Pleasant Grove announces top 10 graduates for 2017
Pleasant Grove High School recently named their top 10 graduates for 2017.
Nathan Grant Brinkley, valedictorian of the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, is the son of James and Jerrice Brinkley. He completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program, the National Merit Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. He is a member of the National Honor Society and a member of the Gifted and Talented Program. Nathan served as senior class vice president for 2016-17, and served as junior class president in 2015-16, where he was instrumental in helping to coordinate, supervise and participate in Hawk Fairs and Lunches with the Hawks for elementary and intermediate school students, ushered and set up for the Veterans Day Parade and participated in stadium clean-ups during football season. Nathan received the 2017 Outstanding Academic Awards in Computer Science Honors and AP US Government. He was also named to the 2017 Outstanding Academic Hall of Fame in Mathematics. He received the 2016 English Language and Composition Advanced Placement Award, the 2016 Physics Honors Award and placed first in the 2016 Texas A&M University Texarkana PreCalculus Math Competition. He also received the 2015 Chemistry Pre-Advanced Placement Award, the 2015 Top 10 Student Athletic Academic Excellence Award, the 2014 Geometry Pre-Advanced Placement Award and the 2014 Accounting I Honors Award. He was a recipient of the 2012 Character First Rotary Club Award and had work published in 2012 in the TRAHC Write on Art Event, placing first for poetry. Nathan was a member and participant on the UIL Mathematics, Number Sense, Calculator, Science, Accounting and Literary Criticism Teams. He was a member of the Art Club and was an Art Honor Inductee 2014-2016. He helped plan and construct installations for the art shows. Nathan also was member of the Science Club. Nathan was a four-year member of the Pleasant Grove Hawk Baseball Team, lettering his last two years. He and the team finished as Texas 4A State Semi-finalists in 2016. Nathan is a member of the K-12th Pleasant Grove Alumni. Nathan served his community by participating in the Fields of Faith program and First Priority and worked in leadership positions for Texarkana Dixie Youth Baseball.
Nathan plans to attend the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa in the fall and double major in Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics. He was awarded the Presidential Scholarship and Engineering Leadership Scholarship. He was also awarded the Dixie Youth Baseball Scholarship.
Kylie Elizabeth Rogers, salutatorian of the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, is the daughter of Steven and Michelle Rogers. Kylie has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. She is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholarship Program and is a UIL Scholar. She was named Who's Who Among American High School Students. Kylie is a member of the National Honor Society, serving as secretary in 2015-16 and the Gifted and Talented Program. She was named to the 2016-17 Academic Hall of Fame for English Language Arts. She also received the 2017 Outstanding Academic Award for English IV Honors Dual Credit. Kylie received the 2016 Yearbook Sports Section Award, the 2016 Literary Criticism Award, the 2015 UIL Prose and Poetry Award, the 201415 Top Ten Student Academic Excellence Athlete Award, the 2014-2015 Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in Pre-AP English, the 2015-2016 District First Team Forward Soccer Award and the 2013 Texarkana Rotary Club Outstanding Citizen Award. Kylie is a member of the Hawk Yearbook, serving as managing editor 2016-17, sports editor 2015-16 and staff member 2014-2015. She is a member of the Keyette Club, serving as president 2016-17, president elect 2015-2016 and member 2014-2015. She is also a member of Quill and Scroll 2016-17, Science Club 2014-2016, Student Council 20142017 and Leadership 2016-2017. She is also a member of the Lady Hawk Soccer Team 20132017. Kylie is also a member of the K-12 Pleasant Grove Alumni. Kylie serves her community by participating in Student Council-sponsored Hawk Serve Day, participating in odd jobs and assisting various organizations throughout the community. She volunteers for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure fundraiser in order to help raise awareness for breast cancer. She also Runs the Line through Keyettes to help gain support for city bike lanes. Kylie received the Ellen Campbell Outstanding Officer Service Award Scholarship for Keyettes. She was accepted to the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College of the University of Mississippi and received the Doris Raymond Scholarship, along with the Academic Excellence, Academic Excellence Non-Resident, Holmes and Valedictorian/ Salutatorian Scholarships from the University of Mississippi. She also received scholarships from Texas Tech University and Trinity University. Kylie will be attending the University of Mississippi and majoring in English, with plans to attend law school.
