Four students from area high schools have been selected as Academic All Staters 2022 by the Oklahoma Foundation of Excellence.
They are among 100 students statewide chosen for the prestigious award.
The four from Lincoln County include Noah McMullan, North Rock Creek High School, Taylor McConnell, Wellston High School and sisters Leah and Jessica Brannon, both from Chandler High School.
Noah is the first ever All-State chosen from North Rock Creek.
The 100 students were from 397 nominations. Those chosen are from 75 high schools in 67 school districts statewide.
Noah McMullan is the son of Tim and Stacy McMullan. He is the grandson of Wayne and Elizabeth McMullan of Edmond and Charles and Marlene Gann of Lamar. Noah has attended North Rock Creek since first grade and says he is proud to be in the first graduating class. His future plans are to play basketball at either Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. or Oklahoma City University.
He plans to major in physics or pre-engineering and then get a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Noah says, “I am very honored to represent North Rock Creek and am grateful for the experiences that have led up to this award.”
Taylor McConnell is the 17-year-old daughter of Tucker and Lesley McConnell and the granddaughter of Wayne and Charla Ann McConnell, Darlene Pittman-Scaffide, and the late Gary Scaffide. Taylor is currently a senior at Wellston High School, where she will be recognized as a Valedictorian in May.
After graduation, Taylor plans on attending Oklahoma State University. She intends to major in Animal Science with a pre-vet option.
At OSU, Taylor plans to take part in the Honors College as well as the President’s Leadership Council. She hopes to attend Veterinarian School after earning her bachelor’s degree.
When Taylor was asked about her academic award, she said, “I remember as a young girl, my parents would always teach me to set goals for myself. Goals that were measurable, realistic, and of course, effective. Even in elementary school, I had always prided myself on having good grades.
“However, I would never have imagined earning an award as prestigious as the Academic All-State! My accomplishment is only partially due to my intelligence. The rest is credited towards the amazing role models and teachers of Wellston Public Schools.
“I am beyond grateful to have received my outstanding education from the most impactful instructors in the state!,” she said.
Leah Brannon is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Dale and Deborah Brannon and the grand-daughter of Dale and Billie Brannon and Robert and Christine Boyce. She is a senior at Chandler High School. She has three sisters, including two triplet sisters. She says she lives and works on a ranch, “where I have learned many valuable life skills.
“At school I am active in Positive Peers, Postponing Sexual Involvement, and am on the student board for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes,” she noted. She’s also on the BancFirst Student Board of Directors and is the congregational chorister for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Leah says she’s especially passionate about athletics, and has been blessed with many successes, including a cross country All-State title, an achieved goal of 1,000 career basketball points, two state runner-up track titles, and an archery state championship.
She notes she will also be honored to graduate as a valedictorian, with a 4.0 grade point average and several AP and honors courses. Leah enjoys playing the piano and composing music, spending time with friends and family, and CrossFit. She and her sisters are co-founders and counselors of Camp Copperhead, a summer kids camp they run on their ranch.
“I enjoy studying math and science, and plan to major in aeronautical and astronautical engineering in the fall. I have applied to and been offered full academic scholarships to the University of Oklahoma and Brigham Young University. I have also applied to and interviewed with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and expect to receive an admissions decision in March,” Leah stated.
“I am thrilled to be recognized as an Academic All-Stater! This is the product of a combined effort from my parents, teachers, coaches, and family, and is the cherry on top of a perfect senior year,” Leah concluded.
Jessica Brannon is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Dale and Deborah Brannon and the grand-daughter of Dale and Billie Brannon and Robert and Christine Boyce. She is a senior at Chandler High School.
“I have three sisters, including my two triplet sisters. We are seniors at Chandler High School. At school, I am active in many clubs such as, Postponing Sexual Involvement, Positive Peers, National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes,” she said.
Jessica has been honored to be selected as a BancFirst student board member, Chandler Lion’s Club: Lion of the Month, and Rotarian of the Month through the Rotary Club. She has held many leadership positions in my high school career. She was Freshman Class President, Junior Class Vice President, and Senior Class Vice President.
She was also am the Secretary for NHS, a member of the student board for FCA, and Co-Captain of the varsity pom squad. She has been involved in sports for all of my life, especially in high school. As a member of the pom team, she held many state titles competitively and academically. She has been a part of the girls basketball team for four years, three as a manager and student trainer.
She was a practice manager for the football team, and was elected Homecoming Queen this past season.
“I am most passionate about track, where I have earned two regional championships, a regional runner up, and a state runner up title,” she said.
She has qualified for the State Track Championship Meet in seven events, medaling in five, over her high school career.
She said she will be honored to graduate as a valedictorian and honor graduate in May. She has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout high school.
She is the organist for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She has been playing piano for 13 years and taught herself how to play the organ. She and her sisters co-founded a summer kids day camp, Camp Copperhead.
She enjoys music, art and dancing. She plans on studying special education in the fall. She has applied to Oklahoma City University, where she has been offered a track and academic scholarship. She also applied to Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, and Brigham Young University, and have received academic scholarships from each.
“I am honored to be selected as an Academic All-Stater. I am most thankful to my parents for their support in all that I do,” she said.
This article appeared in last week’s edition, but we are reprinting it to correct errors and omissions that occurred during editing.