Top Clarke County Students Move On To Next Stage in Life

The class of 2011 will be moving on this week, leaving Clarke County high schools, ready to take on the world after the completion of graduation ceremonies. 

On Wednesday Classic City High School students walked across the stage at Morton Theatre.  Clarke Central students will turn the tassel at Stegeman Coliseum on the University of Georgia campus at 6 p.m., followed by Cedar Shoals students at 8 p.m.

All told, 573 students will graduate from Clarke County schools this year. Patch caught up with the valedictorians and salutatorians at each of the district's three public high schools to ask what the areas brightest students are thinking and what plans they have in store for the future. 

Xie Rachel Kulikoff

 Clarke Central Valedictorian Xie Rachel Kulikoff never pressured herself to just get good grades in school. She just liked to learn about a lot of things, and her eagerness for knowledge was reflected in her performance inside and outside the classroom.

“The awards and accolades, for me they really come with the learning and the  hard work,” Kulikoff said.

Kulikoff, whose academic resume includes a National Merit Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction awards, plans to attend the University of Chicago in the fall, where her current plans are to pursue a degree in mathematics.

Kulikoff became interested in mathematics while in middle school in China. During her freshmen year at Clarke Central, she became enamored with the subject when a teacher lent her a book called Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem.

“(The book) really talked about proving things and what math is really about, which is not really taught in schools,” Kulikoff said. “It really made me start to appreciate the beauty and consistency of mathematics.”

However, Kulikoff is somewhat undecided about majoring in math because she also has a passion for science and recently took an anthropology class at the University of Georgia that interested her as well.

“I'm excited,” Kulikoff said. “I'm also a little conflicted. I'm really excited to be going off to college and to be graduating from high school, but I'm also a little apprehensive and a little nervous.”

Valedictorian Clarke Central High School

Extracurricular activities: Clarke Central Environmental club, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honors Society, Math Club, National Honor Society, varsity Academic Team, Swim Team, piano, Young Partners for a Prosperous Athens.

Academic Achievements: National Merit Scholarship Finalist, AP scholar with distinction, Yale Book Award winner, Astounding Senior in Mathematics University of Georgia Kossak Exam Second Place, Silver Medal National Latin Exam, Certificate of Chinese Proficiency,Georgia Certificate of Merit, American Mathematics winner, Region 4 Student Teacher Achievement Recognition for highest in-school SAT score top 10 percent of graduating class.

College attending: University of Chicago

Field of study: undecided/math/science

Ariana Kazez

Clarke Central's Salutatorian, Arianna Kazez, wears a lot of hats. Beyond academic pursuits in chemistry and Spanish, she's a dancer and a community volunteer.

At Clarke Central Kazez took an AP chemistry class, and was drawn into the subject from day one, she said. This fall, she will further her knowledge of the science while attending Brown University.

“AP Chemistry was really interesting to me,” Kazez said. “It was just really cool. It is very mathematical, but it explains a lot of the natural phenomena we observe in the environment.”

For younger students hoping to standout from their peers and do well in school, Kazez advises them to pursue interests that they enjoy and not to stress out about their grades.

“They should just do things that are interesting to them and take classes that are interesting to them and just not torture themselves through high school,” Kazez said. “It's nice to have good grades and all, but if you don't like what you're doing then it's just not fun at all. Definitely do what you're interested in and not worry too much cause it will all work out probably.”

Salutatorian Clarke Central High School

Extracurricular Activities: Dancer at Encore Dance Studio, Member National Honor Society Community Service Club

Academic Achievements: Governors Honors Program

College attending: Brown

Field of Study: Chemistry

Carmen Kraus

Cedar Shoals Valedictorian Carmen Kraus plans to combine two life-long interests in art and environmental conservation when she heads to the University of Georgia this fall.

Among her many accomplishments, Kraus is a Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction, a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar and President of her school's chapter of the National Honor Society.

