Alumni Valedictorians

Margaret Lim ’11 at GPS and Allen Liu ’11 at McCallie were valedictorians of their classes and were honored with many awards throughout their high school careers. The Bright School is proud of all our graduates’ achievements. Eight Bright alumni have been local high school valedictorians and salutatorians in the last six years!

2017-18 members of the Student Leadership Board at Baylor included seniors Grace McKenney ’11 and Teddy Lepcio ’11 (top row), junior Maddie Reap ’12 (middle row), sophomores Claire Austin ’13 (front row) and Sarah Mosier ’13 (not pictured), and freshman Parker Stanford ’14 (front row) have been elected to serve on the school’s Student Leadership Board.

The 2018 GPS May Court, included Hollis Gaffney ’11, second from left, and Meher Memon ’11, and Margaret Lim ’11, far right.

Pierson Brown ’11, Meher Memon ’11 and Margaret Lim ’11 were inducted into Cum Laude at GPS.

2001

Kamri Chester Busby was inducted into the GPS Athletic Hall of Fame in April. Kamri played on two state championship softball teams and was named to the 2006, 2007 and 2008 all-state and all-region teams. She also played basketball and volleyball and played college softball at the University of Memphis. Kamri and Andre Busby are the parents of Londyn, a rising third grader at Bright.

2003

Sarah Elizabeth Davis graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in May with a master’s degree in architecture. 

2009

Michael Brown was selected to be a Ranger at Texas Christian University. TCU Rangers are campus leaders who participate in special activities during football games and in community service with the Boys and Girls Club.

2010

Lauren Wright was a news anchor for Tiger News at the University of Memphis this past year. She says: “Doing Tiger News is super fun! I've been lucky enough to do two shows, one being in front of the camera and the other one doing behind-the-scenes work. It's been a great working experience for me and has helped me build up my portfolio. I even got the chance to interview people during the MLK 50th anniversary that were alive during the marches and met Dr. King! And I met Bernie Sanders! All in all, it's been a great experience, and I've come so far from being that little girl doing morning segments on WTBS.”

2011

Bailey Bohannon was the salutatorian at Boyd-Buchanan and accepted to the Chancellor’s Honors Program at UT Knoxville, where she is majoring in biology.

Pierson Brown received the Laura Handley Award, which is given to a member of the GPS senior class who shows promise of becoming a community leader and who has been developing that leadership in a quiet way. She was a delegate to the Washington Youth Leadership Tour, representing North Georgia EMC, last June and met with congressional leaders, learned about the history of the United States and electric cooperatives and honed her leadership skills.

Andrew Butt, a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program, won the Fine Arts Award and the Senior History Award at Baylor. He represented Baylor at the National High School Model UN Conference in San Francisco in February.

Lauren Carelli was the winner of the Art Forum Award for photography at Baylor. She and Landie McBrayer ’12 were part of the Baylor girls’ tennis team that raised over $13,000 for the Siskin Children’s Institute at the team’s “Serving it Up for Siskin” benefit tournament this year.

Andrew Cook, Mac Hunt, Allen Liu, Sultan Humayun, Ahmad Nisar and Jackson Shell were inducted into Cum Laude Society at McCallie.

Matthew Davis received the Alexander Guerry Award, which is presented by a vote of the faculty to a senior who has contributed richly to the position of honor and right at Baylor. Davis also won Art Forum Awards for band and for theater, the Senior History Award, and the Post-AP Chinese Award. Davis, who represented Baylor at the National High School Model UN Conference in San Francisco in February, also was named to Baylor’s 76th Round Table, a prestigious literary discussion group, and was elected to the school’s 102nd Honor Council.

McKenzie Frizzell won the Computer Science and Engineering Award, which recognizes at GPS senior who has demonstrated a love of computer science and engineering during her career and pursued that interest with academic excellence, integrity and character.

Hollis Gaffney received the Mary Hannah Tucker Faculty Award, which is given to the GPS senior who has given her best as a student, as a friend and as a leader. Nominations are made by seniors and faculty, and the recipient is selected by the Head of School and the Head of Upper School. Hollis also won the Robinson Sportsmanship Cup, which is given to an athlete who best exemplifies good sportsmanship. She was a four-year member of the soccer and lacrosse teams and representative on the Student Council for three years. She also was a member of the Beta Club and Spectrum, the school newspaper.

