I don’t like sitting in the office, I like
traveling.” She knows the first year
of engineering will be difficult, “But
I’m up for the challenge,” she said.
She also knows that like high school,
you have to learn to manage your fun
and still take care of your work. She’s
used hers well, entering college with
24 hours of college credit through
her dual credit classes at Brock. She’s
looking forward to football season
as a student at A&M, although she
said, “We’ve had season football
tickets since I was a baby.” She’s
been a volleyball player during her
four years at Brock with lots of team
success, winning state her freshman
year, third in state her sophomore
year and second in state her junior
year. “Volleyball has been a major
part of my high school. It’s helped
me grow and handle new situations.
I’ll never forget playing at the state
games. There’s nothing that can
replace that,” she continued.
Millsap High School
Valedictorian
Nathan Poynor
JUNE 2016
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
Parents Jeana & Kenneth Poynor
GPA 4.0
While not going far, Nathan is
dreaming big
as he starts
his college
career at
Tarleton. He’s
not sure if he
will attend
Tarleton more
than one
year, but he
knows what
he eventually wants to be and that’s a lawyer.
He may major in either pre-law or
accounting so he has more than
one job option when he graduates.
“Eventually I do want to go into the
law field, I haven’t decided what
aspect of the law, but I definitely
want to be a lawyer,” he said. “I’ve
always had a passion for doing the
just thing. Making things fair and
even for people, making sure that
everything that is done is right,”
14
he continued. He was involved in
student council and an honor society
called Beta Club where he enjoyed
the group’s charitable works. The
memories he will carry with him
include helping to organize a coat
drive in the fall as well as attending
the Feast of Sharing helping to feed
the less fortunate during the annual
event held in Fort Worth. Nathan is
looking forward to trying new things
and being more independent while
still staying close to family while at
Tarleton. He came to Millsap in the
3rd grade, “I like the close community
aspect of it. Everybody is very kind
here, they are very close, I like that
part of a small town.”
Salutatorian
Anna Walker
Parents Kim & Jerry Walker
GPA 3.9
Anna is heading west to Abilene after
graduation to
attend Hardin
Simmons
University.
She chose
Hardin
Simmons
because “I
love the small
feel of it and
it’s got a great
Christian background. I really feel
like I fit in there,” she said. She will
be majoring in education with an
emphasis in history with her sights
set on eventually being a high school
counselor. Anna was inspired by her
own counselor who assisted with her
applications and helped her obtain
scholarships to help out with college
costs. She has attended Millsap ISD
since kindergarten and is looking
forward to meeting new people and
experiencing a new city when she
moves to Abilene. She will always
remember Millsap High School’s
varsity volleyball team making the
playoffs this year, the team’s first time
in the playoffs in 15 years. Walker
was the libero on the team, or the
defensive specialist and was on the
varsity team for two years. The school
held a special pep rally for the girls
and it was a special time for her and
the entire varsity team. She said she
will really miss Millsap when she
goes to school in the fall, “I love the
small community feel and everyone
knows my name here. I feel like I’m a
big part of this community.”
Peaster High School
Valedictorian
Allyson Buchanan
Parents Michelle & Jerry Buchanan
GPA 102.791
Allyson is heading north to Wichita
Falls where
she will
attend
Midwestern
State
University
only an hour
and a half
from home.
She was so
inspired by
her counselor Mrs. Cosper and along with
an online career test that showed a
knack for counseling, so that is why
she ultimately wants to be a school
counselor. She will first earn a teaching degree specializing in math
education. Her plan is to teach for a
couple of years before moving into a
counseling role. Having been homeschooled through sixth grade, she
said going to Peaster, “It was interesting. It was a big wake up call, and it
was hard at the beginning because
I was very shy.” She settled in and
served as the manager to the school’s
baseball team since her sophomore
year. They are in the area playoffs as
of this writing, playing game two of a
three game series against Pottsboro.
As manager she keeps the team’s
statistics and kept the team organized. She enjoys it because according to her, “The boys were always
entertaining.” She’s looking forward
to attending Midwestern State
because of its beautiful campus and
the friendly people she’s met there.
“I haven’t met a single mean person
there. All of the faculty has been
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