The Lawson High School Class of 2012 graduated Sunday, May 13, in commencement exercises in the high school gymnasium.

Valedictorian Jessica Garcia, Salutatorian Jacob Gamber, and Class President Nathan Cates addressed a gymnasium filled with family and friends. 

The nearly 90 graduates, dressed in red and white caps and gowns, shared the spotlight with their class leaders as school officials recognized their various achievements during the hour-long ceremony.

The graduation began with the traditional “Fanfare and Processional” performed by the High School Concert Band under the director of David Potter.

Supt. Roger Schmitz welcomed the guests to the landmark occasion.

The High School Select Choir performed “There’s a Place for Us” by Hillary Lindsey, David Hodges, and Carrie Underwood under the direction of Amanda Covey, Director of Vocal Music 

The High School Concert Band performed On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss, with seniors Tayler Hines, Autumn Stalder, Jordan Henson, Missy Soper, Austin Prewitt, Ben Carletti, and Kobi Shoults gave their last performance as members of the band.

Jessica Garcia, Valedictorian

“To prove that I have learned something in the past 13 years I would like to start this afternoon off with a little science lesson. In science, there are theories and there are laws. There’s Einstein’s theory of relativity, the law of thermodynamics, Boyle’s Law, Charles’ Law, I know I’m bringing back lots of good memories to the chemistry students right now. But anyway there’s one particular law that we’re going to look at and it’s called The Law of Sensitive Dependence Upon Initial Conditions. 

“Under this law it is said that a butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, in turn moving more molecules of air- eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the their side of the planet. 

“This is what has become known as the butterfly effect. Crazy, right? 

“Ok, now let me tell you a true story from one of my favorite books, The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews. 

“On July 2, 1863, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain stood on the far-left end of a group of eighty thousand men stretching across hills and valleys to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Chamberlain was a Colonel in the Union Army and he and his men had been placed at the end of the line with strict orders not to let the confederates through. If the Confederate Army got through his men, they would gain the high ground and the Union Army would be quickly defeated. 

“At 2:30 of that afternoon the first group of Confederates showed up and charged up the hill, but were stopped by Chamberlain’s men. A few minutes later, they charged again, and were again pushed back down. A few minutes later, they charged for a third time and were again pushed back down. A fourth charge... with the same result, however the Confederates were getting closer ad closer to the line with each charge. 

“As they waited for the next charge, Chamberlain recalls thinking, “I knew I may die, but I also knew that I would not die with a bullet in my back. I would not die in retreat. I am, at least, like the apostle Paul ho wrote, ‘This one thing I do. I press toward the mark.” On the fifth charge, the Confederates broke through the wall that had been built out of rocks to protect the Union soldiers, yet somehow, barely, Chamberlain’s men pushed them back down the hill After the fifth charge Chamberlain got word that their men were down from 300 to 80 and only had one bullet or less left per soldier and that the Confederate Army had received reinforcements and were preparing for another attack. 

“As his men looked at him desperate for advice, desperate for an order, desperate to flee, he yelled, “Execute a great right wheel of the entire regiment!” Which is an all out charge. 

“He led his men downhill in a thundering mess of courage and fear, charging directly at an enemy that outnumbered them 5 to 1. Much to their surprise, many of the Confederates threw down their weapons, positive that Chamberlain’s men had received reinforcements, as a beaten regiment would not charge. Within 10 minutes, the ragged group of 80 men had captured over 400 soldiers of the enemy. 

“Now, here’s the cool part. Historians have determined that if Chamberlain had not charged that day, the North would not have won at Gettysburg. If the battle of Gettysburg were lost, the South would have won the war. 

“Historians also found that if the South had won the war, America would exist as two separate countries, there would be no America, really, we would not be the super power we are today. 

“So let’s think about this a little more... when Hitler and his Nazi army swept across Europe, when Hirohito invaded the South Pacific islands, there would have been no America to stop them. No country big enough and strong enough to fight two wars at the same time. The United States of America, the world itself, exists how it is today because of one mans decision to charge when all the odds were against him. 

“Now remember that butterfly effect that I talked about earlier? Well, scientists did a little more research on it and proved that it can go a step further. They found that the butterfly effect can be applied to the first movement of any form of matter, including people, including you and me. 

“So that means that you, all of you, every teacher, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, cousin, and of course graduates sitting in this room are no less of an example of the butterfly effect than Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was. 

