Onwards and upwards for Guy-Perkins grads

Excited, scared, happy, sad and anxious, the Guy-Perkins High School Class of 2009 graduated Friday night.

They were a good class, Guy-Perkins Superintendent David Westenhover said before the graduation; a little more diverse and a little smarter than most, and Westenhover said he was looking forward to the scholarship announcements.

More than half the students graduated with scholarships, the largest going to Valedictorian Jordan Jehlen, who leaves the school with $86,500. Jehlen said she plans to pursue a degree in biology at Hendrix College, which awarded $58,000 of her total. Michael Hanna was awarded a $62,000 scholarship from the U.S. Army and Salutatorian Joe Matthews was awarded $52,000, $40,000 of which was from the University of Central Arkansas. Oliver Tyler Stacy was awarded almost $50,000, about $38,000 of which was from Arkansas Tech.

Marrice Morris Jr. and Wefus Tyus III plan to go to the University of the Ozarks at Clarksville, and will be going with scholarships of $36,000 and $37,000, respectively.

All told, the Guy-Perkins Class of 2009 leaves with more than $445,000 to go toward their continued educations, and almost all have plans that include college.

Morris summed up his high school experience in one word: successful. He explained that it was a success "academically and athletically," and he plans to major in mathematics and engineering at The University of the Ozarks and also play basketball there.

Christopher Clingan said before the graduation that he was just "ready to get it over with," meaning both the ceremony and high school, but said he'd miss his friends. Clingan is also planning to seek a degree in engineering at Arkansas Tech.

David Pa'ez signed up to participate in an exchange student program. He only had a choice as to the country he wished to study in, and ended up in Guy, he said. Now that he's graduated Ja'come will soon return to his home country of Equador, where he will get to see some of his friends there again, but he said he'll miss the ones he's made here.

"I'm going to miss all of them. They have become really part of my life now," he said, adding that he'll also miss his host "parents," Paul and Debbie McFarland.

"They helped me a lot," he said. "I have good grades because of them."

He's going to college to, in South America, to study anthropology.

"I want to learn everything about human culture," he said, adding that he got a good dose of culture in rural Faulkner County.

Zalmenta Lyon said the class was "all a big family" that, for the most part, got along well during their time at Guy-Perkins. Lyon said she's "going to miss them a lot" when she goes on June 1 to Arkansas State University at Beebe to pursue a degree in advanced practical nursing. And Nick Cruz, if he has it his way, will make education his career. Cruz said he's going to ASU Beebe to become a teacher "because I feel that I have some kind of fire that wants me to teach others what I've learned."

The Guy-Perkins Class of 2009 is: Brandon Wade Blakley, Summer Lauren Burroughs, Kristin Nicole Childers, Christopher Gene Clingan, Michael Christopher Crim, Nicholas B. Cruz, Shana Renea Cunningham, Dexter LaTroy Dillard, Billy Joe Dobbs, Lee Allen Duncan, Lauren Nicole Elrod, Raymond Cody Fletcher, Roderick Aaron Foster, Mariah Rose Gillihan, Micah Leonard George Hanna, Jordan Blakely Jehlen, Jacob Brandon Roy Kennedy, Jesica Nacona Lebel, Zalmenta Verlnee Lyon, Joe Richard Matthews, Robert Dean Matthews, Ezekial Dakota Mauldin, Laura Ann Mode, Marrice Larry Don Morris Jr. A. David Pa'ez Ja'come, Aaron Trae Rowlett, Terri Jenee Roylston, Sidney Jade Smith, Olliver Tyler Stacy, Wefus K. Tyus III, Benjamin Russell Vaillancourt, Leonard James Walthall and Dylan Kade Wilson.

(Staff writer Joe Lamb can be reached at 505-1238 or by E-mail at joe.lamb@thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit.)