Dane Hamilton was elected to Baylor’s Honor Council and was recognized as Chief Petty Officer of the Chattanooga Sea Cadets, the highest ranking a cadet can reach in the program. The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps is a youth military organization, operated by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Navy League, for boys and girls age 11-17 who are interested in military service. Hamilton joined Sea Cadets the summer before his freshman year and has since worked his way up through the ranks through a leadership academy and various training programs, military coursework, and exam. Fewer than three percent of cadets reach the rank of chief. He also was chosen for the East Tennessee Vocal Association All-East Honor Choir and finished third in Baylor’s Shakespeare recitation contest.

Graham Hartness received the Grayson Memorial Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed on a member of the graduating class at McCallie.

Sultan Humayun and his co-exhibitors won first place in the regional competition for National History Day with their project Culture Clash and Compromise: Desegregation at McCallie. He also was inducted last fall into Keo-Kio.

Teddy Lepcio and Grace McKenney were named co-recipients of the Herbert B. Barks, Jr. Award, given by vote of the faculty to seniors who have contributed richly to the Baylor spirit.

Teddy Lepcio, who was commissioned to the United States Military Academy, West Point at the Baylor awards day ceremony, also received the Scholar-Athlete Award. Lepcio was a National Merit Commended Student and participated in Baylor’s 76th Round Table, a prestigious literary discussion group. He won the John Franklin Academic Award at the Best of Preps banquet and was chosen for the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of Preps team for baseball and twice named all-region.

Margaret Lim, a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, won the Ethel B. Poston Valedictorian Award at GPS for maintaining the highest GPA during her four years in upper school and the National Orchestra Award for exhibiting selfless dedication to music, fellow musicians and the GPS orchestra. She also won the Eula Lea Jarnagin Love of Language Award in Latin. Last fall, Margaret received the Grace McCallie Scholarship, awarded to the rising senior who has maintained the highest GPA. She served on the Honor Council, was a member of the National Honor Society and competed in Science Olympiad, serving as an office. She also was co-editor-in-chief of the Kaleidoscope, the school yearbook, and attended a two-week pre-college program on The Neuroscience of Brain Enhancement at Emory University.

Allen Liu, valedictorian at McCallie and National Merit Scholarship Finalist, won the Campbell Memorial Award, which recognizes the second most esteemed member of the graduating class.

Grace McKenney, a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program, also was chosen for Baylor’s community service trip to Kingston, Jamaica, and won the Community Service Award.

Meher Memon won the Barbara Johnson Prickett Award for demonstrating wide leadership, sincere friendship and involvement in a variety of school activities. She served as director of campaigns for Amnesty International at GPS and was on the Student Council for four years.

Amanda Michaud won the Terpsichord Award, which is selected by members of the GPS dance company for displaying exceptional dedication and diligence.

Ahmad Nisar was a National Merit Scholarship finalist at McCallie.

2012

Alec Coussoule was one of ten rising Baylor seniors chosen to travel to Washington, D.C. this summer on the David M. Abshire Civic Leadership Trip, an intensive eight-day experiential course of study on national leadership, ethics, honor, and service. The program was created in partnership with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and the late Dr. David Abshire, a member of the Baylor class of 1944 and Bright class of 1938, who served as president and CEO of the organization.

Kent Glass, Will Hunt, Wyatt McVay, Cole Rizer, Thomas Shikoh and Patrick Warren were inducted into the National Honor Society as juniors at McCallie.

Kate Padilla was one of 11 Baylor students participating in the 20th annual All Girls Back Pack, an overnight trip to Lula Lake, in March. She has been selected as a senior editor for the 2018-19 Baylor Notes newspaper staff.

Maddie Reap was selected for Baylor’s Joe Key Award, a trip that recognizes selfless character and involves seven days of sea-kayaking, hiking, and camping on the islands of Acadia National Park in July. The trip, named for the late Joe “Sarge” Key, who worked at Baylor from 1961 to 1988 as a military instructor and study hall supervisor, honors rising seniors of admirable character whose selfless efforts might otherwise go unrecognized.

Charlotte Vance won the Palmer Griffin Award, which is given in honor of Palmer, who courageously battled leukemia her junior year at GPS, to a junior who is vivacious, fearless, unselfish, compassionate and a positive leader who lives life to the fullest and is animated and fun, constantly impacting the lives of others through her caring exuberance. Palmer graduated from Bright in 2001.

