High-achieving seniors are prepared for the college classroom

Katie Johnson, Scott County Central High School's 2013 valedictorian, will attend Culver-Stockton College this fall to major in biology. She's ready to move on to a new place, and after visiting the college, Johnson felt like she fit in well.

Scott County Central 2013 Valedictorian - Katie Johnson (Laura Simon)

"It's a really small town, so it'll be easy to get used to," she said of the school's location, Canton, Mo. "It's got a really great community, really great people."

Johnson also is excited to start her science classes. She wasn't able to take as many as she would have liked to in high school.

"I really like science, and I've always liked science," she said. "I like that you can do a lot of hands-on with it."

Johnson seemed to succeed in high school by following her own advice: "Don't stress out too much. You'll find where you fit in eventually, and you don't have to rush to figure out what you want to major in in college. You're not in college yet. It's OK; be a high-schooler."

Johnson was active both in and out of school, holding down a job at Wal-Mart her senior year while still staying involved in the extra-curricular activities her school offered. She played the flute in both the marching and concert bands and was president of Beta Club her senior year. She was a member of FBLA, FCCLA, history club and student council.

Being involved and keeping high grades was difficult, but Johnson could juggle all of it.

"It was hard, but I was able to do it," she said. "I would go somewhere and listen to music while doing my homework. It's like I didn't want to hear anything else, like I'd heard enough noise."

Johnson said she thinks her valedictorian speech went over well. She wasn't nearly as nervous as the thought she'd be. She addressed her peers, teachers, family and friends about holding onto the memories they'd made when they left Scott County Central.

"We were really close, and we're going to miss each other, but we'll be able to find our way, and we're ready to move on to the future," she said.

Amy Tew

Becoming involved with school organizations provided top graduate Amy Tew with a direction for what she wanted to do with her life.

Kelly High School 2013 Valedictorian - Amy Tew (Laura Simon)

Tew, Thomas W. Kelly High School's 2013 valedictorian, plans on attending the University of Missouri for biochemistry. Her FFA group toured the genetic engineering plants at Monsanto last year, which sparked a deeply rooted interest in the field for Tew.

"I really liked the facilities," she said. "They had greenhouses and labs and really cool machines where you could actually see the DNA."

Tew was in FFA for three years, and it was the organzation she was most active in during her senior year. She was also a member of Beta Club and Pep Club, along with several others. Tew played soccer her senior year, too, which was the first year the school offered it. Soccer was the only sport she played, and it was entirely new to her. Tew said it was a big learning experience for most of the students on the team because most hadn't played before. She'll remember the bonds the team and the coaches created.

"We weren't exactly the best team yet, but we surprised quite a few people and we had fun while doing it, too," she said.

Tew's involvement in school comes from a drive to be constantly active.

"It's easier for me to just keep busy," she said. "Once you get in the mode, it's easier to just stick with it. It's whenever you stop and take a minute and you're like, ‘Wow, I do have a lot going on.'"

Tew wanted to attend a bigger school, but she also wanted to stay in Missouri. The University of Missouri seemed like a good choice, and she already made friends through the Summer Welcome orientation for freshmen. Tew's ready to be a college student, to be able to choose from a wide variety of classes and see what it's like to live in a large college town.

botto@semissourian.com