Cassie Miller and Cooper Vincent have been named valedictorian and salutatorian for the Parke Heritage High School Class of 2024. The graduation ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. May 25.
Following in the footsteps of her aunt who was valedictorian and uncle who was salutatorian, Miller becomes the third family member to be at the top of their class.
During her high school years, she has been involved in many activities. She has been a member of the swimming, golf, cross country and track teams. Her club memberships include National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Interact and Drama Club. She has also been a member of the Science and Social Studies Academic Teams.
Outside of school, Miller is a member of the Rockville First Baptist Church and Youth Group as well as a 4-H member.
Even with all of these activities, her school work has been her main focus.
“I keep school as the top priority,” Miller said. “School comes before free time if necessary, but I try to get everything done in school. I also keep a planner, review it each week, and add all assignments in it so I don’t forget.”
Her hard work has not gone unnoticed as she has received many academic awards. She has been named to the Indiana Academic All-State Swimming Award, AP Scholars Award, Indiana All Stars and Indiana Rising Stars. Classroom awards include English, Spanish, geometry, algebra, pre-calculus, trigonometry, art history, advanced placement U.S. history, advanced placement world history, government, chemistry and advanced placement chemistry.
As a freshman, Miller received the Girls Swimming Sportsmanship Award from the Benton Central Athletic Department. She was nominated for this award by a member of the Benton Central girls swim team based on her sportsmanship during swim meets.
Miller credits PHHS science teacher Mike Slater as having the most impact on her.
“Mr. Slater has pushed me to succeed because he knew I had the potential to,” she said. “I struggled in chemistry more than any other class I took, but he was always there to help me out when I asked. I learned that his classes were so difficult because he wants us to succeed. He sets such a high standard for his students because he believes they can reach it. Because of Mr. Slater, I know I am prepared for whatever the future holds for me.”
Her parents have also guided her in her academic accomplishments and have supported her during her many activities.
“The best advice my parents gave me is to ask for help,” Miller said. “I am a super stubborn person and I hated asking for help because I believed that I wasn’t trying hard enough if I did. They encouraged me to reach out to my teachers and ask for advice whenever I could because they knew it would help me in the long run.”
She is the daughter of Matt and Melanie Miller of Tangier and she plans to attend Purdue University to study biomedical engineering.
Salutatorian Vincent has learned to find a balance between his activities, work schedule and studies.
“Although my work loads have been severe, I have learned to prioritize my time and attention for things that need it,” he said. “I have also learned that a calendar and planner are useful items that can help you manage your time. I believe that my ability to persevere in difficult circumstances and my passion for learning have been the key to my success in school. Being able to persevere is something that is important in academics, because you must be okay with sacrificing your time for school. My passion for learning has not only allowed me to learn relatively quickly, but it has also allowed me to enjoy myself while at school.”
His activities include Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, National Honor Society representative and Interact Club vice president. He has been a member of the cross country, track and field, tennis and golf teams.
His out-of-school activities include being a member of the Rockville Christian Church. As a member of the praise team, he plays the piano during worship almost every Sunday. He also works at three part-time jobs.
He was named Academic All-State for tennis. He has also received the Academic Excellence award for Advanced Placement Chemistry and the Character Award.
Mrs. Woodard is the staff member who has had the most impact on Vincent during his high school career. She has provided Vincent with “a safe space” that allows Cooper to continue to work on schoolwork while simultaneously relieving some of the stress associated with that. “She has made it her goal to continue to teach while creating a welcoming environment for students to work in,” Vincent said.
Learning to say no is the best advice that his parents have given to him.
“Last year, my schedule was completely full of either Advanced Placement or Dual Credit classes, and because of this, I was spending hours and hours on homework on top of three part-time jobs,” he said. “Due to this extremely stressful schedule, I had to learn to be OK with saying no to people and different opportunities in order to maintain my rigorous academic schedule.”
He is the son of Michael and Sabrina Vincent of Rockville and plans to major in biology for pre-Medicine at Ball State University.
