MHS Academic Banquet awards 37 with scholarships, recognizes 113 students for GPA achievements

As it has for 27 years now, Marlow Public Schools recognized the academic achievements of its seniors and underclassmen with a banquet held Tuesday at the Simmons Center in Duncan.

This year, $19,900 in scholarships was presented to 37 qualifying seniors. Seven of those seniors attained a 4.0-grade point average and qualified for each of the four years they were in high school. They were Ashton Cox, Marissa Krautbauer, Marlow Latimer, Haley McKinley, Payton Ortega, Whitney Wade and Abbey Witt.

“We've been doing the scholarships for about 8-10 years now,” said Principal Bryan Brantley. “When donors saw the money coming back to the students, they really started giving more generously … and more donors wanted to be a part of it.” Brantley told the crowd of more than 400 people that many of the sponsors listed in the program have been donating every year since the program began.

Corey Holland, 1988 Marlow High School alumni, and current superintendent was keynote speaker. At the beginning, he congratulated the students on their endurance to achieve high academic standards. He was entertaining, direct and also provided advice for the students and adults alike. Sharing a quote from the late Bill Carter, he told the youth, “What you do speaks a lot louder than what you say.” He also asked them to consider what really guarantees happiness – noting that it isn’t about just being popular, rich or winning. Holland also acknowledged how thankful he was to have his own parents, John and Cricket Holland, in the audience for the evening.

There were 113 students named during the event, with nearly everyone in attendance to accept their award. The achievement is based on their grade point averages and total years of qualification for the MHS Academic Banquet, Brantley said. Seniors who have a perfect unweighted GPA and have qualified every year for the banquet also received a commemorative clock.

Underclassmen – freshmen, sophomores and juniors are awarded an academic pin, with a decorative stone for each year they have qualified.

“We've consistently given out about $20K a year in scholarships to the senior qualifiers for about the last four years. We treat the students to a really nice meal … semi-formal attire {and} personally/individually recognize every qualifier 9th - 12th grade. It's really pretty cool,” Brantley said.

The following students also received scholarships at the event. The full list of this year’s academic achievers was published in the March 30 edition of The Review.

4 Year Qualifiers with 4.0 GPA, $1,000 each: Ashton Cox, Marissa Krautbauer, Marlow Latimer, Haley McKinley, Payton Ortega, Whitney Wade and Abbey Witt.

4 Year Qualifiers without 4.0 GPA, $800: Kenzie Retherford

3 Year Qualifiers $500 each: Erin Doughty, Maya Cantwell, Makayla Fitzhugh, Gehrig Furr, Kennedy Kizarr, Avrey Payne, James Stout, Talon Sullivent, Morgan Warren, Ayden Williams and Brian Zhang.

2 Year Qualifiers, $400 each: Kyah Blundell, Brayden Bowman, Gage DaVoult, Katie Ellsworth, Kylie Fisher, Ean Hewitt, Cierra Kirkland, Kendall Kizarr, Ensly Long, Caleb Sloan, Cooper Smith and Karsten Terrell.

1 Year Qualifiers, $300 each: Jordan Tyler Brown, Brooklyn Castle, Katy Diedrich, Tyler Hertzler, Sage Minyard and Riley Miller.

*Be sure to scroll through the photos accompanying this article to see each class of students honored at the banquet.

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The article below was published in The Review, March 30, 2023. It is a complete list of Marlow High School students who were honored at this week's banquet.

The annual Marlow High School Academic Banquet will be Tuesday, April 4, at the Simmons Center in Duncan. It is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. This will be the 27th year for this event. Marlow Superintendent Corey N. Holland, a 1988 MHS graduate, will be the keynote speaker. Students who have earned a 3.6 or higher, grade point average are recognized for their hard work and achievements. This year, senior qualifiers will receive a total of $19,900. Every senior will leave with a scholarship.

The 2022-23 Academic Banquet Qualifiers are:

Seniors 3.6 to 4.0 – Kyah Blundell, Brayden Bowman, Tyler Brown, Brooklyn Castle, Maya Cantwell, Ashton Cox, Gage DaVoult, Katy Diedrich, Erin Doughty, Katie Ellsworth, Kylie Fisher, Makayla Fitzhugh, Gehrig Furr, Tyler Hertzler, Ean Hewitt, Cierra Kirkland, Kendall Kizarr, Kennedy Kizarr, Marissa Krautbauer, Marlow Latimer, Ensly Long, Haley McKinley, Riley Miller, Sage Minyard, Payton Ortega, Avrey Payne, Kenzie Retherford, Caleb Sloan, Cooper Smith, James Stout, Talon Sullivent, Karsten Terrell, Whitney Wade, Morgan Warren, Ayden Williams, Abbey Witt, and Brian Zhang.

Juniors 3.8 and above – Dawson Baker, Amy Blevins, Ciera Brown, Kaylee Davis, Damion Dedmon, Landen Dodd, Madelyn Elroy, Jesika Friedl, Barron Gage, Cade Gilbert, Gabriella Hack, Macy Heaton, Lauren Ivory, Cadey Jones, Lawson Knox, Alisha Lemons, Owen Long, Ryli Murray, Joshua Parsons, Zach Pettit, Travis Phillips, Skylar Ramsey, Cooper Redway, Jack Reynolds, Emma Samples, Sydney Souter, Chesnie Stuart, Cody Weber, Maggie Wheeler, Kenlee Wilson, Andrew Wollenberg, and Caressa Woods.

Sophomores 3.9 and above – Lilly Anderson, Bradyn Brantley, Brody Brantley, Jacob Crowson, Haylee Daniel, Korbin Dittner, Aidan Duke, Graci Grissom, Aubree Harmon, Blayd Harris, Kaden Harris, Zach Long, Britney Mackey, Joe McKinley, Katie McPherson, Maci Miller, Conner Murrah, Trace Ribble, Clayton Robinson, Brisco Smith, Lilly Thompson, Emma Throckmorton, Emily Trimble, Gracie Webb, Emma Weston, Michael Weston, Jackson Witt.

Freshmen 4.0 – Natalie Banks, Colton Bratcher, Gatlin Greer, Bretlie Hyde, Savannah Jacobs, Carson Lovett, Taylor Misner, Carter Mitchell, Hudson Morgan, Gracee Ottinger, Katelyn Reynolds, Kory Scott, Kailynn Soell, Tessa Spivey, Blakley Tanner, Avery Throckmorton and Gavin Waller.