DECATUR — Six Decatur High School Honor Graduates and their families were recognized at the annual Decatur Chamber of Commerce Honors Banquet Monday night.

Class valedictorian Lensey Watson and salutatorian Fatima Vazquez were also presented Chamber of Commerce scholarships at the banquet.

In order to be considered honor students, graduates must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average, according to high school counselor Nancy Cotter. All six students were also Arkansas Scholars, meaning they have attended school 95 percent of the time,have no grade lower than a C and have completed the Smart Core classes.

Honor graduates were:

◊Lensey Watson, who plans to attend the University of Arkansas and major in animal science with a pre-medicine option and then continue on to become an orthopedic surgeon;

◊Fatima Vazquez, who plans to earn a degree in nursing from the Northwest Arkansas Community College and then a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas in medical science and have a career as a nursing professor;

◊Mara Sara Harris, who plans to attend the University of Arkansas and earn a degree in nursing;

◊ Ashley Prelle, who plans to attend the University of Arkansas and major in pre-medicine and then continue on to become a surgeon;

◊Yuepheng Vang, who plans to attend the Northwest Arkansas Community College and then the University of Arkansas with a major in business administration; and

◊Faerlyn Hunter, who plans to attend the University of Central Arkansas with a major in chemistry and a minor in German and continue on to earn a degree in pharmacy.

Additional scholarships and student recognition will be presented on Tuesday, after press time, at the high school awards ceremony.

News, Pages 5 on 05/09/2012