The top 10 students of the Brown County High School Class of 2018 were honored at a dinner April 25 at the Artists Colony Inn. They also will be recognized at commencement Friday, June 8.
This is how they described themselves and their accomplishments.
1. Abraham ‘Abe’ Oliver
Born to Amy Huffman Oliver and Jim Oliver, Abraham Oliver is first in his class.
Abe is the president of Brown County High School Student Council, and is the vice president, as well as one of the founding members, of the Brown County Dance Marathon.
He played on the tennis team all four years of high school and ended his career at No. 1 doubles.
He participated in theater at Brown County for two years, both in acting and in tech, as well as the National, Spanish, Thespian and Science honor societies. He also went to Spain during his sophomore year to live for six weeks.
In 2016, Abe and his research partner, Jadan Ercoli, were state science fair champions in their grade level and won third place in their category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. This year, Abe won the state competition in his grade level and is excited to represent Brown County at the International Fair in May.
Next year, Abe is enrolled at Stanford University to study computer science, mathematics and possibly physics. After college, he hopes to either become a researcher in theoretical computer science or a policy advisor.
2. Solei Garland
The oldest child of Adam and Amber Bryce, Solei Garland is second in her class.
She will be attending Indiana University Bloomington in the fall and looks forward to majoring in studio art. She’s active in National Honor Society as well as the Spanish and Science honor societies. She also participates in Brain Games every Wednesday morning.
She’s employed at the Chocolate Moose in Nashville. Solei also loves spending afternoons discussing gender, orientation and civil rights with the Gay-Straight Alliance.
In her spare time she builds her art portfolio and reads about travel, politics and the finer points of science fiction writing.
3. Grace Jackson
Grace Jackson is ranked third in her class.
She is the president of Brown County High School chapter of National Honor Society. She is a part of Science Honors Society, Thespian Honor Society and French Honor Society. Through National Honor Society, she has volunteered her time with Habitat for Humanity and many community organizations.
She also takes part in academic team and Brain Games. She previously was involved with the BCHS theater department and the Thespian Honor Society.
Grace has committed to Butler University and plans to attend in the fall. Her hard work and dedication at school led her to receive the Lilly Endowment Scholarship.
While at Butler, she plans to study political science and environmental science to prepare for a future in public policy. None of these accomplishments could have happened without the love and support of her parents, Tom and Carrie Jackson.
4. Cannon Kelp
Cannon is the son of Peggy and Roger Kelp. He is ranked fourth in his class.
He is a highly active member in Science Honor Society. He is also an active member in National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Interact Club.
He recently competed in the local and state science fair. He was the recipient of the John and Janet Davis Scholarship at the state-level science fair.
After high school, he will be attending Indiana University. He will be majoring in biology and hopes to study abroad.
5. Laura Sheckell
Laura Sheckell is the daughter of Stephanie Lutes and Jeff Sheckell. She is ranked fifth in her class.
Throughout her school years she has been very active in academics as well as extracurricular activities.
Laura has been a part of National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Science Honor Society and GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance).
She played soccer for three years and performed in the show choir for three years.
She has volunteered her time to Habitat for Humanity, the Hilly Half and other great volunteer opportunities.
She will be attending Purdue’s School of Pharmacy in the fall and plans to major in chemistry. She also wishes to finish her degree early so she can spend her senior year studying abroad.
6. Allison Drew
Allison Drew is the daughter of Richard and Bethany Drew. She is sixth in her class.
Allison is a four-year member of the varsity show choir Rhapsody and holds the position of dance captain and soprano vocal section leader.
In her free time she enjoys choreographing numbers for her choir and attending camps such as Showchoir Camps of America to further her vocal and dance experience.
Allison is also a four-year member of the Thespian Honor Society and participates in musical theater productions throughout the year.
She currently attends acting classes through Indiana University; however, after high school she will pursue musical theater and film acting through the New York Film Academy.
Beyond performing, Allison is an avid participant in her church’s youth group and is celebrating her seventh year as a cantor for Saint Agnes Catholic Church.
She hopes that her time at Brown County High School will inspire others to follow their passions regardless of the risks or forces that hold them back.
7. Jacey Ferguson
Jacey Ferguson is the daughter of Ryan and Danyeil Ferguson. She is ranked seventh in her class.
She has played varsity tennis for all four years of her high school career while also being a member of the the Brown County High School Gay-Straight Alliance and Spanish Honor Society.
Jacey is also employed at the Candy Emporium and Brewed Awakenings Café.
She once won a silver award for her performance on the National Spanish Exam, but she was, to no one’s surprise, bested by Solei the same year.
In the fall, Jacey plans to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago and major in biochemistry.
She hopes to spend a year studying abroad to experience new cultures and attempt to utilize her somewhat limited Spanish knowledge.
After college, she wants to use her biochemistry major to travel and perform experiments in different locations with different people.
8. Logan Fittz
Logan Fittz, the son of Michael Fittz and the grandson of Sandy Fittz, is ranked eighth in his class.
He is active in Spanish Honor Society and National Honor Society where he participates in Habitat for Humanity builds and other forms of community service.
Logan was a part of the boys varsity soccer team for four years. He was a captain his junior and senior years. He received the Superintendent Award twice for his academic achievements in soccer and he also was a Western Indiana Conference all-conference athlete his senior year.
Logan will attend Purdue University where he plans to study engineering. His best memory of his time in high school was winning the Hoosier Cup with the soccer team his junior year.
9. Hallee Miller
Hallee Miller is ranked ninth in her class. She is the daughter of Thom and Jill Miller and has two brothers, Nathan and Joshua Miller.
Hallee has played four years of varsity volleyball, varsity tennis and one year of varsity basketball. She is also active in National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Science Honor Society, student council, Brown County Dance Marathon and is a class representative.
Hallee has been a part of Parkview Church of the Nazarene her whole life and, throughout high school, has worked at the Abe Martin Lodge Aquatics Center as a lifeguard.
Next fall, Hallee will be attending Indiana University Southeast to study nursing and play tennis for the IUS team.
After college, she plans to be a pediatric occupational therapist in hopes of helping children with mental disabilities better their quality of life. If she has the patience to work with Thom, she has the patience to work with anyone.
10. Bethany Barngrover
Bethany Barngrover, daughter of Matt and Lois Barngrover, is 10th in her class.
She is the co-president of Rhapsody show choir and has performed with this group for four years.
Bethany has been active in the theater department as sound chief, thespian officer, actress and in various other roles.
She is also a member of student council, dance team, Interact Club, National Honor Society, Thespian Honor Society and Brown County Dance Marathon.
In the fall, Bethany will attend Indiana University to study business management.
After college she plans to become a coordinator for large concert venues. Bethany plans to one day own a concert venue and hopes to bring show choir to the professional performing world.
