Students honored at annual banquet

Tuesday evening, 53 Kiowa County High School students were honored for their academic performance during the 2012-13 school year at the 54th Annual KU/K-State Honor Banquet. University of Kansas and Kansas State University alumni from Kiowa County have been sponsoring this banquet as a way to recognize the scholastic achievements of our local students and to provide incentive for them to excel in the classroom.

Matt Christenson, GHS graduate and KSU alum has seen the banquet from both sides of the table, as a high school student and now as an alumni sponsor.

“The event is very important to our local students,” said Christenson. “While there are many organizations and events that support athletics and other extracurricular activities, the Honors Banquet exclusively recognizes students for their academic achievements. It also connects students to local alumni of our state universities, further reinforcing the importance of continuing education.”

While the weather prevented the scheduled speaker from attending, Lynn Loveland, representing the South Central KU Alumni Association spoke briefly about the importance of life-long education.

“What an honor it is to make it this far,” said Loveland. “Some of us have goals that reach through high school, into college and beyond. Learning never stops. If you want to get ahead, you have to keep learning. It is something that is a central part of life.”

KCHS choir director Kim Stewart was excited and proud to discover that 24 of her female students excel academically as well as musically and provided entertainment for the evening.

“They truly showcase the diverse talents of our students,” she said.

“The long standing tradition of this banquet honoring our students for their academic performance is a tremendous value to our county,” said Kiowa County High School Counselor Sue Greenleaf-Taylor. “This event is unique to our community, and I am proud of our students for their achievements and the community for recognizing them.”

ITC Great Plains sponsored this year’s banquet, making it free for everyone who attended.

“Successful communities depend on strong leadership, and quality education is the key to developing future leaders,” said Kristine Schmidt, president of ITC Great Plains. “ITC Great Plains is proud to sponsor the Kiowa County High School Honor Roll Banquet because it is a unique and time-honored tradition that celebrates high levels of academic achievement. Today’s youth will be tomorrow’s workforce of engineers and technical operators that will help ITC continue to realize our status as a best-in-class transmission provider.”

Students who makes one of the three honor rolls for the last two semesters, will be honored by the alumni of the University of Kansas and Kansas State University.