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Alexsis Barkus, South High, 2025, was recognized for her outstanding achievements at the South Senior High Celebration Ceremony on April 30th.

Alexsis was honored as the Class of 2025 Valedictorian. She maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and ranked highest academically among her peers. She also received the Honor Roll cord for consistently earning a GPA of 3.5 or higher and the double gold cord for her two-year membership in the National Honor Society, where she upheld its principles and fulfilled her commitments.

In addition, she received the prestigious KSHSAA Citizenship Award, given to one graduating male and female each year who exemplify respect, responsibility, and reverence. She was also recognized as a Kansas Governor’s Scholar, placing in the top 1% of her graduating class based on weighted GPA.

Her commitment to career and college readiness was acknowledged with a double cord for completing and going above and beyond in the Law Enforcement CTE Pathway and a cord for being a WSU Tech Completer, having successfully earned over nine college credits.

Reflecting on the honors, Alexsis shared, “I am overwhelmingly honored to receive so many awards, especially the KSHSAA award. My goal was to set a good example for younger students and represent South High well, so the fact that they thought so highly of me to give me that award means the world to me. I am so proud that I achieved all of this at South High School; I love my school, and I cannot wait to return and be an involved alumnus.”

We are thrilled to share that Alexsis Barkus (2025), with a team of four other students from South High, competed in the Washburn Leadership Challenge Event (LCE) in Topeka, Kansas, this past Thursday and Friday – and made history!

The event is a simulation set in the fictional city of Metropolis, where teams must navigate a disaster scenario while taking on different leadership roles. This year’s challenge centered around a Mayoral Election, where Alexsis played the role of a political analyst.

Out of 30 competing high schools, South High stood out for their exceptional teamwork during the campaign, news interviews, and debate, securing one of only six awards, the Team Collaboration Award! This is the first time South has ever won at LCE, making it an exceptional accomplishment.

Alexsis reflected, “This challenge pushed my leadership abilities to the next level. Part of the difficulty was that teams did not know the simulation or their roles until they arrived. We had to quickly become experts in both the city of Metropolis and the campaign data; we had to know how to answer questions professionally and adequately from civilians and news networks, when we really did not know the answer. This challenge was different than anything I have ever experienced because not only did we have to demonstrate exceptional leadership, but we had to do it as professionals, not students.”

Congratulations to Alexsis and her team on this achievement!