Students honored at Kiwanis banquet

By John Miller, 05/2/23 10:44 AM

PRESCOTT – It was a time of celebration Monday night as the Kiwanis Club honored students in Prescott High School.
Sen. Joyce Elliott was the keynote speaker. She told about growing up in Willisville, along with highlights of her career in teaching and politics. She told those gathered in the Prescott Junior High Cafeteria something needs to happen so we don’t lose rural Arkansas, even though many in the metropolitan areas forget the state extends further south than Malvern. She said the whole state’s rural, but policies are needed to make the truly rural areas grow.

Today’s young people, she said, have a different attitude about the kind of world they want and it’s a good thing. “They want a world where people work together and there’s more fairness.” She encouraged the students to be a leader, reminding them they owe this state a debt for taking care of them this long.

Four things are needed to succeed, she said. First is empathy, being able to see one’s self in others and seeing the humanity in everyone. The second is resilience and persistence, or staying on the path when things get hard. Third up is humility. “It’s important to feel good when you’re honored, but know others made it possible. Don’t take them for granted.” Finally, civic engagement is needed. This, she told the audience, means voting, being involved from top to bottom in the affairs of the county. “Democracy won’t work for us if we don’t work to make it so. We can do better.”

Janet Banister was recognized as the sponsor of the Key Club. She said the Kiwanis Club is invested in the school and community. Some of the things the Key Club is involved in are: cleaning the highway, Christmas shopping for children, the pancake supper, teacher and staff appreciation and sponsor a blood drive with the money raised going to a scholarship.

Prescott High School Tommy Poole accepted the plaque with the names of this year’s honorees. He thanked the club for what it does for the students and reminded them they earned it.

Scholarship presentations were scheduled to be next, but no students applied for them. The scholarships were: a PHS Vocational Scholarship for $500; a NHS scholastic scholarship for $500 and the new addition, the Barry Barber Scholastic Scholarship for $1,000.

The honorees were called by class, given a certificate and photographed with Elliott.

The honorees were:

2022-2023 Kiwanis Academic Honorees

(To be eligible, a student must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.50, and not less than a 3.60 for the previous semester)

Seniors

Class of 2023 

Ra’Shawn Bell                                       Tatum Jarvis

Aydan Bullinger                                    Lillian McKinnon

Olivia Cornelius                                    Carston Poole

Caden Dice                                           Gabryel Rodgers

Chloe Grimes

Juniors

Class of 2024

Marnie Buck                                         Rocco Loe

Zareah Colbert                                     Eli Lowdermilk

Karleigh Cole                                        Raegan McKinnon

Georgia Crain                                       Rocco Patrick

Drew Foley                                           Roy Peachey

Dylan Foley                                          John Rabadan

Gavin Hatley                                         Talan Smith

Lily Koger                                             Alanie Spratt

Baleigh Laughard

Sophomores

Class of 2025

Richard Benton                                     Zackary Laughard

Kensley Chalmers                                 Marketric Mixon

Lakyn Crayne                                        Cimarron Phillips

Jace Cummings                                     Caytlee Poole

Padrin Davis                                         Autumn Sullivan

Carlee Glass                                         Braden Williams

Breanna Haddix                                   Derrius Williams

Gabriella Irvin                                      Isabella Wingfield

Grayson Jackson