William Joseph Hlavinka graduated third in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, and is the son of Mark and Marcie Hlavinka. Will has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. Will received the the 2014-15 Top 10 Academic Excellence Scholar Award, the 2014-2015 Outstanding Academic Excellence Award in World History Pre-AP and the 2013-14 Outstanding Academic Excellence in English I PreAP. He was a 2014-15, a 201516 and 2016-17 member of the Varsity Baseball team, and a 2013-14 member of the ninth and JV Baseball team. He was a 2014-15 member of the Science Club, is a member of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and is a member of the Boys Scouts of America, attaining Eagle Scout status. Will is a member of the K-12 Pleasant Grove Alumni. Will serves his community by participating in clean up projects at Wright Patman Lake, by developing, leading and participating in community projects such as food drives sponsored by Boys Scouts of America, leading teams and serving at Vacation Bible School at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church and participating as usher at the Perot Theatre in Texarkana. Will received the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award Scholarship. Will plans to attend Texas A&M University and major in Chemistry.
William Hunter Humphrey graduated fourth in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, and is the son of John and Kara Humphrey. Will has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. He was named Who's Who Among American High School Students, is a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council Leadership, where he served as 2016-17 president. He received the 2017 Academic Outstanding Award for AP Statistics. He served as 2016 (HOBY) Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Camp Ambassador, was a 2016 Texas Boys State Leadership Camp Ambassador and a 2016 Rotary Youth Leadership Ambassador. Will is a member of the Interact Club, serving as treasurer 201617, a member of Spanish Club, serving as vice president 2015 to present, a member of First Priority, serving as president 2015 to present and was a member of the Freshman Baseball Team in 2014. Will serves his community by participating in service projects that benefit local school districts and communities within the Interact Club, leading student and staff meetings offering welcomes for teachers and board members and explaining leadership roles within the high school. He participates in the Harvest Texarkana Food Bank, the Williams Memorial Food Pantry and Teen Court. Will received the 2017 Student Council Scholarship. Will plans to attend Texas A&M University College Station and major in Business Administration.
Layne Austin Martindale graduated fifth in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, and is the son of Greg and Shali Martindale. Layne has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. Layne is a member of the National Honor Society and the Gifted and Talented Program. He was named Who's Who Among American High School Students and received the 2017 Academic Hall of Fame Award in Science. He received the 2016 Outstanding Academic Excellence in AP World History Award, was a 2016 UIL Academic competitor and received the Top 10 Student Athlete Academic Excellence Award. He is a member of Spanish Club, a member of Student Council Leadership and a member of Quill & Scroll Society. Layne is also a member of the K-12 Pleasant Grove Alumni. Layne participated in many community based services, such as volunteering to help coach high school youth football camps and serving on different student council based projects throughout the year. He also spent all four years playing for Pleasant Grove football and baseball programs, including two years of Varsity Football and one year of Varsity Baseball. Layne received scholarships from the University of Central Arkansas, Ouachita Baptist University, Creighton University, Baylor University, Oklahoma State University and Henderson State University. Layne plans to attend Schedler Honors College at the University of Central Arkansas and major in Biology Pre-Med.
Yuhsin Chiang graduated sixth in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, and is the daughter of Kun Hsiu Ling. Yuhsin has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. She is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. She was named Who's Who Among American High School Students. Yuhsin received the 2017 Outstanding Academic Excellence Award in Biology Dual Credit, was a 2015-2016 UIL Computer Science State Finalist, has served as UIL Computer Science team captain and UIL Math and Science Team member, a 2014-2017 Pride in Motion band section leader, a 2014-2016 ATSSB All Region Symphonic Band member and was selected to the 2017 Four States Bandmasters Association. Yuhsin is a 2016-present member of the National Society of High School Scholars and is a Girl Scouts Silver Award recipient. Yuhsin serves her community by teaching and tutoring other students and teaching classes in martial arts. She is an ATArecommended black belt. Yuhsin received the National Merit Scholarship and scholarships to University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Arkansas University and Lamar University. Yuhsin plans to attend the University of Texas at Dallas CS2 Honor Program.
