Academic Excellence

Hughes Scholars 

On June 19, 1919 a young man received his high school diploma from Imlay City High School…..his name was Donald Hughes.  He lived east of Imlay City and had three sisters and a brother.  Near the time for Mr. Hughes to graduate his father passed away and he was expected to run the farm and to care for the family.  His personal aspiration, however, was to go to college…to the “university.”

Unfortunately, he could not.  He did operate the family farm until his death.  He worked his entire life, and as a result of his hard work his three sisters went to college, graduated, and became teachers.  His dream of a college education was never reached.

Mr. Hughes created a trust that on his death was worth over $200,000.  He specified in the trust that certain scholastic and community service requirements must be met in order to qualify for a scholarship.  The scholarship fund assets were invested and administered by the trustee, the Lapeer County Bank and Trust and was designed to be completely distributed in 20 years.

Many Imlay City High School graduates have been selected for their academic achievement and leadership skills.  Below is a partial list of the distinguished graduates who were named Hughes Scholars:

2001     2002 2003
Augusta H. Butlin David Barton Meagan J. Brinker
Scott J. Denault Sarah Brady Erin M. Gavin
Derek W. Fultz Lauren Gass Ashley M. Hooks
Justin S. Husband James Kramek Jalean A. Makedonsky
Todd P. Jackman Elijah Martin Katherine M. Southard
Trevor J. Kaeding Stephanie Parnicky Jennifer P. Woodworth
Tristan R. Kindy Gabriell Vires
Karen M. King
Dannielle E. McKinney
James C. Penzien
Jill Reinbold
Valerie L. Swoish 

2004                        2005             
Shauna R. Decker Amanda Atkins
Francesco A. Folino Brian Deppong
Kathryn B. Muir Amanda Lamb
Christopher R. Ebert Nichole Nash
Alainna M. Pardon Shannon Pardon
Jacquelyn B. Brousseau Nyssa Sinn
Roberta L. Ches Michael Tanis
Lindsay Valcaniant
Rosaleigh Vedolich

Academic Wall of Fame  

        Valedictorians           Salutatorians

2021 Joshua Eades Jack Ragle
2020 John Ciurla McKinzie Winget
2019 Casey McCarthy Aaron Antonelli, II
Benjamin Kouri
2018 Carson Malhado Melissa Vaughn
2018 Brandon Pries
2017 Grace Whitney Damian Vaubael
2016 Mary Miller Gregory Michajlyszyn
2015 Brady Nishimiya Hunter Pope
2014               Elaina Wargo                   Jake Walla
Page Queener

2013               Haley Kensington               Elizabeth Richardson

2012               Emily Morris                        Laura Sample                                 

2011               Keith Lince                           Ashley Dockham

2010               Ian Gossman                        Sean Lemons
Emily Jepsen

2009               Emily Cutler                        Kelly Duquette
Mason Day                           Becca Hibbler
Brooke Medaugh                 Ervin Radelt

2008               Christine Harbin                Stephen Krist
Meredith Muir
Lindsey VanDyk

2007               Erin Brandt                         Zachary Roszczewski
Katelyn Preisel
Caitlyn Schaller

2006               Lisa Bacis                             Olivia Martin
Chelsea Hibbler
Jacob Kopins
David Krist
Shannon Morey

2005               Shannon Pardon                 Nyssa Sinn
Michael Tanis
Lindsay Valcaniant

2004               Shauna Decker                    Christopher Ebert
Francesco Folino
Kathryn Muir

2003               Meagan Brinker                  Jalean Makedonsky

2002               Stephanie Parnicky            Elijah Martin

2001               Trevor J. Kaeding               Adam R. VanAntwerp
Derek W. Fultz
James C. Penzien
Jill S. Reinbold

2000               Anna L. Crary                     Elizabeth A. Dubey
Joel A. Pittenger

1999               Sara Bissett                          Beth Reinbold
Ryan Bodanyi
Alisyn Themm
Darby VanAntwerp

1998               Matthew Pauly                    Jill Panetta

                        Nina Vandercook

1997               Bryn Dodge                          Daniel Krawzcyk
Christopher Brownfield

1996               Sarah Champion                 Jennifer Bagley

                        Thomas Pauly                     Edward Lyons

1995               Sheri Houston                      Laura Sillers
Emily Preston

1994               Wendy Finkbeiner              Lisa Hortop

1993               Libby Day                             Nathan Hendrix

1992               James “Josh” Driscoll         Joe Hyde
Bob Brown                            Heidi Schapman

1991               David Glassford                   Chad Pope

1990               Jennifer Duthler                 Danell Jackson

1989               Joe Ankley                            Tim Hoeksema

1988               Dawn Hortop                        Kari Sue VanderPloeg
Amber Lindsey
Debra Pauly

1987               Katherine Hempton           Christine Shevnock

1986               Brenda Tanis                       Marsha Atherton

1985               Kelly McFall                                    Rodger Dotson, Jr.

1984               Mark Thompson                  Daniel Glassford

1983               Anna Bissett                        Irene Boruszko

1982               Eric Doster                           John Rees

1981               Lynn Louwsma                    Greg Peare

1980               Merry Billiau                       Arlene White

1979               Anne Mason                         Lori Hoeksema

1978               Doug Harrington                Dawn VanDyk

1977               Terry McTaggart                Judy Gonda

1976               Ronda Stover                       Debra VanDyk

1975               Brian Smith                         Lorraine Lindke

1974               Anthony Doster                   Jan McKillop

1973               Beth Ann Buckingham     Steven Burns

1972               Cathleen Irish                     Kathy Stover

1971               Nancy Groenewoud            Peter Schonfeld

1970               Vickie Hill                             Jan Miller

1969               Carol Muir                            Jewel Kingsbury

                                                                        Mary Kay Buike

1968               Amy Schonfeld                    Paul Ewbank

1967               Brenda Turner                    Joseph Dobos

1966               Halina Lisowski                   Michael Schonfeld

1965               Cherry Dodson                    Linda Patten

1964               Peter Norlin                         Charles Schonfeld

1963               Cherril Gray                                    Judy Meyer

1962               Lois Miller                            Bethann Brown

1961               Kathy Brown                        JoAnne Sefcovic

1960               Rick Braidwood                   Margaret Skeberdis

1959               Sandra Stover                      Janet VanConant

1958               Judy McKillen                     Evelyn Macklem

                                                                        Bronwen VanWagoner

1957               Lee Lucas                             Ailla Hill

                                                                        Alice Skeberdis

1956               Eileen Rathka                     Arlene Muir

                                                                        Marion Strump

1955               Johanna Swanson               Elaine Stern

1954               Ann Grettenberger             Nellie Lou Simmons

                                                                        Judy Taack

1953               Barbara Talmage               Marcia Hoeksema

                                                                        Charles Kaake

1952               Florence Dragomon            Patty Kaake

                        Donald Wittrig                    Betty Kaake

                                                                        Patty Taack

1951               Olabelle Steckly                  Margaret Simmons

                        Mary Zavitz                         Ellen Rathka

1950               Shirley Crawford                 Beatrice Presley

1949               James Weiss                         Jack Barney

1948               Julia Chmielinski               Joan Penzien

1947               Melvagean Harley              May Ellen Holt

1946               Clara Estern                        Joan Allen

1945               Elaine Bonney                     Ada Heil

1944               Ardith Deming                    Norma Jean Seidell

1943               Dorothy Weston                  Abi Arnold

1942               Effie Vlieg                             Fanny Stryker

1941               Kay Buchanan                    Virginia Schoof

                                                                        Marjorie Carlow

1940               Margaret Anderson            Miriam Hougom

1939               Elizabeth J. Waghorne      Arlene Sterner

1938               Stuart Churchill                 Genevieve A. Waghorne

1937               Geraldine DeCamp             Ivaleen Muir

1936               Evelyn May Waghorne     Mary Warner

1935               Elaine Ropp                         Ruth Abbott

1934               William J. Waghorne         Marion Holt

1933               Alma Whitkopf                                ?

                                                                                    ?

1932               Muriel Curtis                                   ?

1931               Margaret Rowe                    Arnold Abbott

1930                           ?                                  Howard Clark Holt

                                    ?

1929               Irelen Blackmore                Margaret Shumar

1928               Lois Weir                              Dorothy Penzien

1927               Isabel MacVicar                  Velma Linekar

1926               Bernice Moyer                     Bernice Turner

1925               Essie Mae Cade                   Olive Broomfield

1924               Bernice L. Lee                     Eiliene Downer

1923                           ?                                              ?

1922               Clinton Husted                    Goldie Turner

1921               Alice C. Hughes                   Edith Arndt

1920                           ?                                              ?

1919                           ?                                              ?

1918               Elizabeth Lengemann                   ?

1917 Mervyn Muir Edna Pinel

1916               Ruth Hughes                       Olive Hall

1915               Zola Steele                            Lillian Lengemann

1914               Grace Kruse                                     ?

1913                           ?                                              ?

1912                           ?                                              ?

1911               Robert Paton                                    ?

1910               Ruth Thomson                     Bernice Wilson

1909                           ?                                              ?

1908               No valedictorian or salutatorian selection – five with

                                    honors recognized.

1907               Harry S. Sheppard              Lottie Hall

1906                           ?                                              ?

1905                           ?                                              ?

1904                           ?                                              ?

1903               Marion Steele                      John Bahm

1902                           ?                                              ?

1901 Clyde Ross Anna Pennington

1900                           ?                                              ?

1899                           ?                                              ?

1898                           ?                                              ?

1897               Bernice L. Taylor                Mabel M. Hallock

1896                           ?                                              ?

1895                           ?                                              ?

1894               Only three members of the class:

Floy Marshall, Isaac McKillen and Annie Dodge

1893               William Benson Harrison

1892                           ?                                              ?

1891                           ?                                              ?

1890                           ?                                              ?

(Note:  The earliest known high school graduate was W. A. Fairweather in 1881.)