Celebrating Middle School Excellence - 2024 Awards Ceremony

As May whirls by with the busyness of year-end activities, it’s important to pause and recognize the incredible accomplishments of our middle school students. At Oakhill, we believe in celebrating growth, resilience, and the many ways our students shine—both inside and outside the classroom.

To echo Mrs. McCanles, Mrs. Sarver opened the ceremony by saying, "Thank you for joining us to celebrate the achievements of our students. This event is always a favorite of mine—as a parent and as an educator—because it gives us a chance to slow down and reflect on the growth our students have made throughout their time at Oakhill."

This year’s ceremony was filled with moments of pride. One such moment came in a story shared by Mrs. Sarver, who recalled a student from her own teaching days. After receiving a prestigious award, the student gave her a signed book that read: “When I was honored, I wish you would have been honored too. Because without you, I couldn’t have done it.” These words are a testament to the impact our faculty have on the lives of our students. We thank every teacher—from early childhood to middle school—for shaping the young leaders we celebrated at this year's award ceremony.

And now, the main event—the awards!

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Math Competition (Alex Dickey)

Students who represented Oakhill at the MathCounts competition:

• Cam Egbert

• Luke Rule

• Emery Hornaday

• Colette Meyring

• Hensley Hurst

• Lily Southerland

8th Grade Math Club Members:

• Philip Shekleton

• Alex Tomeldan

• Chase Gregory

• Brooklyn Kumar

• Lucia Peterson

• Kylee Dunham

• Hudson Hurst

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Science Fair (Mr. Cole)

Silver Ribbon Winners:

• Millie Lin & Olivia Watts – How does the amount of reactants affect the fizziness of bath bombs?

• Cam Egbert & Clark Gibson – Thermal Changes in Elephant's Toothpaste

• Kinsley Davis – Does Container Type Affect the Taste of Soda?

Gold Ribbon Winners:

• Chase Gregory & Hudson Hurst – Parachute Stability

• Logan Latier – Bat Material and Distance

• Mackenzie Plemmons & June Scott – Memory and Sound Observation

• Lily Calvert & Sophia Fallein – Hand Washing Technique and Cleanliness

• Rogers Nyberg & Wyatt Cameron – Wick Type and Burn Rate

  • 3rd Place – Materials Science

• Kylee Dunham, Brooklyn Kumar & Lucia Peterson – Spherification of Popping Boba

  • 2nd Place – Materials Science

• Brody Pickens, Philip Shekleton & Alex Tomeldan – Milkweed Stratification

  • 1st Place – Plant Sciences

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Spelling Bee (Mrs. Forsen)

• Lucia Peterson – 2024–25 Oakhill Spelling Bee Champion and regional finalist

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Elks Americanism Essay Contest (RD Mallams & Ms. Robinson)

6th Grade:

• Mikaela Copley – 1st Place; 2nd in State

• Gibson Lewis – 2nd Place

• Hensley Hurst – 3rd Place

7th Grade:

• Donnie Lin – 1st Place

• Reese Boyd – 2nd Place

• Emery Hornaday – 3rd Place

8th Grade:

• Lucia Peterson – 1st Place; 3rd in State

• Philip Shekleton – 2nd Place

• Alex Tomeldan – 3rd Place

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National History Bee (Ms. Robinson)

7th Grade High Scorers:

• Emery Hornaday – 82%

• Donnie Lin – 88%

• Evie Manion – 96%

8th Grade High Scorers:

• Clark Gibson – 92%

• Philip Shekleton & Chase Gregory – 94%

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National Spanish Exam (Señora WalkerHolmes)

Honorable Mentions (Top 50th Percentile):

• Keaton Lovitt

• Luke Rule

Medal Winners:

• Brooklyn Kumar – Silver (86th percentile)

• Lucia Peterson – Gold (96th percentile)

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Kindest Kansas Citian (Mrs. James)

• Olivia Watts – Overall 8th-grade winner

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Celebrating Art Book Publication (Ms. Stallman)

• Congratulations to Kylee Dunham on becoming a published artist!

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Presidential Service Award (Mrs. Newhouse)

For completing at least 50 hours of service in a single year:

• Hudson Hurst

• Philip Shekleton

• Alex Tomeldan

• Hensley Hurst

• Michael Parretta

• Sophia Parretta

• Jack Shekleton

• Lily Sutherland

Thank you to these students—and to the families who made it possible—for your commitment to serving others.

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Subject Awards

Art – Ms. Stallman

• June Scott – For imagination, technical skill, and creative risk-taking.

Communication Arts – Ms. Jackson

• Rogers Nyberg – For growth in writing, reading, and presenting.

Math – Mr. Kleyh

• Philip Shekleton – For perseverance, dedication, and passion.

Music – Mrs. Smith

• Alex Tomeldan – For enthusiasm and dedication to musical growth.

Physical Education – Coach Smith

• Olivia Watts – For sportsmanship and consistent effort.

Science – Mr. Cole

• Philip Shekleton – For curiosity, discovery, and leadership.

Social Studies – Ms. Robinson

• Chase Gregory – For deep thinking and analytical strength.

Spanish – Señora WalkerHolmes

• Philip Shekleton – For language excellence and enthusiasm. ¡Felicidades!

Technology – Mrs. Verwers

• Brooklyn Kumar – For creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.

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Named Awards

Top Scholar

• Philip Shekleton – For consistent academic excellence.

Scholar Athlete – For balancing academics and athletics with integrity.

• Olivia Watts

• Alex Tomeldan 

Leadership Award

• Millie Lin – For leading with compassion and responsibility.

Panther Pride Award

• Hudson Hurst – For school spirit and Oakhill involvement.

Helen Wills Award

• Rogers Nyberg – For demonstrating honesty, kindness, respect, and responsibility as a model citizen.

Middle School Cup

• Logan Latier – For building meaningful relationships and consistently showing loyalty, humility, and strong character.

Head of School Cup

• Alex Tomeldan – For representing the highest ideals of Oakhill in all areas of student life.

Although Oakhill's "award season" has come and gone, we hope you will join us in continuing to support and uplift Oakhill students—and the teachers who guide them each day. Whether it’s through academic competitions, essays that spark change, or kind words that lift hearts, our middle schoolers are making a difference.

Here’s to every award earned, every effort made, and every future accomplishment still to come.

Watch the ceremony now!