“Each of us will be a butterfly effect, science proved it. Each of us will set particles in motion with every step we take, with every word we say with every single thing we do. 

“So it’s up to us to decide, what will our butterfly effect create?”

Jacob Gamber, Salutatorian

Jacob Gamber got off to an emotional start by wishing his mother a “Happy Mother’s Day.”

“I want to begin by saying congratulations to the rest of my classmates in the Class of 2012. Today marks a very important milestone in our lives; however, high school just prepares us for the future. Now, as we go out on our own, our goal is to be successful.

“Don’t be afraid to dream big; don’t put limits on yourself. A man named Richard Sheridan once said, “The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.” For the class of 2012, failure has never been an option. By not accepting failure, there are no limits to what you can do; any dream you may have can quickly become a reality.

“Believing you will succeed is only the beginning though. The second step, is effort. Without effort, dreaming is pointless. If you’re willing to give all you can into something, then nothing will stop you from succeeding. Whether it’s from being on the honor roll in college, to getting your dream job, to being the best parent you can be. By going all out to achieve your goal, success will definitely find you sooner or later.

“No one can tell you what the future holds for you. As we enter this “real world”, our parents have always told us about, we know that there are people we can look to. There will always be someone there in our time of need, someone we can call any time of the day. It could be your parents, your teachers, your closest friends, and your God. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘ for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” I believe God has a great future planned for Class of 2012. All we have to do is seize our opportunities as we come across them, and give nothing less than our best to succeed. God bless those who helped get us here, and God bless the Class of 2012.”

Nathan Cates, Class President

“Good morning, no wait afternoon. As class president, I would like to welcome you to our 2012 graduation ceremony. I would like to start by thanking my mother and father for everything they do. Thank you. Now on to a quote by Winston Churchill, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” 

“ I would like to go back to the start of the quote, “Success is not final.” This is something I hope all of my classmates hear and understand what this is saying. Don’t let your high school graduation make your life complete. While this is a very big event in our life, we still have so much to work toward. Some of us are looking to go to college while others will look for jobs and maybe start a family like Tucker. So remember, keep carrying on. And if you find yourself in a so-called failure situation, remember that you have one of the best support staffs behind you. I know that if anyone ever needs help you could ask me or any of these classmates or any member of the Lawson teaching staff and we will try our best to help. And remember it’s the courage to continue that counts.

“While recovering, Charlie Sheen said, “I think I have a duty as a recovering guy to help, to make my knowledge of what I went through accessible.” This quote actually has nothing to do with my speech but I do like Charlie Sheen. And he kind of has a point on helping people thus he could be considered a teacher. Teachers I believe this day is just as much a celebration for you as it is for us, for this is the last day you really ever have to see us. More realistically, this is the day that proves you succeeded in educating others. For you have given us the knowledge to graduate. 

“There are really too many people to thank personally but I would like to thank a few in particular like Coach Anderson for taking his own initiative to be concerned about my weight and ask how many calories are in everything I drink. Mrs. Rhodes for being herself all the time and not coating the truth. Mrs. Cotton for helping some of us get the chance to see jobs in the real world and give us an experience that was much needed. And although I don’t agree with him politically, no thank you list would be complete without Coach Boswell. He is the unofficial winner of the most caring teacher award. 

“Not to talk about Charlie Sheen again but he also said on the Comedy Central roast, “I’m done winning for I have won.” Some former teachers at Lawson would fit this quote a little better. Like Mr. Alford who I should probably thank for the ability, I have to stand here and deliver this speech. Coach Fairchild who . . . well there isn’t much to say except that I think our class is the one who scared off the look. And finally who could forget Coach Dial who helped bring Young Life to Lawson and was a pretty cool lineman coach. All of these teachers are done teaching at Lawson but I know that this is one class they will never forget.

“As a class, we have a lot to look back on and be proud of. We have been blessed to have computers in every classroom ever since we started school. At Southwest, we had the chance to dance to “Respect” by Tina Turner every Friday and listen to a stoplight tell us how loud we were in the lunchroom. Then as we moved to the middle school, we were the first grade to go a whole year in the new cafeteria, which means we didn’t have to eat in the high school cafeteria. So, I guess you could say we were special. 

“Then we got to witness our school receive and install smart boards in every classroom. Then we have the less tangible achievements as a class. One the four year Cates - George President team is proud of is winning back to back to back to back spirit week. We have also, in my opinion, have had some pretty cool floats even though the record books won’t show it.