Patrick Warren also was inducted into Keo-Kio, McCallie’s preemient senior leadership organization.

2013

Sophie Workinger was selected to participate in Baylor’s global exchange program and will attend Colegio Sagrado Covazon in Pamplona, Spain. During her junior year, she will host a student from the same schools. She also was one of six members of the school’s Vervé dance troupe who attended the Tennessee Association of Dance Festival at MTSU last September. The group earned high praise for their work in the choreography project and opened the festival’s dance connections showcase.

2014

Camilla Zavala, a Baylor freshman, was chosen for the East Tennessee Vocal Association All-East Honor Choir.

2015

Will Fugatt received an honorable mention on the National Spanish Exam for Spanish IB as an eighth grader at McCallie.

Wes Glass received the Director’s Award for an Instrumentalist and Drama Award for Best Actor at McCallie.

Kye Hamilton, an eighth grader at Baylor was chosen for the East Tennessee Vocal Association All-East Honor Choir.

Ashton Higdon received all A’s as an eighth grader at Brighton Middle School in Alabama, won the math award, was in Who’s Who, named Most Intellectual and gave the speech at eighth grade graduation.

Claire Holtzclaw and Nick McKenney were named co-recipients of the Alexander Guerry Award, presented to Middle School students who contribute richly to the position of honor and right at Baylor.

Javen Johnson was an eighth grade representative on the McCallie Senate and elected to serve as a freshman. He also placed first in the middle school behavioral sciences category at the 2018 Chattanooga Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Maddie Kim was named valedictorian of the Class of 2022 at Baylor’s Middle School graduation. She and Caleb Nunes were chosen as members of the Eighth Grade Literary Society at Baylor.

Natalie Lusk won the Ethics Award and Michelle Kadrie Award for eighth grade at Baylor.

Amaar Memon placed in the top 10 in geometry in the Tennessee Mathematics Teachers’ Association Contest and earned a gold certificate on the National Spanish Exam for Spanish IB as an eighth grader at McCallie.

Lindsay Phelps, an eighth grader at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, competed in the high school Division II Class A Regional Championship and won the 800m and as the anchor leg of the 4x400. At the middle school conference championship, she set a school record for Battle Ground Academy in the girls 1600m with a time of 5:48. 

Trinity Phillips received an outstanding student award in every class at Boyd-Buchanan, top student in chorus, and an award for her score on the National Spanish exam.

Danny Rafai earned a silver certificate on the National Spanish Exam for Spanish IB as an eighth grader at McCallie.

Sonny Ravinder received the American Legion Citizenship Award, which is presented to an eighth grader at McCallie who possesses the high qualities of courage, honor,  leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service. He also won the DAR History Award, Spanish IB Award and a gold certificate on the National Spanish Exam for Spanish IB.

Henry Warren earned silver maxima cum laude on the National Latin Exam as an eighth grader at McCallie.

2016

Drew Hamilton earned silver maxima cum laude on the National Latin Exam as a seventh grader at McCallie.

John Jackson and William Nicely placed second for middle school documentary film in the regional competition for National History Day. 

Greetja Nestler placed first in the high jump at the Hamilton County middle school track and field tournament and was on the seventh grade star roll at Signal Mountain Middle/High School.

2017

Helen Guerry, Weber Steele, and Claire McOmie were part of a group of sixth graders leading the Baylor Middle School’s annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive. Baylor students donated 1,228 pounds of frozen turkeys for the Chattanooga Food Bank, later delivered to needy families over the holidays.

Acadia Phillips was secretary of her sixth grade class at Center for Creative Arts (CCA), won the sixth grade math award and participated in Destination Imagination.

Mattie Nall, a sixth grader at Baylor, won the middle school girls golf region championship.

Beke Nestler was on the sixth grade honor roll at Signal Mountain Middle/High School.

Weddings and Births

Harold “Tripp” North III ’98 married Caitlin Ashford Mangum on September 30, 2017, in Annapolis, Maryland.

Johnathan Tyler Davis, who was in the Class of 2000, and his wife, Christina Stea Davis, are new parents to daughter, Avienna Marie Davis, born March 9, 2018. 

Christie Dillard Horsman ’91 and Davey Horsman ’90 are new parents to son, Randal “Rand” David Horsman, born May 4, 2018.

Erin McKown Worthington '95, and her husband, Josh, are new parents to son, Adam Lane Worthington, born October 5, 2017.