Arkansas City to Honor Outstanding Students at April Banquet
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. — The City of Arkansas City will recognize academically accomplished students from three local institutions at its annual Outstanding Student Award Reception and Banquet next month.
Established in 1984 by the City Commission, the program recognizes students who demonstrate academic excellence and a strong commitment to their community. Students are nominated by teachers, staff and administrators, and an Outstanding Student Award Committee — appointed by the mayor and City Commission — reviews nominations and conducts interviews with each student. Three finalists are selected from each school, with one chosen as that school's top honoree.
From those top honorees, one will be named the overall City of Arkansas City Outstanding Student of the Year and receive a $1,000 scholarship. The first runner-up will receive a $500 scholarship and the second runner-up will receive a $250 scholarship.
The Outstanding Student Award Reception will be held Monday, April 6 at 6 p.m. at the Cowley College Brown Center. Finalists will be honored at the Outstanding Student Award Banquet on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cowley College Wright Room, where the overall winners will be announced.
The 2026 nominees are:
Arkansas City Middle School: Elizabeth Bergkamp, Sophie Bazil, Emmett Borum, Cara Cales, Emrey Calvin, Kasen Coble, Felicity Dykes, Yosvani Garcia, Kayla Hernandez, Carmen Hutchinson, Genevieve Kerwood, Julia Koehn, Maddex Mitchell, Hayden Munson, Rafael Ortiz, Dorializ Santos Ortiz, Alice Paton, Reese Pieper, Aria Ripley, Quinn Richardson, Quentin Seymour, Brooklyn Vickers, Jaylee Velky, Sophie Weatherford and Finleigh West.
Arkansas City High School: Viviana Aliano, Emmerson Allen, Cinthia Calvillo Flores, Paige Cassiday-Minnie, Santiago Castillo, Catalina López de la Cruz, Cruz Czaplinski, Julie Crawford, Arvada "Jordan" Durham, Shihan "Jason" Fang, Mylee Giles, Swea Gootee, William Noble Horton, Bailey Jackson, Jaxson Jackson, Xavier Lawler, Cameron Layton, Alizabella Meile, Ragen Meinen, Milo McLeod, Tristan Murphy, Trey Noland, Wyatt Paton, Zachary Pieper, Dionica Rodriguez Muz, Haylea Sampson, Lillian Seaton, Harper Webb, Shay Wyckoff and Crystal Zapata.
Cowley College: Gabrielle Adams, Katie Cook, Nathan Curran, Breanna Curry, Hanna Darvas, Mallory Jackson, Cooper Leonard, Jessi McDowell, Dacey Morris, Ariana Peterson, Elijah Roberts, Gracy Smith, Makenzie Tanner and Mackenzie Wegner.