KU News Release

KU to honor alumni volunteers and 37 high school seniors from Barton, Rush counties

LAWRENCE — Students from six Kansas high schools will be honored Wednesday, Feb. 18, by the University of Kansas Alumni Association and KU Endowment.

A total of 37 seniors from high schools in Barton and Rush counties will be recognized for their academic achievements and named Kansas Honor Scholars at a 6:30 p.m. dinner program at The Club at Stoneridge, 1438 24th St., Great Bend. Additionally, KU alumni volunteers Bill and Mary King of Great Bend will be honored with a Mildred Clodfelter award in recognition of longtime support of the Kansas Honors Program.

The Kansas Honors Program began in 1971 and has honored more than 100,000 students. Scholars rank in the top 10 percent of their high school senior classes and are selected regardless of curricula, majors, occupational plans or higher-education goals. Honorees are listed below.

During the ceremony, each student will receive an American Heritage Dictionary in hardcover and CD versions, presented by Jennifer Sanner, senior vice president for communications at the KU Alumni Association.

Marlesa Roney, vice provost for Student Success, will speak to the students and their parents and guests.

Honored students will be guests of the alumni association and KU Endowment; parents and area alumni are welcome to attend at a cost of $15 each.

Community volunteers collect reservations, coordinate details and serve as local contacts for the event. The Kings are site coordinators. County coordinators are Perry and Krista Smith of Great Bend for Barton County and Mary Barrows of LaCrosse for Rush County.,

The Mildred Clodfelter Alumni Award, created in 1986 by the alumni association, honors volunteers who serve as KU ambassadors in their home communities. The award is named for Clodfelter, who received a bachelor’s degree in 1941 from KU and worked at KU for 47 years, 42 of them at the alumni association. Clodfelter, known to countless Jayhawks nationwide, retired in 1986 and passed away in 2005.

The Kansas Honors Program is made possible through KU Endowment and proceeds from the Jayhawk license plate program.

Claflin High School: Rachael Stueder, Sarah Stueder and Kristin Wirth

Ellinwood High School: Chris Isern, Amy Klatt, Angela Pruett and Adam Unruh

Great Bend High School: Kyrie Bair, Jenna Clarke, Jessica Couture, Jessica Denney, Sara Dreiling, Holly Esfeld, Ryan Gotsche, Karli Henning, Matthew Hildebrand, Ethan Koochel, Andrew Kuhn, Cameron Lampe, Kiefer McCulley, Kevin Pringle, Tyler Saucedo, Tiffany Scott, Pete Smith, John Stang, Kristin Stewart, Heather Stos and Amanda Wilson

Hoisington High School: Logan Harmon, Ryan Hoffman and Dakota Meyers

LaCrosse High School: Jeremy Garcia, Olivia Keeley and Marshall Musil

Otis-Bison High School: Melissa Demel, Ian Edwards and Phillip Scheuerman

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.