At a Glance: CAC’s Class of 2015
Central Arkansas Christian bid farewell to 69 seniors at the class of 2015’s graduation ceremony on Sunday. Amidst a gymnasium packed with parents, family members and teachers, CAC celebrated a group of students characterized by many accomplishments in the classroom, on the stage, and on the playing field this year.
Of this spring’s graduates, 98% will pursue paths at 20 colleges in six different states, including Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. With a top 10 percent average ACT score of 31.4, top 10 percent average GPA of 4.2, and four individual state titles under their belts, these students were presented with many financial opportunities and accepted more than $695,900 in athletic and academic scholarships.
Receiving the class of 2015’s highest academic honors with a 4.35 GPA was valedictorian Kathleen McClanahan and salutatorians Connor Mahoney and Lauren Weaver with 4.29 GPAs. McClanahan and Weaver were also recipients of National Merit Scholarships, and McClanahan, Mahoney and Colt Lloyd were awarded Arkansas Governor’s Distinguished Scholarships.
Senior Mustangs had much to celebrate outside the classroom this year as well. In February, CAC’s wrestlers won the state championship. Braden Zini and Jason Kidder each went undefeated and won their third individual wrestling state titles. Michael Games and Jaleel Johnson each took home track state titles in the 3,200m run and high jump, respectively. CAC’s teams also saw successful seasons marked by trips to the playoffs for most squads and a chance for both soccer teams to compete for the state championship this Friday.
Nine seniors participated in CAC’s largest drama production yet: “Beauty and the Beast.” Many seniors were among the senior high choir members who performed the National Anthem at a Memphis Grizzlies Game in January, and in band, Lauren Weaver was selected to play with the All-Region Band, and James Terry was named to the Four States Honor Band.
Not to be forgotten are the immeasurable successes of CAC’s seniors as they stepped up to serve their community and to lead their younger classmates in their walks with Christ. Lilly Kate Philbrick and class of 2015 organized CAC’s largest “Mustang Christmas” for the children of Southern Christian Home. Together, students helped make CAC’s first indoor ACCESS Gators track meet a success and contributed to collecting 27 cases of food for the Arkansas Rice Depot.
However, these are just a few of this class’s many achievements, and it is for this reason, CAC is proud to send off a group of students that has in many ways exemplified Jesus’ command in Mark 12:30: To “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Congratulations to the class of 2015 on a job well done.