Moses Lake High School announces top 10

MOSES LAKE - High school administrators have announced the top 10 students in the class of 2012.

Graduation ceremonies will be noon Saturday at Lions Field.

Moses Lake High School Principal Josh Meek praised the students for their willingness to take on rigorous classes and participate in numerous extracurricular and community activities. The honorees "represent some of our best students and highest quality graduates," Meek said.

"They show a lot of promise and will do well in whatever life adventure is next for them," he said. Administrators and teachers are proud of their accomplishments and wish them well, he said.

The students are Samantha Calder, Kelsie Grant, Brittany Callahan, Benjamin Shoemake, Levi Huddleston, Connor Wytko, Gabe Van Winkle, Ashley Donaldson, Shawndra Cosper and Adriana Carbon.

Brittany Callahan

Callahan has been very active in the music program, singing in jazz choir and chamber choir, performing in community musicals and with the jazz band Swing Shift. She took superior ratings in both solo and ensemble in state competition. She's also a member of the school's Honor Society chapter, the math team, Link Crew, the Knowledge Bowl team, Mu Alpha Theta (the honors math program), and is active at church.

She made the honor roll, and won student of the month and the choir department award and was named a Washington Scholar (given to the top 10 percent of each class) and an AP scholar.

She plans to attend Central Washington University and major in music education.

Benjamin Shoemake

Shoemake has played in the band and percussion ensembles and has participated in art; he's also on the math team and a member of Washington Aerospace Scholars. He worked on the JavaScript programming/DHTML project and the Echo movie project at school. He's played tennis, been on the Knowledge Bowl team and is in Spanish Club. He's in the school's Key Club chapter and Mu Alpha Theta.

He has been named a National Merit Scholar and received the AP Scholar award.

He plans to attend Whitman College and major in physics.

Samantha Calder

Calder is a member of the school drill team and Today's Generation Dance Studio; she's been part of two national champion drill teams and five state championships. She's in the National Honor Society chapter and the Link Crew as well as Mu Alpha Theta. She's active in her LDS Church ward.

She's been named a student of the year and student of the month, and made the honor roll. She was named a Washington Scholar, AP Scholar and scholar athlete.

She said she plans to major in accounting at Brigham Young University.

Kelsie Grant

Grant participated in the school's sports medicine program, the National Honor Society chapter, Key Club and Mu Alpha Theta. She's a soccer player and was named all-conference as a senior, second team as a junior and sophomore and honorable mention as a freshman.

She was named the fall athlete 2011 in the Big Nine Conference, was the one of the conference's top scholar athletes for 2012, made the honor roll and is an AP scholar.

She said she plans to attend Saint Martin's University in Lacey and major in biology.

Levi Huddleston

Huddleston played tennis and participated in track as a pole vaulter. He's a snowboarder and into golf frisbee, he said. He played trumpet and was a drill team contestant. He's in the National Honor Society chapter and Key Club.

He's a Washington Scholar, AP Scholar, and was named a scholar athlete. He finished fifth at District and made second team all-Big Nine Conference.

He plans to major in political science at Whitworth College, he said.

Connor Wytko

Wytko worked on the JavaScript programming/DHTML project, is on the Knowledge Bowl team and the math team, and participated in Boys State. He's in Mu Alpha Theta, the Honor Society chapter and Key Club, and made the honor roll. He ran cross country and track for four years and participated in wrestling.

He was named a top student athlete in 2011 in the Big Nine Conference and is a Washington scholar athlete. He's an AP scholar, a Washington scholar and was named a National High School Scholar.

He said he will attend Washington State University and has been accepted to the honors college. He will major in engineering.

Gabe Van Winkle

Van Winkle was active in 4-H and Knowledge Bowl, is on the math team, honor roll and Mu Alpha Theta. He's also active in his church, he said.

Van Winkle is an AP Scholar and a Washington Scholar. He plans to attend Big Bend Community College and eventually transfer to Washington State University, where he will major in environmental science.

Ashley Donaldson

Donaldson was a finalist in solo and ensemble state music competition, was in the honor band, was a drum major and played trumpet and guitar in the band. She qualified for the All-State marching band. She was president of the band club and the National Honor Society chapter. She played soccer for the Sun City Strikers out of Yakima, and on a district champion team.

She was in Key Club and Mu Alpha Theta.

She was named the school's student of the year and a scholar athlete, is a Washington scholar and in the National Honor Society of High School Scholars.

She said she plans to attend the University of Washington and major in biomedical engineering.

Adriana Carlson

Carlson was senior class president; she was part of the Link Crew and the choir. She was a member of the Key Club and the math team. She won a state championship at the Science Olympiad. She was a member of Mu Alpha Theta and went to the organization's national convention.

She was named the school's top science and math student, and is a Washington Scholar.

She plans to attend the University of Idaho and study chemical engineering, she said.

Shawndra Cooper

Cooper participated in the sports medicine program and the American Sign Language organization, was in the Link Crew and the Honor Society. She played softball and won the coach's award, as well as a most improved award in cross-country. She is an AP Scholar, a Washington Scholar and made the honor roll.

She said she wants to be a high school math teacher, and will attend Central Washington University.