June 5, 2024 - Comal ISD hosted the 23rd Annual Jan Heckendorn Academic Recognition Banquet on May 9, honoring this year’s top graduating seniors along with an honored educator selected by each student.
In addition to honoring these students and educators, the Jan Heckendorn Scholarship is presented during the event. This year, the scholarship committee chose to award two students with the Jan Heckendorn Scholarship. They are Tatum Rios from Pieper High School, and Konnor Schneider from Smithson Valley High School. Each received $2,500.
Students enrolled in floral design classes at Canyon Lake High School, taught by Alyssa Hoskins, provided the floral arrangements; theater students from Davenport High School, PHS and Smithson Valley High School with directors Candice Orns, Anthony Hanke and Casey O’Bryant took on the role of ‘paparazzi;’ and an orchestra ensemble from PHS under the direction of Richard Helsley, provided welcome music.
Each student is asked to write a short essay explaining how the person they chose has made an impact on them during their time in Comal ISD. As portions of these essays are read aloud, the difference that one teacher or one staff member can have on the life of one student is remarkable.
The educators chosen include kindergarten teachers who set the tone for their educational journey; music, drama and dance instructors who inspired them to perform; coaches who never gave up on them; and classroom teachers who took complicated concepts and turned them into understandable lessons with patience and grace.
One of the most heartfelt essays was from Davenport High School student Sophia Blunt who chose to honor her elementary bus driver Bob Trillo. In the fifth grade, Blunt had to withdraw from school due to her health, and Trillo went out of his way to help her feel connected to her friends.
“The whole world felt overwhelming, until Mr. Bob came to my house with a get-well card scribbled by the signatures of my friends, a unicorn pillow and a fidget spinner,” she wrote. “As simple as it sounds, it changed my whole perspective on how to treat others. He taught me that selflessness will always win, and I can only hope that one day I can change someone’s life the way he did mine.”
The 2024 Academic Banquet honorees are as follows by campus.
Canyon High School Top 15 Graduates and Honored Teachers
- Ashlyn Anderson and teacher Farrah Dunaway
- Kelyn Bennion and teacher Sharon Streger
- Nick Bowling and teacher Kevin Randle
- Christian Gardner and teacher Cameron Hall
- Andrew Keane Greebon and teacher Gary Anderson
- Cameron Griffin and teacher Sarah Keno
- Blake Hand and coach Will Haltom
- Porter Jurica and teacher Michelle Koehl
- Jadon Lindsay and teacher Robert Harms Jr.
- Ryan Lopez and teacher Brad Arnold
- Kailee Meyer and teacher Haylie Sansom
- Ian Randolph and teacher Fernanda Cuevas
- Ava Rayburn and teacher Jennifer Baker
- Jackson Stevens and teacher Christine Warzecha
- Peyton Wirebaugh and teacher Cheryl Schmidt
Canyon Lake High School Top 15 Graduates and Honored Teachers
- Ryleigh Borg and teacher Benjamin Matthews
- Natalia Campos and teacher Ben Ceyanes
- Elise Johnson and teacher Tina Platt
- Eleanor Jones and teacher Brittany Garney
- Luella Palmer and teacher Eduardo Gonzales
- Cadence Patterson and teacher Therese Pilzner
- Carson Reinarz and teacher Morgan Webel
- Tristan Roberts and teacher Charles Van Houten
- Luke Roskin and teacher Spencer C. LeDoux
- Randie Selzer and teacher Nell Anderson
- Madison Snipes and teacher Ron Perry
- Jayden VanAusdall and teacher Bill Greene
- Jesse Wean and teacher Mary Beth Gallagher
- Madilyn Wilson and teacher Kristen Akers
- Dylan Wunderlich and coach Brian Hooper
Davenport High School Top 15 Graduates and Honored Teachers
- Sophia Blunt and bus driver Bob Trillo
- Cole Borron and teacher Tracy Borron
- David DeArment and teacher Ernesto L. Pliego
- Aubrey Fallon and teacher Kayla Beyer
- Charleston Hogue and teacher Jennifer Jeske
- Rebecca Hunter and teacher Jennifer Russell
- Ryan Johnson and coach Jeff McKinley
- Kyley Kay and teacher Christianna Galen
- Kumar Kharod and teacher Jeffrey Keyes
- Ryan Kovacs and coach Brandon Davis
- Gabriella Ladson and teacher First Sergeant Kenneth Carbon
- Katherine Long and teacher Moni Arnold
- Emma McLendon and teacher Kimberly Moon
- Brayden Mulkey and coach Kyle Gottardy
- Nicole Perez and teacher Sarah Gentry
- Breana Stewart and teacher Giselle Robles
Hill Country College Preparatory High School Top 5 Graduates and Honored Teachers
- Larissa Boring and teacher Jennifer Fey
- Camille Hanson and teacher Kayleigh Corres
- Lennon Horsley and teacher Rena Keinrath
- Riley Tanaka and teacher Natalie Jones
- Parker Young and teacher A’ndrea Fisher
Memorial Early College High School Top 5 Graduates and Honored Teachers
- Catherine Campbell and academic career adviser Connie Ramos Mashburn
- Dakota Fisher and teacher Aimee Fisher Eaton
- Owen McNamara and teacher Mason Cardiff
- Thor Thomason and teacher Micah Montgomery
- Garett Tiller and teacher Francine Sallese
Pieper High School Top 15 Graduates and Honored Teachers
- Joseph Arthur and teacher Chris Weil
- Gentry Boykin and coach Mitzi Lancaster
- Richard Edward Broderick and teacher Emy Herrick
- Caylee Jayne Campbell and teacher Spencer Cox
- Priyanka Cherian and teacher Richard Helsley
- Samuel Joseph Cornett and teacher Christen Velasquez
- Cody Cramer and assistant principal Emily Loftin
- Meagan Faubel and teacher Ryan Drechsel
- Graciela Isobel Ibarra and teacher Erin Ibarra
- Barrett Leopold and coach Christopher Duke
- Zaara N. Mistry and assistant principal Lana Harrison
- Chelsea Osezele Okhiria and teacher Julissa Sanchez
- Paloma N. Roacho and teacher Jennifer Koehl
- Alyssa Marie Rubio and teacher Kayla Speaker
- Avery Tran and teacher Alec Thompson
Smithson Valley High School Top 15 Graduates and Honored Teachers
- Reese Anderson and coach Robert Teuton
- Zach Devadoss and teacher Travis Land
- Alexander Engrav and teacher Richard Muenich
- Trajan Falk and coach Larry Hill
- David Garcia and teacher Shannon Cantu
- Clarey Haese and coach Amanda Wolf
- Charlie Hamilton and teacher Laura Heldmann
- Rowen Hamilton and teacher Casey O’Bryant
- Makenna Hanscom and teacher Debora Parker
- Emily Ingram and teacher Lizette Floyd
- Olivia Ingram and teacher Margaret Edmonson
- Zachary McDaris and teacher Krystal Rios
- Katherine Mueller and teacher Nikki Howell
- Maxen Powell and teacher Richard Chouinard
- Andrew Roznovsky and assistant principal Melissa McIlwain
Find Sam Roberts Photography images of students and teachers for purchase.
Photos from the 23rd Annual Jan Heckendorn Academic Recognition Banquet.
Photo Description:
-The 2024 Jan Heckendorn Scholarship recipients are pictured with members of the Heckendorn family. From left is Brooke Tooker, Tatum Rios, Konnor Schneider and John Heckendorn.