Outstanding Tift County, Tiftarea graduating seniors honored

Published 9:23 pm Saturday, May 13, 2006

Several 2006 graduating seniors from Tift County High School and Tiftarea Academy were recently honored for their academic achievements and are on their way to higher education.



Tift valedictorian

At Tift County High School, Hannah Clement, the daughter of Geoff and Sarah Clement, was named the class valedictorian. She will attend Georgia Tech’s School of Engineering in the fall as a Presidential Scholar. She plans to use her degree as a occupational therapist.

Clement has been involved in the 4-H program for seven years and is a master 4-H’er in consumer judging and food product development. She advanced to State Congress each of her high school years and is involved with the Cooperative Extension Service foods and nutrition classes given in the community.

She is also an active member of Teens 4 a Change, a community leadership group which she serves as secretary, and is Meals on Wheels chairman. She is also involved in Buddies in School with Tift County’s Big Brothers/Big Sisters and is a Big Buddy to a second-grade student.

At Tift County High School, Clement has been a newspaper staff reporter. Other extracurricular activities at school have included Y-Club, Beta Club, Science Club and Spanish Club.

She has spent the past year as a team member at Chick-Fil-A, where she is involved in customer service.

A member of New Life Presbyterian Church, she is actively involved in her youth group, is a co-leader of a girls’ prayer and Bible study group and teaches Sunday School to first and second-grade students.



Tift salutatorian

TCHS Senior Tammy Nhu was named the class’ salutatorian. She is the daughter of Hanh and Dieu Nhu. She is the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship at Mercer University and plans to attend in the fall majoring in pre-pharmacy or pre-med.

While at TCHS, Nhu was involved in the Beta Club, served as the French Club’s secretary, participated in the Academic Quiz Bowl, served on the student newspaper staff and as the student council’s senior class vice president. She also served on the prom committee, was a member of the 1100 Club and received the Georgia Certificate of Merit. She is a pharmacy technician at CVS Pharmacy.



Tift STAR student and teacher

TCHS STAR Star Student Christina Ann Norton, the daughter of Lee and Brenda Doss, has been a superior honor student throughout her high school career. She participated in the marching band for three years and was a section leader her junior year. As a senior, she was a member of the Drama Club and worked with scenic design.

Norton plans to attend Abraham Baldwin College this fall and hopes to attend Savannah College of Art and Design or the Center for Cartoon Studies. She hopes to someday write and illustrate books.

Norton chose Debbie Salter, her English teacher and the head of the department, as her STAR Teacher. Salter, a graduate of ABAC and Valdosta State College, has been teaching for 13 years. She is currently working on graduate studies through Troy University. She has been named STAR Teacher four times and has previously been TCHS’s Teacher of the Year.



Tiftarea valedictorian

Jacob Turk Dill was named Tiftarea Academy’s Valedictorian.

Dill, the son of Angie and Jerry Dill, plans to attend the University of West Georgia in Carrollton as a pre-dental student. He received the Board of Trustees, Governor’s and Hope scholarships.

He was an honor and superior honor student and received the geometry, world geography, algebra II, government/economic, world history and Spanish awards while at the school. He also received the National Beta Club Certificate of Merit and was a nominee to the National Scholar at National Young Leaders Conference.

He also participated in varsity baseball, wrestling, football and cross country. He was also a member of the Beta Club, the Technology Student Association, the Student Council, Community Theatre and Peer Tutoring.



Tiftarea salutatorian

Tiftarea Academy’s 2006 salutatorian, Heather Gilman, the daughter of Donald and Kim Gilman, has attended Tiftarea Academy for 13 years.

She plans to attend ABAC on the John and Julie Hunt Shoney’s Scholarship and the Ameris Foundation Scholars Scholarship and pursue a degree in agricultural communication and then transfer to pursue a doctorate degree in law.

While at Tiftarea, Gilman was a Georgia Certificate of Merit winner, received the United States Senate Youth Recognition, the University of Florida Emerging Leaders, the American Legion Award, the Georgia Tech Leadership Program, the Presbyterian College Junior Fellow Award and was named to Who’s Who Among American High School students. She was an early admission recipient to the University of Georgia and was voted Most Likely to Succeed by her senior classmates.

Gilman was active in FFA and 4-H, was a member of the Beta, Key and Spanish clubs and was a Beta Club Peer Tutor. She also was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a member of the student council, homecoming representative, an eight-year participant in the Georgia Junior Livestock Program, a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters Buddies of America, participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and served as a page to Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson.



Tiftarea star student and teacher

Brandon Scott Reeder was named Tiftarea Academy’s 2006 STAR Student.

Reeder, the son of Stan and Angelia Reeder, plans to attend Georgia Southwestern on an Honors Scholarship and major in English and play on the college’s baseball team. He was also awarded the QSP Scholarship, the Governor’s Scholarship and the HOPE Scholarship.

While at Tiftarea Academy, Reeder was named the Presbyterian College Junior Fellow, the Algebra II Award winner, the Sophomore Class Favorite and the Senior Superlative: Friendliest. He was a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters and was a Beta Club Peer Tutor.

He was a member of the Beta Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Y-Club. He played varsity baseball, basketball, football and cross-country and won numerous sports awards.

Reeder named his math teacher, Christie Livingston, as this year’s STAR Teacher. Livingston has been teaching at Tiftarea Academy for 15 years.