Cacek, Knowles named MHS outstanding students

By Phil Cobb | May 8, 2015 |

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Maryville High School seniors Jacob Cacek and Jessica Knowles cleaned up in terms of awards and scholarships at the Maryville senior awards ceremony Thursday morning in Bearcat Arena on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University. Cacek and Knowles were named the Gorsuch-Brown Outstanding Students and also earned the senior sportsmanship award.

Jessica Knowles’ row got tired of standing up to let her out, so they all slid down to let her sit on the end. The Maryville senior made 15 trips down the Bearcat Arena bleachers Thursday afternoon to collect awards and scholarships during the Maryville High School senior achievement award ceremony.

“It’s exciting to see that you’ve worked so hard and it pays off,” Knowles said. “They moved me to the end of my row after the first one.”

Jacob Cacek had a better plan: sit in the front row.

Knowles and Cacek cleaned up at the ceremony, at which Maryville High School principal Thom Alvarez said more than $1 million in scholarship monies was awarded. The duo, which both received bright flight scholarships for scoring 31 or better on the ACT, were named the Gorsuch-Brown Outstanding Students.

“I think it just shows how hard we’ve worked,” Cacek said. “We’re both really busy. This just goes to show that we can still keep up our academics and be student of the year while playing sports and being in all the clubs and stuff we’re in.”

“Not only do your peers recognize that, but your teachers, your community members and everybody sees that,” Knowles added.

Cacek was also named the Hooper Award Recipient, along with Dominique Wiedmaier, given to the outstanding male and female athletes. However, Cacek said he was more proud of his accomplishments in the classroom.

“It’s nice to be honored for something other than sports,” Cacek said. “I mean, Maryville’s a big sports town, but it just goes to show that we are about more than that and academics is really important.

“I like being student of the year a lot better, honestly, because I’ve been trying to become student of the year and have just worked my butt off the keep my academics up throughout not only high school but middle school as well, and that’s really important to me.”

Cacek was a three-sport standout at MHS, lettering in football, basketball and baseball and will be attending Northwest Missouri State University in the fall and competing for the Bearcats on the gridiron. Knowles will attend Drury University in Springfield in the fall.

Both also received the senior sportsmanship award and are in the top 10 percent of the senior class, along with Anna Bagoly, Riley Elliott, Hannah Hall, Chloe Johnson, Jacob Liles, Ashton Reuter, Dakota Shields, Allison Stiens and Payton Ternus.

Alvarez said is it the goal of Maryville High School to prepare well-rounded students, who can be successful in any setting, to enter college and the workforce.

“I think that should be the mission of any high school, and it definitely is at ours to produce well-rounded students, who are good on the field and more importantly, in the classroom and in the community,” Alvarez said. “I think Jessica and Jacob are great examples of that; people who really are good members of this community and will be in the communities wherever they end up.”

The list of awards and scholarships presented at the ceremony, along with the recipients, is as follows:

Gorush-Brown Outstanding Students: Jacob Cacek and Jessica Knowles
American Legion School Award: Jacob Liles and Jessica Knowles
DAR Good Citizen Award: Jessica Knowles
Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence: Dominic Mattock
Marine Corps Distinguished Athletes: Brendan Weybrew and Ashton Reuter
Marine Corps Semper Fi Award: Ashton Reuter
Ann Espey Language Arts Award: Maggie Bears
Scholastic Silver Key Award: Payden Dawson
Lorene Bowness Mathematics Award: Jacob Cacek
Outstanding Speech II Students: Keira Dougan and Maggie Bears
Speech and Debate Best Actor: BJ Sudhoff
NFL Nationals in Speech and Debate: Jonathan Rogers
George Washington Carver Award: Anna Bagoly, Jacob Cacek, Riley Elliott, Hannah Hall, Chloe Johnson, Jessica Knowles, Jacob Liles, Ashton Reuter, Dakota Shields, Allison Stiens and Payton Ternus
Bright Flight: Anna Bagoly, Jacob Cacek, Hannah Hall, Jessica Knowles, Dominic Mattock and Dakota Shields
Hooper Award: Jacob Cacek and Dominique Wiedmaier
Senior Sportsmanship: Jacob Cacek and Jessica Knowles
Brad Horn Spirit Award: Danner Jacobsen
Wendy’s High School Heisman School Winners: Dominic Mattock and Ashton Reuter (state finalist)
Athlete of the Year: Brody McMahon and Ashton Reuter
American Legion Outstanding Student Scholarship: Jessica Knowles and Jacob Liles
Missouri Bankers Foundation Scholarship: Jessica Knowles
Louis and Grace Stelter Scholarship: Madison Atwell and Jacob Liles
United Electric Cooperative-Associated Electric Cooperative Tech Scholarship: Allison Stiens
Nucor Foundation Scholarship: Dominique Wiedmaier and Lindsey Cohen
Nucor Technical Academy Scholarship: Jacob Bailey
FCS Financial Scholarship: Hannah Hall
Maryville Rotary Club Scholarship: Jacob Cacek and Jessica Knowles
Maryville Host Lion’s Club Scholarship: Jacob Cacek
Maryville Pride Lions Club Scholarships: Nicole Wilson and Megan Ebrecht
Community Blood Center Scholarship: Jessica Knowles
National FFA Built Ford Tough Tri-State Ford Lincoln Scholarship: Payden Dawson, Jacob Liles and Allison Stiens
KMA Broadcasters Scholarship: Danner Jacobsen
MFA Foundation Scholarship: Allison Stiens
Neta Derry Memorial Scholarship: Payton Ternus
Margie E. Burch Scholarship: Allison Stiens
Nancy Goff Memorial Teacher Education Scholarship: Madison Atwell
Missouri Youth Election Participation Scholarship: Jessica Knowles
MO Bright Flight Scholarship, Tier 1: Hannah Hall
MO Bright Flight Scholarship, Tier 2: Anna Bagoly, Jacob Cacek, Jessica Knowles, Dominic Mattock and Dakota Shields
Maryville R-II School Board MSBA Belcher Scholarship: Jessica Knowles
Missouri Association of Certified Public Accountants Scholarship: Jessica Knowles
Farmer’s Mutual of Nodaway County Missouri Association Scholarship: Rachel Auffert
Nodaway County DAR Scholarship: Rachel Auffert
Maryville Optimist Club Scholarship: Hannah Hall
Maryville Knights of Columbus Scholarship: Hannah Hall
American Legion Oratorical Contest Scholarship: Jonathan Rogers
National Technical Honor Society Jon H. Poteat Scholarship: Allison Stiens
Nodaway County Cattlemen’s Association: Allison Stiens
Missouri State Fair Youth in Agriculture Scholarship: Allison Stiens
United Producers Inc. Scholarship: Allison Stiens
Elyzabeth Schell Scholarship: Allison Stiens
Deluxe Corporation W.R. Hotchkiss Scholarship: Jacob Cacek
Maryville R-II CTA Laura B. Hawkins Scholarship: Dominique Wiedmaier
Missouri State Elk’s Allocated Scholarship: Jacob Cacek
Maryville Elk’s Lodge Most Valuable Student Award: Jacob Cacek, Jessica Knowles and Dominic Mattock
Hooper Outstanding Male Athlete Scholarship: Jacob Cacek
Dennis Dau Band Scholarship: Keira Dougan
Lee and Nina Schneider Band Scholarship: Anna Bagoly
Marilyn Rhea Vocal Music Scholarship: Madison Von Behren
National High School Rodeo Association: Payden Dawson
American Legion Post 508 (Stewartsville) Scholarship: Patricia Euler
BD & Sue Wright Owens Scholarship: Patricia Euler
Dean Gingrich Memorial Scholarship: Jacob Liles
Maryville Hy-Vee Food Store Scholarship: Jacob Liles
Homer and Florine Smith Scholarship: Payton Ternus
Maryville Kiwanis Scholarship: Brendan Weybrew
Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association Scholarship: Dominique Wiedmaier
Cameron Newspaper Craig Watkins Memorial Scholarship: Dominique Wiedmaier
National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Scholarship: Dominique Wiedmaier

In addition, 52 Maryville seniors earned scholarships affiliated with their college of choice for next fall.

“It’s great to see their hard work pay off. From the minute they started kindergarten, they started working toward this,” Maryville High School counselor Becky Houtchens said. “… It’s not often that we get to highlight academics like this and get to show all of our students what hard work can do. I’m very proud of this group of seniors, they worked hard in filling out scholarship applications and staying organized and making their plans. It’s neat to see all of the different things that they’re doing.”

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Maryville High School Principal Thom Alvarez addresses the senior class to begin the senior awards ceremony Thursday morning in Bearcat Arena. Alvarez also handed out several of the awards bestowed upon the seniors.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Maryville High School senior Jacob Cacek poses with the Hooper Award plaque, awarded to the outstanding male and female senior athlete at MHS, along with Maryville Athletic Director Jason Kurz. The plaque, which was also awarded to Dominique Wiedmaier, will be engraved with Cacek’s name and hang in the high school hallway.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Maryville High School Principal Thom Alvarez shakes hands with senior Allison Stiens after giving her one of several awards she received at Thursday morning’s senior awards ceremony.

JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Maryville High School senior Brendan Weybrew comes down to collect his scholarship certificate from MHS Principal Thom Alvarez Thursday morning during the senior awards ceremony in Bearcat Arena.