“So as we head out to bigger things, I know all of us can take a great memory with us from high school. Whether it be from the Homecoming dances like this year where I got to dance with someone I’ve always wanted to, I mean come on did you see the Sr. DVD? Syd and I have clearly always been together, OR early morning sports trips, like wrestling trips, that were only fun because of friends like George and Steve or maybe your memory is a trip with Andi and Kylee to the Bahamas, but I am pretty sure no else has that one because I was the one stuck with them for a week. 

“What I’m getting at is that whatever your memory is, let it be one with friends. I think that no matter how smart you are, your life isn’t complete without friends. As we all move along in our life, this is where you find who your true friends are. Who is the person from high school you’ll be able to call when you’re confused in life and need help? For example, for me these past years it’s always been the one and only Mark Hobson. I know he is a true friend because even though he’s in Kansas, we talk all the time and help each other out.

“So to conclude this presidential address, I would like to thank you classmates, staff and friends for a great four years. Good afternoon and God bless.”

Don Edwards, LHS Principal, presented awards to the seniors.

The following students received scholarships and awards: 

Kala Baker; Tyler Barker; Sydney Cotton; Brett Elliott; Amanda Garrett; Kayla Glenn; Stephanie Goode; Lexi Greathouse; Garrison Green; Jaquelynn Harris; Sam Hendrickson; Jordan Henson; Summer Howe; Leah Kingsbury; Jessica Korb; Sarah Lyon; MacKenzie McNeely; Wes Morrison; Chelbie Olsen; Andi Otis; Jessica Potter; Austin Prewitt; Katie Raffety; Kaitlin Rickwa; Garrett Rider; Alex Shelton; Kobi Shoults; Justice Wood; Autumn Yokum

Kala Baker - Kala receives a Lawson Alumni Scholarship.

Tyler Barker - Tyler receives a Pinnacle Career Institute High School Scholarship and an Excelsior Springs Career Center/Gregg Williams Foundation Tool Scholarship.

Sydney Cotton - Sydney receives a William Jewell College Cardinal Scholarship and a William Jewell Cheer Award. She also receives a Presidential Scholarship, a Heritage Award, a Dennis Smithmier Memorial Scholarship, and was a delegate to Missouri  Girls State sponsored by Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Kappa Jamma Society International.

Brett Elliott - Brett is a member of the Excelsior Springs Career Center National Technical Honor Society.

Amanda Garrett - Amanda receives Provost Scholarship from Missouri State University, a Lawson Rotary Scholarship, and a Larry Kanning, DDS Scholarship. Also, Amanda receives a Robert M. Coffman Excellence in Mathematics Award. 

Kayla Glenn - Kayla receives a Lawson Rotary Scholarship, a Robert M. Coffman Excellence in Mathematics Award, and a Lawson Alumni Scholarship. She also receives a Deans’ Scholarship from St. Louis University and has been admitted to St. Louis University’s Doisy College of Health Sciences. Kayla also receives a KCI Scholar/Athlete Award, a U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete Award, an award of Excellence for Exemplary Display of Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity from the Missouri  State HS Act. Assoc., and was chosen by the Varsity Coaches as Lawson’s Most Outstanding Female Athlete. Her name will be placed on a plaque in the High School Commons.

Stephanie Goode - Stephanie receives a Combined Ability Scholarship, a President’s Leadership Scholarship, and an A+ Recognition Scholarship all from Truman State University. She also receives a Beehive Masonic Lodge Scholarship, a Robert M. Coffman Excellence in Mathematics Award, a Pinnie Butler Morrison Foundation Scholarship, a Lawson Rotary Good Citizen Award, and a Drug Free Character Education Award. And finally, Stephanie receives a National School Choral Award which is chosen by the students and given to the most outstanding senior choir member.

Lexi Greathouse - Lexi receives a Beta Sigma Phi Xi Mu Beta Scholarship, a Beta Sigma Phi Preceptor Delta Iota Scholarship, and an A+ Recognition Scholarship from Park University.

Garrison Green - Garrison was chosen by the Varsity Coaches as Lawson’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete. His name will be placed on a plaque in the High School Commons.

Jaquelynn Harris - Jaquelynn receives a Lawson Art Club Scholarship.

