Prairie View to hand out diplomas to 64 seniors on Sunday

By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com

Sixty-four Prairie View High School seniors will receive their diplomas on Sunday, May 18, during commencement exercises. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m., however, doors open at 1 p.m. for the event that is expected to draw a capacity crowd.

On Wednesday, May 14, at the awards ceremony for Prairie View's graduating seniors, high school principal Kate Gronquist called the PVHS class of 2025 "exceptional." The school has named six seniors as class valedictorians – Bree Allen, Amy Andersen, Lilah McCarty, Mason Mitzner, Bella Stolle and Wylie Teagarden – and one salutatorian, Ryleigh Lueker.

All seven of those students have attended Prairie View schools since being enrolled in pre-kindergarten classes.

Mitzner was recognized earlier this month by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly as a Kansas Governor's Scholar, an honor reserved for the top 1% of students across the state.

Teagarden received the Dale Dennis Award for her dedication to the school and her efforts to promote the institution.

Gronquist also said that Mary Jane Britz, who moved into the area a couple of year ago, was the first PVHS student to receive the Kansas State Scholar award in quite some time. The requirements of that reward include completing a rigorous set of courses including two years of foreign language, advanced courses in mathematics and several science courses.

The Principal's Leadership Award went to Grace Naylor, also a relative newcomer to the Prairie View district. Gronquist said that Naylor communicated with her frequently with ideas – good ideas – on how to make the school better.

Before those awards were announced, school counselor Lacy Stockton read the list of the recipients of scholarships from universities and colleges with each student coming to the stage to be recognized. By the time she read the last name, the usually spacious stage at the Performing Arts Center was full of seniors who will advance to more education or training.

According to school officials, the amount of scholarships awarded as of Wednesday was nearly $634,000 with the ability to renew scholarships worth nearly $1.16 million.

Below is the class of 2025. Unfortunately, no photo was available for Richard Petesch, who will also graduate on Sunday.