5 Lady Jackets take top spots
The 2017 school year is nearly concluded, and the top five RHS seniors have been decided.
Flying to the forefront of the hive are Janae Crawford, Macie Campbell, Aubrey Wolfe, Tiffany Wood, and Judy Standeford. Co-Salutatorian Aubrey Wolfe was not available for an interview, however.
The RHS valedictorian for the class of 2017 is Janae Crawford. Janae is 18 years old and is daughter to Rick and Susan Crawford.
After graduating, the valedictorian plans to attend Georgia Tech and major in mathematics. Janae listed her career goal as, “wanting to use math in medical research related to concussions and brain cancer.”
To do this, Janae hopes to add a second major/minor in neuroscience.
On top of being the class’s top scorer, Janae has balanced four years of varsity cheerleading, has been in the national honors society for three years, participated in skills USA for two years, and performed as the treasurer of Kappa Pi Beta.
When asked if she would return to Polk County after school, the valedictorian replied “I plan on working in a medical lab, so I will probably be in the Atlanta area.” Janae wants to let other students know that “the work will be worth it, even if you can’t see it yet.”
Janae has undoubtedly worked hard, and like she said, her hard work has proved rewarding.
Tying for Salutatorian with Aubrey Wolfe, Macie Campbell is 17 years old and is daughter to Anthony Campbell.
The salutatorian has plans to attend either the University of West Georgia or Kennesaw State University, but regardless of which college she chooses to attend, Macie wants to study Biology/Oncology.
Macie wants people to know that “even when you think you can’t, you can. Never give up. Follow the dreams you’ve got.” Macie follows her own advice by spending her time singing, helping others, laughing, and having fun.
She’s is a big fan of dogs, and when not playing with man’s best friend, she enjoys making others laugh and cheering the air.
The salutatorian intends to keep her job in Rockmart, commute back and forth to college, and then use her newly acquired skills in oncology to aid her community.
Macie’s dedication to her community is admirable, and it will be interesting to see how she applies her new skills to Rockmart.
Ranked in the third spot is Tiffany Wood, daughter of Judy Wood, who plans to attend the university of Tennessee in Knoxville. Once at UT, she will participate in the Veterinary Medicine program so she can get her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.
Tiffany wants to let people know that “despite all the stress we put ourselves through by taking rigorous classes, the overall outcome is worth it. Being able to say you’ve accomplished all of these things is satisfying to yourself. There is nothing like the being proud of yourself.”
The third ranking senior has played softball since she was three and hopes to continue playing for as long as possible. Sports have been a big of her life, but she also likes exploring the woods.
Tiffany doesn’t plan to return to Polk County as she “would much rather live in Tennessee,” if she does return to Georgia, however, she “won’t live around Polk County.”
Coming in at No. 4, Judy Standeford is Evie Lewis’ 18-year-old daughter who plans to attend Jacksonville State University for chemistry. Judy is a math lover at heart and will have little trouble earning her wings in her other favorite subject, Chemistry.
When asked to deliver a message to her fellow students, Judy said that “things are never as horrible as they seem.” Judy’s ability to look at things in an optimistic light no doubt helped her to perform as well she did.
Aside from excelling at school, Judy is an experienced musician and plays trumpet in the RHS band. She is also a prominent member of the RHS drama department and serves as an inducted Thespian. Otherwise, Judy enjoys spending time with her friends at the park.
Judy said she would certainly make an effort to return to Polk County after college so she could help the community and spend time at her favorite hangout spot.