USD 475 has announced that Junction City High School, H.D. Karns, Junction City Middle School and Fort Riley Middle School JAG-K programs participated in the JAG-K State Career Development Conference in Hays. They qualified a total of 11 students for the National Career Development Conference.“I’m extremely proud of our students and all their hard work. They have bought into this program and exemplify what it means to be a teammate and a part of JAG-K at Junction City High School,” said James Denton, Junction City High School JAG-K Specialist.
By placing in the top-two at the state conference, students will now represent USD 475 at the national conference in St. Louis, Mo., on April 17-21. USD 475 students qualifying for nationals include: Noah Maldonado, Jonae Conover, Alani Burks, Jaden Exantus, James Lamar, Jae’lynn Dennard, Jackson Waters, Bethany Wells, John Seamans, Ruben Solis and Alisia Martinez.
Leading the way for the Blue Jays on Wednesday were Maldonado, Conover and Burks who wrapped-up competition first overall in the Project Based Learning Division. Wells of the H.D. Karns Innovations Academy also claimed state championship honors by placing first overall in the Career Preparation Division. As a team, the JCHS two program placed third overall, while H.D. Karns claimed second-place honors. Other highlights included junior Noah Maldonado being named the JAG-K State Vice President.
In the middle school division, Junction City Middle School brought home runner-up accolades in Hays. The Wildcats saw Cayden Buchenau, Liliona Martinez and Ava Hammond earn second-place honors in their respective divisions. Fort Riley Middle School’s Annabelle Wahl, Gabriel Laureano Mendez and Natalie Jakubowski also had a strong showing in Hays posting a runner-up performance.
By Matt Hoover
USD 475 Communications Coordinator