honors film on Morris Sheppard, and has taken theleading role in the research, filming, the soundtrack chorus, and the editing of that project.

Thuong Bui



 

 

 

 

 

Bui is a 2012 graduate of Winnsboro High School, where he won awards for Chemistry and Physics.† In District UIL, he was first in Number Sense and Chemistry, and second in Science.† He was a Student of the Month and a member of the All-Region Band.† He was a state solo ensemble qualifier and a member of the Art, Beta, FTA, and FCCLA clubs.

†Jonathan Chambers



 

 

 

 

 

Chambers is a 2012 graduate of Chapel Hill High School.† He qualified and placed in the State UIL One Act Play.† He was a member of FFA and the National Honor Society.† Chambers stars as the Morris-county-born leader of national prohibition, the author of the 18^th†Amendment--Morris Sheppard--in the 2012 ��«����Ƶ Honors film.

†Jessica Drumm



 

 

 

 

 

Drumm was a 2011 graduate of Harmony High School.†She has a 4.0 GPA at ��«����Ƶ after 29 hours.† At Harmony, Drumm was a member of the FFA, FCCLA and the Beta Club.† At ��«����Ƶ, Drumm has been an active member of the Film Club and Phi Theta Kappa.

Stephen Milburn



 

 

 

 

 

Milburn was able to accumulate enough higher-level classes at Mount Pleasant High School to graduate as a junior, and still rank 10^th†in the graduating class.† He also has a 3.8 GPA after 32 hours of dual enrollment classes at ��«����Ƶ.† In the 2012 ��«����Ƶ Honors film, Milburn plays the role of Tom Connally, a once powerful Texas Senator from 1929 to 1953.

Ashley Perzel



 

 

 

 

 

Perzel is a 2012 graduate of Chapel Hill High School and the 2012-13 Student Government President of ��«����Ƶ.††She is also president of the Baptist Student Association on campus.†While at Chapel Hill, she was active in FFA, Robotics, Choir, and NSHSS.

Jesse Rivera



 

 

 

 

 

Rivera was a 2011 graduate of Mount Vernon High School where he ranked fourth.† As an ��«����Ƶ Scholar, Rivera presented work on the spirituality of Indian holdouts at the 2012 Kansas City meeting of the Great Plains Honors Council.† He has also won a berth at this year?s National Collegiate Honors Council meeting in Boston.† In research, he was one of ��«����Ƶ?s two Boe nominees for 2012.

Aaron Screws



 

 

 

 

 

Though he graduated as a junior, Screws was the 2012†Valedictorian of Como-Pickton High School.† He was a member of the National Honor Society and his GPA in dual enrollment coursesthus far is 4.0.† Screws contributed to the original historical research for the upcoming honors film.

Samantha Trickey



 

 

 

 

 

Trickey was a 2012 graduate of Mount Pleasant High School.† She was varsity tennis team captain, a Rotary Student of the Month, and the Yearbook Editor.† She won first place in district UIL in Accounting.† She was a member of the National Honor Society, HOSA, Quill and Scroll, DECA, and NTHS.

Andrea Necole Wells



 

 

 

 

 

Wells graduated third in the 2012 Daingerfield High School class.† She was a member of the Daingerfield band, the National Honor Society,†Business Professionals of America, the Student Council, and Upward Bound.† Wells has maintained a 3.7 GPA after 27 hours of dual enrollment courses at ��«����Ƶ.

Chloe Wood



 

 

 

 

 

Wood is a 2012 graduate of Chapel Hill High School.† She was a Rotary Student of the Month, a Distinguished CHHS Devil of the Month, and an ?A-Honor Roll? student who maintained a 4.0 GPA taking 24 hours of dual enrollment classes.† At Chapel Hill, Wood was a member of the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Phi Theta Kappa, the Art Club, and the Spanish Club.

Makayla Zacarias



Zacarias is a 2012 graduate of Mount Pleasant who has maintained a 3.8 GPA after 15 hours of dual enrollment at ��«����Ƶ.† She was a winner of a 2011 RYLA scholarship, a Presidential Gold Award as a Girl Scout, and a Rotary Student of the Month.† At Mount Pleasant, she was a member of FBLA, DECA, NHS, NTHS, JCA, FCA, and the volleyball team.