Rebecca Orndorff was named co-valedictorian and recipient of the deGraffenried Award at commencement exercises for the Class of 2013 at Russellville High School Saturday, May 18.
She shared the class’ top academic award with Kesi Neblett, who was officially a member of the RHS class although she attended the prestigious Carol Martin Academy at Western Kentucky University her junior and senior years. She was a speaker at both schools’ commencement exercises.
The deGraffenried Award was intended upon its creation to go to the class’ best all-around student, based upon a vote by the faculty. It’s named for the late Thomas P. deGraffenried, who left a large bequest to the city for the educational and cultural benefit of its citizens in the 1960s.
The salutatorian was Troy Adams and third place went to Chelsea Jenkins.
Other students who placed in the top 10 in academic average in the Class of 51 were John Luke Boisseau, Kristen Coursey, Phillip Crawford, Tyler Hall, Ethan Houchens and Ciyanne Smith.
The guest commencement speaker was Russellville Police Detective Kenneth Edmonds. Board Chairman James Milam also spoke.
Principal Kim McDaniel has announced the following awards, scholarships and honors class members have received:
Troy Adams: Drive the Dream, Masonic Lodge Scholarship and Murray State University Academic Achievement Scholarship
Philecia Clemons: DAR Good Citizen
Kristen Coursey: Boardwalk Pipeline, East Logan Water, Logan Memorial Healthcare and Sally Flowers Moody
Philip Crawford: West Point — Class of 2017, Army ROTC to UK or WKU and UK Presidential
Janet Dulworth: Drive the Dream
Bryce Duncan: Mary Hope Henry Music Scholarship, Murray State University Music Scholarship, Murray State University Racer Band Leadership and Housing Scholarship and Mills Academic Scholarship
Eli Higginbotham: Mary Hope Henry Music Scholarship
Chelsea Jenkins: Diana Hutchings Evans Glasgow Scholarship, Republican Women’s Scholarship, Logan Telephone Co-op, We Can Gear Up Scholarship
Leslie Klein: Oddvar Berg Scholarship
Zach Lee: Lindsey Wilson
Jasmine McGaugh: Western Kentucky University E.A. Diddle Scholarship
Carlie Morphew: Panther Spirit Award — RHS Alumni Association and Academic Scholarship Campbellsville University
Kesi Neblett: Democratic Women’s Club, FOP Scholarship, Joseph G. Hardy Memorial Scholarship, Kiwanis, NAACP, Western Kentucky University – Hallmark Tuition – first year
Kathleen Noe: Kelly Russell Award, Athletic Scholarship Mid-Continent Volleyball Scholarship
Rebecca Orndorff: deGraffenried Award, Sally Flowers Moody, Western Kentucky University Spirit Makes the Master Scholarship and Logan Telephone Coop
Amber Sydnor: Academic/Athletic Scholarship Campbellsville University
Anthony Tisdale: Kelly Russell Award
Luke Whittaker: Fellowship of Christian Athletes Scholarship