Jedd Ashton Ramos graduated seventh in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, and is the son of Joseph and Judith Ramos. He has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. Jedd was named Who's Who Among American High School Students. He received the 2017 Outstanding Academic Excellence Award in Leadership and has served in Student Council Leadership since 2013 to present. Jedd is a member of the Pride in Motion Band since 2013 to present, currently serving as Drum Major. He is also a member of the Symphonic All Region Band of East Texas. Jedd is a member and participant in the UIL Cross Examination Debate and Current Issues and Events and member and participant of the UIL Persuasive and Informative Speaking. He is also a member of the Spanish Club, currently serving as treasurer, a member of Science Club and a member of the Varsity Track team from 2013 to present. Jedd is a member of the K-12 Pleasant Grove Alumni . He serves his community by serving as junior volunteer at Christus St. Michael Health System, refereeing for Texarkana Soccer Association, volunteering at the Runnin' WJ Ranch for special needs students, volunteering at Harvest Texarkana Food Bank, volunteering at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church Food Pantry, serving as altar server at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and teaching at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Vacation Bible School. Jedd plans to attend the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business and major in Finance.
Jesse Pierce Jenkins graduated eighth in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, and is the son of Laura Jenkins and Jordan Jenkins. Jesse has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. He was named Who's Who Among American High School Students. Jesse is a member of the National Honor Society, the Gifted and Talented Program and is a member of the K-12 Pleasant Grove Student Alumni. He received an Award of Excellence from the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. He is a member of the Boy Scouts of America, having attained the Eagle Scout status, earned the Arrow of Light and is a member of Order of the Arrow. Jesse is a member of the Pride in Motion Band and was named Outstanding Freshman Percussionist. He advanced to state competition in Solo and Ensemble. He is a member of the International Thespian Society where he was recognized for achieving International Honor Thespian. Jesse is a One Act Play member and was awarded Bi District All Star Cast. He served as a (HOBY) Hugh O'Brian Leadership Youth volunteer in 2015 at the University of North Texas. Jesse served his community by participating in the Hawk Serve Day, volunteering at the Randy Sams Shelter. He replanted gardens at his church, painted the Sacred Heart parsonage, built fire starters for the tent community, helped arrange community blood drives and built golf club racks for First Tee. Jesse received the Inaugural Tyrone McCurdy Memorial Scholarship. He plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin and major in Radio-Television-Film.
Walker Allen Lambert, son of Paul and Stacy Lamber, graduated ninth in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove. Allen has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. He was named Who's Who among American High School Students. Allen is a member of the National Honor Society, the Gifted and Talented Program and the National Society of High School Scholars. He is a member of the Broadcast Journalism Staff, a member of “The Edge” newspaper staff, president of Interact Club, a member of Quill & Scroll, a member of Student Council and a member of the Varsity Hawk Baseball team. Allen serves as senior class president. Allen received the President's Volunteer Service Award, sponsored by the Prudential Financial Company in partnership with the National Association of Secondary Principals, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant hours of their time serving their community and country. Allen also serves his community by participating in the Texarkana Rotary Flag Project, placing flags in area yards prior to holidays and Hawk game days. He also volunteers his time at the Randy Sams Shelter and the Williams Memorial United Methodist Church Food Pantry. Allen also participates in the Student Council/Leadership-sponsored Hawk Serve Day, performing service projects for the community as needed, as well as volunteering for Opportunities, Inc. He participates in the Hawk Stadium clean up after football games. Allen received the Mark Trone Memorial Scholarship, National Honor Society Scholarship and scholarships from the University of Alabama, The University of Mississippi, Texas Christian University, Belmont University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Allen plans to attend the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and major in Biochemistry.
James Lloyd Tuttlebee graduated tenth in the 2017 graduating class of Pleasant Grove High School, and is the son of Andrew and Eliza Tuttlebee. James has completed the Distinguished Achievement Program. He is a member of the President's Education Awards Program, the Texas Scholars Program and is a UIL Scholar. He was named Who's Who Among American High School Students. James is a member of the National Honor Society, the Gifted and Talented Program and the Quill and Scroll Society. James has worked as a referee for the Texarkana Soccer Association and works at Schlotzsky's Deli. He is a leader in his youth group at Fellowship Baptist Church. James received the Trustees Academic Scholarship from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark., where he plans to major in Biology.