KU News Release

LAWRENCE — Students from 10 Kansas high schools will be honored Wednesday, Nov. 3, by the University of Kansas Alumni Association and KU Endowment.

A total of 61 seniors from high schools in Grant, Haskell, Morton, Seward, Stanton and Stevens counties will be recognized for their academic achievements and named Kansas Honor Scholars at a 7 p.m. dinner and program at the Seward County Community College Student Union, 1801 N. Kansas, Liberal.

The Kansas Honors Program celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Since 1971, the program has recognized 114,000 scholars, who rank in the top 10 percent of their high school senior classes and are selected regardless of occupational plans or higher-education goals. Each year, the KU Alumni Association and its volunteers host 41 programs that reach all 105 counties across the state.

During the ceremony, each student will receive an American Heritage Dictionary, in both hardback and electronic versions, presented by Heath Peterson, assistant vice president of alumni programs for the KU Alumni Association.

Barbara Ballard, associate director for outreach at KU’s Dole Institute of Politics, 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. Al and Donna Shank, of Liberal, are the site coordinators. Nathan McCaffey, of Liberal, is coordinator for Morton and Seward counties. Kevin and Catherine Moyer, of Ulysses, are coordinators for Grant and Stanton counties. Jackie and Sterling Hall, of Sublette, are the Haskell County coordinators. Erick and Debbie Nordling, of Hugoton, are the Stevens County coordinators.

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

Elkhart High School: Chris Luck, Jonathan Owens, Magen Witcher

Hugoton High School: Brittany Elliot, Alyx Ellsaesser, Ashley Goode, Cody Hill, Rachel Kurt, Cassandra Quillen

Liberal High School: Levi Adams, Jay Bhakta, Puja Bhakta, Megan Campbell, Alyssa Canfield, Kinsi Delzeit, Kelly Francis, Emmanuel Garcia, Livesey George, Tarana Gill, Matthew Hall, Duc Nguyen, Susan Nguyen, Vince Nguyen, Selene Perez, Nguyen Pham, Yoko Rader, Juana Rivero, Antonio Rodriguez, Megan Spain, Lauren Sumner, Ashlyn Westerman, Morgan Wills, Andrew Wolford

Moscow High School: Emily White

Rolla High School: Casey Barrett, Bragen Denton, Sarah Morgan Taylor

Satanta High School: Kelsey Blair, Kurtis Clawson, Megan Kuehler

Southwestern Heights High School: Marissa Angell, Deni Jacobs, Jordan Lee, Esteffany Tabb

Stanton County High School: Kasey Erskin, Gylee Martin

Sublette High School: Derek Birney, Gentry Hibbard, Karsyn Meairs, Anna Messerly, Jolene Williams

Ulysses High School: Denise Ashby, Anthony Del Correl, Guadalupe Espino, Joell Martin, Jared Neidert, Kyle Pelton, Lacy Rundell, Whitney Seger, Libby Stepp, Bo Zirkle