Bellefontaine High School hosted its annual spring academic awards ceremony in the auditorium Friday morning.
The featured speaker was Bellefontaine alum Yvette Hunsicker.
Ms. Hunsicker reflected on her 35-year career at Honda.
She urged the students to keep pushing forward to build their confidence and skill set.
Hunsicker noted that putting in the work leads to self-confidence.
Following her highly successful career in the business world, Ms. Hunsicker transitioned to a teaching career at BHS in 2024. She is also an adjunct professor at Clark State.
The BHS Academic Boosters Club then recognized freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors for a variety of awards.
The first group of academic awards were decided by the BHS teaching staff across 15 different departmental areas.
Students were chosen based on five criteria: character, attitude, service, genuine interest in the content, and academic performance.
The awards were sponsored by various community members and businesses.
Each winner received $25.
Here’s a list of award recipients (grade level, subject, student’s name, sponsor):
- Freshman Adjusted Career – Liam Steed – Eichholtz & Daring Funeral Home
- Sophomore Adjusted Career – Cecelia Reier – Eichholtz & Daring Funeral Home
- Junior Adjusted Career – Aiden Fitzpatrick – Quest Federal Credit Union
- Senior Adjusted Career – Landon Brown – Quest Federal Credit Union
- Freshman Broadcasting – Cameron Foreman – River Radio
- Sophomore Broadcasting – Samuel Kline – V-Teck Communications
- Junior Broadcasting – Christopher Morris – Peak of Ohio TV
- Senior Broadcasting – Tanner Ballinger – Horvath Productions
- Freshman Business – Cameo Greene – Dodds Wealth Advisors
- Sophomore Business – Landon Gerwels – Dodds Wealth Advisors
- Junior Business – Brandon Wong – Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association
- Senior Business – Kayla Sellars – Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association
- Freshman English – Blakely Vollrath – Keith & Cathy Wiley
- Sophomore English – Addison Prosser – Edward Jones – Darin Olson Team
- Junior English – Summer Maley – Edward Jones – Darin Olson Team
- Senior English – Claire Brown – Edward Jones – Darin Olson Team
- Freshman ESL – Luisana Quevedo Rodriguez – Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association
- Sophomore ESL – Ximena Marquez Diaz – Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association
- Junior ESL – Christian Matela – AGC Automotive
- Senior ESL – Amanda Delgado Rengel – AGC Automotive
- Freshman Family & Consumer Sciences – Kodi Palmer – Sloan Insurance Center
- Sophomore Family & Consumer Sciences – Cadence Tyler – Sloan Insurance Center
- Junior Family & Consumer Sciences – Jayliana Burruss – Sloan Insurance Center
- Senior Family & Consumer Sciences – Maci Flesher – Sloan Insurance Center
- Freshman Health & Physical Education – Allison Myers – David Lewis and Family
- Sophomore Health & Physical Education – Marek Frazier – David Lewis and Family
- Junior Health & Physical Education – Isaac Hall – Mary Rutan Health
- Senior Health & Physical Education – Hayden Maus – Mary Rutan Health
- Freshman Industrial Technology – Hayden Shreve – Sloan Industrial School
- Sophomore Industrial Technology – Haydon Argabright – Sloan Industrial School
- Junior Industrial Technology – Dalton Frazier – Sloan Industrial School
- Senior Industrial Technology – Thessaly Reminder – Sloan Industrial School
- Freshman Math – Deacon Lloyd – Pat & Debbie Ellis
- Sophomore Math – Brody Miranda – Pat & Debbie Ellis
- Junior Math – Jake Moreland – Farmers National Bank
- Senior Math – Elliett Lang – Mark & Joan Haushalter
- Freshman Music – Antonio Avalos Mendez – Steve Austin’s Auto Group
- Sophomore Music – Constance Carmen – Logan County Commissioner Joe Antram and Marianna Antram
- Junior Music – Ella Fultz – Dodds Wealth Advisors