For as long as Kraus can remember, she's been drawing and has participated in local environmental cleanups, like the Athens-based Rivers Alive Project, for years. When Kraus came to Cedar Shoals, her teachers soon honed in on her interests and recommended she consider double-majoring in ecology and scientific illustration at the University of Georgia, she said.

“I looked into program and talked to a lot of people there, and it seemed like a great fit for me because I'm really interested in the environment and nature, and I also like drawing science and nature,” Kraus said. “The reason we need to protect the environment is because it does so much for us.”

Cedar Shoals Valedictorian

Extracurricular Activities: President National Honor Society, UGA Gameday Recycling Program, Sandy Creek Naturalist Assistant Program, Cross-Country.

Academic Achievements: University of Georgia Certificate of Merit, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Spanish Exam, First Place in-state bilingual level II, National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar.

College Attending: University of Georgia

Field of Study: Ecology and Scientific Illustration

Ya'el Bar-Peled

Ya'el Bar-Peled didn't slow down and take it easy during her last semester of high school. Though she's graduating today, she's already been to college as a dual-enrollment student at the University of Georgia.

For the future, Bar-Peled has set some rather lofty goals. She wants one day to cure cancer, and will be majoring in genetics at the University of Georgia on the way to becoming a medical doctor, she said.

“I have this delusion that I can cure cancer,” Bar-Peled said. “I just think it's a horrible disease that affects everyone.”

At the University of Georgia, Bar-Peled worked in the Complex Carbohydrates Resource Center lab, where she rubbed elbows with senior researchers and learned not only how to use a variety of lab equipment, but also hot to conduct her own research.

“It was a very eye-opening experience,” Bar-Peled said. “I think I've learned a lot.”

Cedar Shoals Salutatorian

Extracurricular Activities: National Honor Society Member

Academic Achievements: AP Scholar, Graduating with Science Honors

College Attending: University of Georgia

Field of Study: Genetics

McKinley Witzler

Two years ago, McKinley Witzler wasn't exactly where he thought he should be. A homeschool student, Witzler worried he was falling behind, so he enrolled in Classic City High School where he could quickly catch up and fulfill all the requirements of a traditional public high schooler at his own pace.

“I was homeschooled for the first three years of high school, and it just really didn't work out too well,” Witzler said. “Unlike other high schools, Classic City had a time waiver so that when you're done with class, you are done, and you don't have to wait until the semester is done to move on. I used that to graduate, and ultimately it still took me five years to get through.”

At Classic City, Witzler took and passed 17 classes – including AP World History, U.S. History and Human Geography – in two years. He enjoyed the classes so much, he may continue his studies in college at Georgia State.

“Hopefully, I'll go on and be in grad school and, yeah, maybe eventually get a job within the government with state department,” Witzler said. “It seems like it would be a pretty interesting place, and I like to think I could help with things as well in pursuing my own goals and giving back.”

Classic City Valedictorian

Extracurricular activities: Young Dawgs Internship at University of Georgia as intern for Driftmier Engineering.

Academic achievements: AP Scholar

College Acceptances: Georgia State

College Attending: Georgia State

Field of Study: Social Studies/International Affairs

Chloe Mantione-Holmes

At her previous school, Chloe Mantione-Holmes wasn't performing at her best. That all changed when she enrolled in Classic City High School, where she was able to catch up and succeed in classes that she had struggled in, like math.

“Early in high school I wasn't the best student, and I tried very hard to get better at that and I tried to overcome some of the different obstacles that were presented to me,” Mantione-Holmes said. “(Graduating as class salutatorian) is a huge success for me and I'm very proud and appreciate all the people that supported me throughout the way.”

Mantione-Holmes is currently on a waiting list to get into the University of Georgia. If she doesn't get in the first year, she plans to enroll in Gainesville State. Mantione-Holmes is undecided on a major, but is interested in studying the humanities or philosophy, she said.

Salutatorian Classic City

Extracurricular Activities: Music Camp Nuci's Space,writing

College Attending: Gainesville State or University of Georgia

Field of Study: Humanities or Philosophy