Abby Horton was recognized as valedictorian of Oglethorpe County High School’s graduating class at Senior Honors Night held in the cafeteria on Tuesday.
She will attend the University of Georgia in the fall, pursuing studies in biology, and credits her success to AP and honors biology teacher Jennifer Yauck and the teachers she has had since starting high school.
Alie Duffell was recognized as salutatorian and Emily Carter was named honorarian of the graduating class.
Additionally, Horton was recognized as the first recipient of the Dr. Nancy Coleman Hart scholarship, a $5,000 yearly scholarship ($20,000 total) to help cover essential, yet overlooked costs such as housing, textbooks, transportation and extracurricular expenses.
The scholarship also honors the former OCES principal and her late husband Bob Hart.
“It means that my husband and I are able to continue to do something that we spent our entire education careers doing,” Hart said.
Horton also claimed the Daughters of the American Revolution scholarship.
The inaugural The Oglethorpe Echo Scholarship was awarded to seniors Montana Barner, Sophia Wilson and Miguel Rios.
“It truly means a lot to be able to be a recipient of the scholarship, and it just really reinforces that I’ve been doing all the right things to be able to help out in our community and just give back,” Barner said.
The $1,000 scholarship aims to provide financial support to three deserving students in the county and is a one-time financial grant to be used towards tuition, books or other academic-related expenses.
Barner, who will attend the College of Coastal Georgia and major in coastal ecology, said she plans to use the funding toward a meal plan and textbooks because “those add up so (quickly).”
When applying for the scholarship, students were evaluated based on academic performance and an essay detailing educational goals, aspirations and gratitude toward their residing community.
“I wrote my personal news article just kind of about all the different things that I have done and just how active I am in the community, and that I’m just kind of everywhere all the time,” Barner said.
She credits her success in high school to the 2025 Teacher of the Year Erin Bunch and OCHS secretary Meredith Meyer, and said Bunch has been her “right-hand man throughout high school.”
“(Meyer) has just taken me under her wing, and I spend hours of my day with her during my work-based learning time, so I always get to hear her feedback and encouragement,” Barner said.
She was also the recipient of the Howard Parrish Memorial scholarship valued at $3,000, a College of Coastal Georgia academic scholarship and the $1,000 CAYA House Community Champion scholarship.