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