Oconee Schools Celebrate Top Honor Grads

Six high school  students were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements at two special receptions on Wednesday.  

Members of the , faculty, and parents applauded each schools' class of 2011 valedictorian, salutatorian, and honorarian for the students' hard work.  The students take advanced placement and honors classes and have been very involved in extracurricular activities.

"They are true honor graduates in every sense,", superintendent of Oconee schools said. "Their achievements speak volumes about how the students challenge themselves, and we are extremely proud."

Both valedictorian Katarina Rose Jenkins and valedictorian Alanna Uhde are full-time students at the University of Georgia through joint enrollment.  

Here are the top honor graduates for 2011 in Oconee County:

OCONEE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL:

Valedictorian: Katarina Rose Jenkins. A full-time student at UGA, Katarina says she is currently undecided about her major but seeks a degree in Terry College of Business.

Salutatorian: Leah Williams. This summer, Leah will work in the molecular biology lab as a paid intern at Princeton University.  She plans to attend UGA in the fall and pursue a degree in biology and possibly go into the field of medicine.

Honorarian: Andrew Kane. Andrew has been accepted to UGA and UNC and is awaiting word from Yale University before he makes a final decision about where he will study.  He is undecided about a major at this time.

NORTH OCONEE HIGH SCHOOL:

Valedictorian: Alanna Uhde. By way of a joint enrollment program, Alanna is presently a full-time student at UGA with aspirations of a triple major in accounting, international business, and Spanish.  She is also interested in attending Columbia University for graduate school and SCAD University in Hong Kong.

Salutatorian: Clayton Wing. Clayton is interested in attending medical school in the future and will first pursue a degree in biology at UGA.

Honorarian: Julia Cochran. Julia is deciding between Georgia Tech, Emory University, and Vanderbilt for her post-secondary education.

Jackson said this is the last year that the top honors will be determined after 7 semesters of high school course work.  Next year, the announcement of the top three  graduates will happen at the end of the eighth semester.