Sam Hendrickson - Sam receives a Drug Free Character Education Award and a KCI Scholar/Athlete Award.

Jordan Henson - Jordan receives a Circle of Friends Scholarship, a Lawson Community Teachers Association Scholarship, a Hall Family Foundation Scholarship, and a Robert M. Coffman Excellence in Mathematics Award. He also receives Missouri  Dept. of Higher Education Bright Flight Scholarship and a Missouri Scholars 100 Honorable Mention Award. Jordan also was a delegate to Missouri  Boys State and a delegate to Missouri  Scholars Academy. Finally, Jordan receives the John Phillips Sousa Award, which is chosen by the students and given to the most outstanding senior band member.

Summer Howe - Summer receives a Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Clinton County Scholarship, a Missouri  Valley College Athletic Cheer Scholarship, and a Missouri  Valley College Alumni Scholarship. She also receives a Mid America Nazarene University Cheer Scholarship, a Mid America Nazarene University Owens Merit Scholarship, a Missouri  Western State University Cheer Scholarship, and a Freshman Merit Award to Northwest Missouri  State University.

Leah Kingsbury - Leah receives a Park University Scholarship.

Jessica Korb - Jessica receives a Lawson Rotary Scholarship, the Lawson CRBC Scholarship, and a Founders Scholarship from Park University.

Sarah Lyon - Sarah receives an Access Missouri Grant, a Missouri University undergraduate Grant, and a Larry Kanning, DDS Scholarship.

MacKenzie McNeely - MacKenzie receives a Red and Black Scholarship from the University of Central Missouri, a Paul Brattstrom Scholarship in Elementary Education, a Robert M. Coffman Excellence in Mathematics Award, a Lawson Alumni Scholarship, and the Brent Green “Love of the Game” Memorial Scholarship

Wes Morrison - Wes receives a Marines Distinguished Athlete Award.

Chelbie Olsen - Chelbie receives an A+ Recognition Scholarship from Missouri  Western State University.

Andi Otis - Andi receives a Red and Black Scholarship from the University of Central Missouri.

Jessica Potter - Jessica receives a Red and Black Scholarship from the University of Central Missouri.

Austin Prewitt - Austin receives a Marines Music Excellence Award.

Katie Raffety - Katie receives a Tower Scholarship, a Missouri Achievement Scholarship, and Missouri Most Scholarship all from Northwest Missouri  State University.

Katelyn Rickwa - Katelyn receives an A+ Recognition Scholarship from Missouri  Western State University.

Garrett Rider - Garrett receives a Robert M. Coffman Excellence in Mathematics Award.

Alex Shelton - Alex receives a Missouri Western A+ Recognition Scholarship, a Missouri Western Dean’s Scholarship, and a Harriett Toomay-Aley Scholarship.

Kobi Shoults - Kobi receives a Distinguished Scholar Award from Northwest Missouri  State University, a Missouri  Achievement Scholarship from Northwest Missouri  State University, and a Charles C. Faranna Scholarship. He also received a Missouri Department of Higher Education Bright Flight Scholarship.

Justice Wood - Justice receives an A+ Recognition Scholarship from Missouri  Western State University.

Autumn Yokum - Autumn receives a Honors Scholarship and a Lead Scholarship both from William Woods University. Also, she receives a Jessica Johnson Memorial Scholarship.

2012 Salutatorian Jacob Gamber received a medallion for being Class Salutatorian. He also receives a Daughter of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award, a Drug Free Character Education Award, and a KCI Scholar/Athlete Award. Jacob also receives a U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete Award, was a delegate to Missouri  Boy’s State, and receives an award of Excellence for Exemplary Display of Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity from the Missouri  State High School Act. Association.

2012 Valedictorian is Jessica Garcia received a medallion for being Class Valedictorian. She also receives a Board of Governors Scholarship, a Multicultural Leadership Scholarship, and a Presidential Scholarship all from Missouri State University. Jessica also receives a Chapter LK, PEO English Scholarship, a Drug Free Character Education Award, and a Marines Scholastic Excellence Award.

President’s Award 

for Educational Excellence

Marissa Aquino, Sydney Cotton, Jacob Gamber, Jessica Garcia, Amanda Garrett, Kayla Glenn, Jordan Henson, MacKenzie McNeely, Jessica Potter, Garrett Rider, Autumn Yokum received a President’s Award for Educational Excellence.  To be eligible, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale and score in the 85th percentile or higher on Math or Reading on the ACT or SAT.

