The Class of 2023 Valedictorian Kari Johnson and co-Salutatorians Grace Robvais and Rachel Stanger were honored as the top of their class during The Dunham School’s Commencement Ceremony held Saturday, May 20 at Healing Place Church.
Valedictorian Kari Johnson ‘23 attended The Dunham School for 13 years. During her high school career, she has taken 10 Advanced Placement (AP) courses and 13 Honors level courses, completing her academic coursework with an extraordinary 4.45 cumulative grade point average. As a member of the National Honor Society, and through her amazing work ethic, Kari has been named as an AP Scholar with Honor and also has been recognized as a College Board National African American Scholar.
Despite her demanding workload in Upper School, Kari served as president of Mu Alpha Theta and captain of the Lady Tigers basketball team, earning All-District honors and Defensive Player of the Year. She also participated in other campus activities including the Praise Band , the Institute of Leadership, and the varsity track team.
Kari has received scholarship offers of approximately 1.8 million dollars. She will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point on a full scholarship with plans to major in Kinesiology with a minor in Terrorism Studies plus additional studies in forensics and military intelligence. Upon graduation from West Point, Kari will be a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army.
Grace Robvais ‘23, the first of Dunham’s co-Salutatorians, attended Dunham for seven years, completing her high school academic career with a 4.4 cumulative grade point average. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and the Dunham Honor Choir, captain of the track team and Head Poetry Editor for the Dunham Literary Journal.
A talented musician, Grace volunteers at a local nursing home, playing the piano for therapeutic purposes and providing piano lessons for residents. This summer, she will be a Lab volunteer and shadow at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, investigating the effects of obesity and associated diseases.
With scholarship offers totaling approximately $603,000, Grace will attend Washington University in St. Louis to pursue a degree in Biochemistry/PreMed.
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Rachel Stanger ‘23, who also was honored as a co-Salutatorian, attended Dunham for 10 years, taking nine AP classes and 9 Honors classes. She completed her high school academic career with a 4.43 grade point average.
During her Upper School years, Rachel participated as a member of the National Honor Society, the Institute of Leadership, the Drama Club and Art Club. While maintaining a rigorous academic schedule, she also served as the Editor of the Dunham Literary Journal, set designer for two plays, and a coordinator for the Big Sis-Lil Sis program.
In addition to her academic achievements, Rachel performed with Baton Rouge Ballet Company for four years, dancing in more than 15 performances, including a soloist role for the 2022-2023 season. She recently auditioned for the Nashville Ballet and was accepted for the third straight year to attend its highly coveted summer intensive.
She has received $308,00 in scholarships and plans to attend Vassar College to pursue a double major in Illustration and Art History.
(2023 images by Eye Wander Photo)
