Prairie View's commencement is Sunday; two valedictorians, one salutatorian named

Journal staff report

Fifty-five seniors will receive their diplomas during Prairie View High School's commencement exercises this weekend. The graduation ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, in the final assembly of their high school careers. As with other Linn County high schools, a full house is expected, so plan on arriving early.

The school has released the names of its two valedictorians. They are Bailey Hughes and Kimball Uphoff. Adyson Rhynerson has been named class salutatorian. Here is a synopsis of the biographies released by the school:

Uphoff is the son of Brian and Corissa Uphoff. He has attended Prairie View schools since pre-school. In high school, he has participated in FFA, FBLA, National Honors Society, student council, Mathletes, Scholars Bowl, baseball, golf, trap shooting, and Honor Flight. He will graduate with a 4.0 GPA, an ACT score of 30, and an academic letter winner.

He was also named to the Governor's Scholar list, an honor reserved for the top 1% of students in the state. After graduation, Uphoff plans to attend Kansas State University where he will pursue a degree in biological systems engineering.

Hughes is the daughter of Jason Hughes and has attended Prairie View schools her entire academic career. In high school, she participated in Scholars Bowl for two years, was named to the National Honor Society as a junior, has served as the Prairie View band drum major for three years, Mathletes for three years, and drama for three years. She will graduate with a 4.0 GPA, having earned 34 college credit hours, and academic letter honors.

Following graduation, she plans to attend Pittsburg State University to pursue a degree in secondary education in mathematics.

Rhynerson is the daughter of Lester and Sara Rhynerson. She has attended Prairie View schools from kindergarten through high school. In high school she has been a four year member of FBLA. Outside of high school she has played competitive softball since she was eight. She will graduate with a 3.9 GPA. After graduation she plans to attend Kansas State University to pursue a degree in accounting. 

Below is a gallery of the seniors who will walk across the stage on Sunday. Unfortunately, school officials did not have a photo of senior Randon Rhynerson, who will also be graduating, to include in the gallery.