- Senior Music – Haidyn Bruce – Dodds Wealth Advisors
- Freshman Science – Max Miranda – David & Tammy Gump
- Sophomore Science – Trinity Fout – David & Tammy Gump
- Junior Science – Oliver Grandstaff – Zimmerman Realty & Zimmerman Family
- Senior Science – Jacob Henry – Zimmerman Realty & Zimmerman Family
- Freshman Social Studies – Landon Severt – Bellefontaine Moose #2563
- Sophomore Social Studies – Jack Wilson – Bellefontaine Moose #2563
- Junior Social Studies – Grace Brown – Bellefontaine Moose #2563
- Senior Social Studies – Kelsie Snapp – Mark & Joan Haushalter
- Freshman Visual Arts – Olivia Cooper – Pauline Terebuh
- Sophomore Visual Arts – Landon White – Pauline Terebuh
- Junior Visual Arts – Maya Shazier – Wren’s Florist and Greenhouse
- Senior Visual Arts – Catherine Armstrong – Wren’s Florist and Greenhouse
- Junior Vocational – Drake Hoon – Elizabeth Hendershot
- Senior Vocational – Gracie Hood – William Boy, CPA
- Level I World Languages – Chloe O’Chocke – Richard Ramsey
- Level II World Languages – Rylee Williams – Richard Ramsey
- Level III World Languages – Caitlin Haley – Dairy Queen
- Level IV or V World Languages – Ava Kunze – Dairy Queen
2026 Heart of a Chieftain Award Recipients:
- Freshmen – Max Miranda
- Sophomores – Trinity Fout, Sloan Stolly, Sarah Childs, and Brody Miranda
- Juniors – Ava Layman, Sutton Daring, Spencer Stolly, Ella Fultz, Bryson Chrisman, and Jaylinn Foulk
- Seniors – Natalie Snapp, Kaeleigh Flora, Ava Dolan, Addison Wical, Ava Kunze, Patrick Stolly, and Adison Postle
2026 Scholarship Winners – Adison Postle (Academic Boosters Club Scholarship), Natalie Snapp (Academic Boosters Club Scholarship), and Chloe Stolly (Jenny O’Connor Memorial Scholarship)
2026 Peter R. Marsh Foundation Silent Servant Award – Carter Caudill
Finally, BHS presented SOAR Awards.
Bellefontaine High School is very proud of the rigorous coursework available for students to help prepare them for their education beyond high school.
Honors classes, college credit plus classes, post-secondary options, and Advanced Placement classes are all available at BHS. Though all of these paths are difficult, the AP classes require the students to be willing to work above and beyond the usual expectations for a high school class. AP classes also require students to take a culminating standardized exam to show mastery of the material.
The SOAR Award was established to recognize high school seniors who have strived to challenge themselves by taking these AP courses. It recognizes those students who didn’t shy away from this difficult level of rigor and were still able to maintain a high grade point average.
To qualify as a 2026 SOAR Award recipient, students are required to take at least 7 Advanced Placement classes, have above a 3.9 GPA at the end of their 7th semester of high school, and completed 11 or more college-level courses.
Each SOAR winner received a certificate and $100 cash. Their names will also be added to the SOAR plaque displayed in the academic trophy case.
The SOAR Award recipients include (name, college, major):
- Claire Brown – Ohio Northern University, Accounting
- Max Fissel – Clemson University, Data Science
- Kaeleigh Flora – University of Kentucky, Biology and Pre-Med
- Caitlin Haley – Miami University, Pre-Law, Political Science, and Journalism
- Jacob Henry – The Ohio State University, Molecular Biology
- Elliett Lang – Miami University, English
- Kelsie Snapp – The Ohio State University, Aviation Engineering
- Chloe Stolly – The Ohio State University, Political Science and Legal Studies
Bellefontaine City Schools Gifted Coordinator Angie Horvath reflected on the ceremony. “The entire focus of the Academic Boosters Club is to enhance academics and honor kids who make academics a priority.”
Bellefontaine High School Principal Cliff Core served as the emcee.
The BHS Academic Boosters Club also hosted an awards ceremony in November.
