Governors Honor Program: 10 students unlock an opportunity

Ten outstanding students at Walnut Grove high school have been named 2026 Governor’s Honor Program nominees, each with their own area of expertise. 
by Rylee Watson

​Ten outstanding students at Walnut Grove High School have been named 2026 Governor’s Honor Program nominees, each with their own area of expertise.

Walnut Grove teachers have recognized the following students: Eve Lowe, Stella Sargent, Jodi Marks, Aidan Ackerman, Daniel Damian, Blair Chitwood, Thalia Morrell, Sidney Smith, Scout Peterson, and Leah Shotwell for their outstanding performance academically. Each of these wonderful students has been seen thriving in a specific course. Eve Lowe and Stella Sargent flourish in environmental science. Jodi Marks, Aidan Ackerman, and Daniel Damian all share an admiration for music, but each carries their own way to express their passion. Jodi has achieved advanced levels involving her singing, Aidan has defined his percussion skills, and Daniel has had a major success in all things music. Blair Chitwood is meeting a variety of goals within social studies. Two other students, Thalia Morrell and Sidney Smith, have both excelled in their mathematics classes. Scout Peterson was recognized for her talent in biology, while Leah Shotwell was recognized for her skills in engineering.

Each of these students has been recognized for their dedication in their classes, as well as their proficient skills in specific courses. “[GHP] helped me realize that I was doing well in a subject that was related to my future career and has encouraged me to keep pushing towards that goal,” shared Eve Lowe.

Walnut Grove is proud to see such a variety of skills within our student body. Many students nominated were overwhelmed with positivity when the news was announced. Stella believes GHP is “...an amazing way to prepare for college and learn on a deeper level.”

GHP is widely described as “very beneficial” and allows many students to achieve future goals or careers. Alongside participating in various projects in the program, many of our nominees use the program to study under college professors and explore useful materials for possible future careers. Eve expresses, “One of my favorite projects was designing an eco-friendly house when we were studying renewable energy sources. My group designed a small house in New Zealand that was powered by the thermal energy of a nearby volcano.”

The nominees were thrilled when they discovered their nomination. Stella shares, “Being chosen for this program means a lot to me because it is giving me an opportunity to study at a college campus for a month over summer.” Stella continues, “I was chosen for Environmental Science, and although it does not directly correlate with my future career, I plan to stay involved in the community and help to find ways to help the environment through volunteer work.”

Scout explains the great honor she felt when nominated, “I was extremely excited and immediately told my parents; they were very proud of me. The more I researched about the program the more I found out about it, and I realized how big of an honor it was.” She added, “I was nominated for biology, which works out really well because I want to go to college to become a marine biologist.”

The majority of these students are undecided if they want to attend the program during the summer and to further their journey within the program. Walnut Grove is eager to see what these students will bring to their community and possibly GHP itself.