"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - 2009 Valedictorian and Salutatorian

***"Sequoyah seniors Rikki Shook (left) and Jamie Wagnon (right) are valedictorian and salutatorian for the 2009 graduating class."***

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – Sequoyah Schools announces the Valedictorian and the Salutatorian for the graduating class of 2009.

The 2009 Valedictorian is Rikki Shook. Shook is the daughter of Richard and Michelle Shook of Oktaha. She completed her requirements for graduation in December, but will return to Sequoyah for graduation to deliver her Valedictorian address. Shook is a Gates Millennium scholarship winner.

Jamie Wagnon is the 2009 Salutatorian. Wagnon, of Tahlequah, is the daughter of James Wagnon and the late Tammy Wagnon. She is concurrently enrolled at Northeastern State University and plans to continue her education at the University of Oklahoma where she will major in pre-med. Wagnon has received the Dell scholarship, The Patty Iron Cloud Scholarship, and the Sam Walton Community Scholarship from the Wal-Mart Foundation.

The Sequoyah Schools class of 2009 graduation ceremony will held May 15 at 6:30 p.m. in The Place Where They Play. The Baccalaureate will be held May 13 at 6:30 p.m., also in The Place Where They Play. The class of 2009 has earned a cumulative total of $2.6 million in scholarship money to date.

Sequoyah Schools, a boarding school for Native American students, originated in 1871 as an orphan asylum to care for children who were orphaned by the Civil War. Now known as Sequoyah Schools, it is named for Sequoyah, the scholar who developed the Cherokee syllabary. The school is regionally and state accredited for grades 7-12 and has become the school of choice for more than 400 Native American students every year. Sequoyah Schools is located five miles southwest of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. For more information call 918-453-5400 or visit the Sequoyah Schools’ web site.