 Top 10%

Each year Lawson High School honors the Top 10% of the graduating class with the George Washington Carver Award.  Mr. Carver was a Black Scientist from Missouri who worked hard and fought the odds to become a high achiever.

Students receiving the award were: Marissa Aquino; Sydney Cotton; Jacob Gamber; Jessica Garcia; Kayla Glenn; Stephanie Goode; Sam Hendrickson; Jordan Henson; MacKenzie McNeely; Jessica Potter

 2012 College Prep Certificate

Marissa Aquino, Kala Baker, Sydney Cotton, Taylor Dameron, Jacob Gamber, Jessica Garcia, Amanda Garrett, Kayla Glenn, Stephanie Goode, Tucker Hartman, Sam Hendrickson, Jordan Henson, Jessica Korb, Sarah Lyon, MacKenzie McNeely, Wes Morrison, Katie Raffety, Garrett Rider, Alex Shelton, Kobi Shoults, Autumn Yokum  received a 2012 College Prep Certificate.  To receive this award, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, score a 21 or above on the ACT, and have taken a rigorous High School Curriculum that has met the requirements of the Award.

Lawson STEP UP

Jacob Gamber, Kayla Glenn, Stephanie Goode, Sam Hendrickson, Jessica Korb, Sarah Lyon, MacKenzie McNeely, Wes Morrison, Chelbie Olson, Katie Raffety, Katelyn Rickwa, Garrett Rider were recognized as members of the Lawson STEP UP mentoring program.  Step Up stands for Students Encouraging, Preparing, and Understanding Peers.  A mentor is defined as a knowledgeable and experienced guide, a trusted ally and advocate, and a caring role model.  These students helped lead freshmen students to improve their school careers.

Lawson National Honor Society

Marissa Aquino, Summer Howe, Kala Baker, Kady Johnson, Nick Bozarth, Hannah Kinnard, Artie Bristow, Derek Kinney, Sydney Cotton, Jessica Korb, Taylor Dameron Sarah Lyon, Gavin Dilley, MacKenzie McNeely, Jacob Gamber, Andie Otis, Jessica Garcia, Jessica Potter, Amanda Garrett Austin Prewitt, Kayla Glenn, Katie Raffety, Stephanie Goode,  Katelyn Rickwa, Riley Harrison, Garrett Rider, Tucker Hartman, Erica Stevens, Sam Hendrickson, Jackson Talbert, Jordan Henson, Autumn Yokum were recognized as being members of  the Lawson National Honor Society.

  International Thespian Society 

These members of the International Thespian Society were also recognized during the graduation ceremony: Nathan Cates, Taylor Dameron, Leah Kingsbury, Derek Kinney, Morgan Malott, Mickayla Nilges, Zachary Roberson, George Sharp, Jake Short, Stephen Young.

A+ Graduates

Lawson High School is designated as an A+ School by the State Board of Education.   These  43 students have met the requirements of the A+ program to receive 6 semesters of state-funded tuition and general fees to any Missouri community college or public technical school.                                                            

Kala Baker, Jerrica Johnson, Kylee Boyer, Hannah Kinard, Nick Bozarth, Leah Kingsbury, Keegan Brown, Derek Kinney, Kyler Bush, Jessica Korb, Sidney Cotton, Sarah Lyon, Tayler Dameron, MacKenzie McNeely, Gavin Dilley, Kara Newsome, Sheyanna Dutra, Mickayla Nilges, Brett Elliott, Chelbie Olsen, Jacob Gamber, Andi Otis, Jessica Garcia, Jessica Potter, Amanda Garrett, Austin Prewitt, Kayla Glenn, Katie Raffety, Stephanie Goode, Katelyn Rickwa, Lexi Greathouse, Garrett Rider, Robert Gunther, Zachary Roberson, Riley Harrison Alex Shelton, Sam Hendrickson, Jake Short, Jordan Henson, Sterling Spicer, Summer Howe, Erica Stevens, and Justice Wood.

To qualify for the A+ Financial Incentive they must have attended an A+ School for at least 3 years, have a 95% attendance record, maintained a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale, performed 50 hours of unpaid tutoring in the school district and have demonstrated good citizenship.

David Allgaier, Mark Porth, and John Wier representing the Lawson R-XIV Board of Education shared the honor of presenting diplomas to the graduates.