Winamac Community High School names top graduates

Winamac Community High School has announced its top two graduates for the 2014-15 school year. Hannah Mae DeGroot, daughter of Perry and Katie DeGroot, of Winamac, has been named valedictorian and Francesca Niewiadomski, daughter of Richard and Sharon Niewiadomski, of Winamac, is the salutatorian.

While attending WCHS, DeGroot has been busy with various extracurricular activities including Student Council, Midwest Conference math team, STEM club, Sunshine Society, National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

She has also found time to be a three-sport athlete while attending high school with participation in basketball, golf and softball. She has been recognized as a 2014 golf academic all-state and 2014 MWC golf honorable mention. DeGroot has also achieved all-conference honors in basketball, golf and softball.

Her academic honors and awards are numerous including the Lilly Endowment Scholarship, 2012 Midwest Conference geometry champion and 2013 HOBY Indiana ambassador.

Upon graduation DeGroot plans to attend Butler University in Indianapolis and major in biology.

Salutatorian Niewiadomski has many extracurricular activities to her credit both inside the high school and outside in the community. She has been a member of spell bowl, English super bowl and Spanish quiz bowl as well as a part of the Midwest Conference writing team, Shakespeare Club, National Honor Society and Sunshine Society. The Winamac senior is a member of the St. Peter’s Catholic Church and has been an altar server, lector and vacation bible school leader.

She has accumulated several high school honors and her name has appeared on several awards such as spell bowl captain, member of the state qualifying spell bowl team, perfect speller ribbons, near perfect speller ribbons, distinguished honor roll, letter for academic scholarship and Voice of Democracy.

After graduation she plans on majoring in English literature at Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame.