Students from Clay County High School once again demonstrate that success can be found outside the classroom, with outstanding performances in numerous academic contests over the past few days.
The brightest minds in mathematics among the state’s youth came together at West Virginia Wesleyan College to celebrate the 50th annual West Virginia Math Field Day. One of the participants who made a remarkable showing at the competition was our very own Luke Hill from Clay County, finishing 7th in the state. He also won first place in his region against other contestants from Boone, Putnam, Kanawha, and Clay counties.
At the same time, the students of Clay County who participated in the WV State Envirothon event demonstrated their skills in collaboration and conservation at Camp Caesar in Webster County on the 16th and the 17th. Envirothon is an annual environmental education competition held across North America that tests student teams’ knowledge of various topics.
The Clay County teams performed impressively and brought in $3,000 for their school. The team named “Clay County Caddisflies,” consisting of Parker Taylor, James Grose, Lyla Hunt, Sophia Berberich, and Kaylee Marshall, won third place in the state and got high score awards in forestry. The second team was called “Dee N’ Arr,” which consisted of Adeline Coulter, Savannah Rhodes, Jeremy Blagg, Jaylyn Holcomb, and Autumn Thomson, and came thirteenth out of more than twenty schools in West Virginia.
Adding to the festivities, our very own Clay County FFA advisor, Kelsey McFarland, received the honor of the “Advisor of the Year” award for her devotion to teaching students about the environment, inspiring teamwork with other schools, and consistent success in the competition.
From the 16th to the 20th, more students from Clay County High School showcased their abilities nationally at the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. It is an extremely challenging academic competition in which students have the chance to prove their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and politics.
After success in their state and competitions, Clay County’s group, including Lillian Starcher, Dakota James, Justin Nida, Alivia Gilliland, Lydia Shamblin, TJ Pritt, Sophia Berberich, Ariel Dobbins, Jacoby Nichols, Christian Bryant, Owen Tinney, and Juliann Gallaher, was eligible to represent themselves in the national competition. Alongside the students who competed nationally were KK Williams, the timer, and Ronald Starcher, the instructor.
The success of these students is not only a testament to the high level of intelligence at Clay County High School but also to their hard work, collaboration, and effort towards excellence in various fields.
Congratulations to all these brilliant minds and teachers for their achievements.
Keep doing big things, Clay County!
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