Times-Union
Staff Report
NORTH MANCHESTER – Aliala Atienza, Abby Love and Olivia Neal have been named valedictorians with grade point averages of 4.0, and Caden Marcum has been named salutatorian with a GPA of 3.9589 for the class of 2023 at Manchester Junior-Senior High School.
Atienza has earned Academic Excellence and Highest Honor Roll honors for four years of high school. She was a member of the National Junior Honor Society during her freshman and sophomore years and a member of the National Honor Society during her junior and senior years. She is a Scholar Athlete and was recognized as a Rising Star of Indiana as well as a member of the student council for four years. She also received the Outstanding Spanish Student award.
In extracurricular activities, Atienza played volleyball, basketball and track for all four years of high school. She was recognized as TRC Academic All-Conference. Atienza received the Volleyball Rotary Mental Attitude Award. She was recognized as the defensive MVP in both basketball and volleyball.
Her community activities include being a Peabody & Strauss Aquatic Center lifeguard. She is a member of the First Christian Church of Warsaw. She helped with volleyball and basketball Biddy Ball Camp and enjoyed participating in Canvas the Town in 2022.
After graduating with honors, she plans to attend Purdue University and major in biomedical health sciences for a pre-physician’s assistant concentration. After she finishes her undergraduate degree, she plans to further her education in physician’s assistant school to become a physician’s assistant in the emergency room. From the past four years of taking Spanish classes, she has grown to love the language and is now thinking of minoring in Spanish to be able to use it as a tool in the medical field. She wants to be able to aid in Spanish-speaking countries as a physician’s assistant, as well as in her own country, the Philippines.
She is the daughter of Laila Atienza.
Love has earned Academic Excellence and Highest Honor Roll honors for four years of high school. She was active in the National Honor Society in her junior and senior years. Love received the APUSH Most Outstanding Senior Award. She is a Regional Indiana Academic All-Star and was the JAG Regional Indiana Outstanding Senior Award recipient. In 2021, Love was recognized at the TRC Leadership Conference.
In extracurricular activities, Love was a cheerleader her freshman and sophomore years. She has been in Key Club for the past three years as well as art and Spanish clubs her junior and senior years. She also participated in student council throughout high school.
Love served as a track manager her freshman and sophomore years and soccer as a junior. She made contributions to the annual Icarian Plunge the last three years of high school, and she is active in Jobs for America’s Graduates.
Her community activities include volunteering at the local library for Halloween Bash and helping organize a painting booth. She collected and sorted cans for Canvas the Town and sold concession items at high school events. Love also volunteered at the local gala and helped decorate the school for festivities.
After graduating with honors, Love plans to attend Florida State University’s campus in Panama as an exchange student, studying abroad her first year and in Tallahassee for her final three years. Her future career is undecided but may include the areas of biology or English.
She is the daughter of Amy Mort and Dave Mort. Her grandparents are Debbie Young and Denny Young.
Neal has earned Academic Excellence and Highest Honor Roll honors for four years of high school. She was active in the National Honor Society in her junior and senior years. She has achieved Academic Excellence every year of high school as well as achieving the Highest Honor Roll every semester since 2014. She was recently recognized as the DAR Good Citizen Award recipient in 2022-23. Neal was selected as Academic All-Conference in 2021 and 2022 and was Academic All-State for both volleyball and basketball in 2022. The TRC recognized her on the Academic All-Conference First Team for all of her sports from 2021 through 2023.
Neal was very active in school participating in tennis her freshman year, softball for three years, as well as basketball and volleyball for four years. She received the JV Rebound Award in 2019 and 2020 and the Coaches Award in volleyball in 2019. Neal received the Volleyball Offensive MVP in 2022. Last fall, she was recognized as First-Team All-Wabash County in volleyball and received the Squire Award through the Manchester Athletic Department in 2021 and 2022.
She also found time to attend Terri Eckert School of Dance since 2010 and be involved with FFA all four years of high school. She has been a member of the student council all four years of high school and participated in the Civic Volleyball Club the last four years.
In the classroom, Neal was awarded the Excellent Spanish Student award in 2021 and 2022 as well as Excellent AP Biology Student award in 2022.
Her future plans are to attend Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame and major in nursing science. Over the next four years, she will work to obtain her registered nurse license. She will then attend graduate school to earn her doctorate in medicine. Upon finishing her schooling, she hopes to open her own practice where she dreams of specializing in pediatrics.
She is the daughter of Nicole Neal and Mark France. Her grandparents are Kathy Voller and Glen Neal.
Marcum has earned Academic Excellence and highest honor roll honors for four years of high school. He is an AP Scholar and was recognized as the APUSH Student of the Year for 2022.
He is very active in school. He has competed in cross country for his entire high school career. Marcum has competed in swimming and track for all four years of high school. He has been named TRC Academic All-Conference for five seasons.
In other extracurricular activities, Marcum has been a member of the Key Club and Spanish Club both his junior and senior years. This past year, he contributed to the Icarian Plunge and was named to the National Honor Society both his junior and senior years.
After graduating from high school with honors, Marcum will attend Dartmouth College where he will major in chemistry with a modification and minor in Spanish. He then hopes to attend pharmacy school.
He is the son of Kevin and Deborah Marcum. His grandparents are Edna and Paul Slone and Joann and Harold Marcum.
