Powell High School valedictorian Nalani Jordan was tempted to achieve her class’ top spot early in her high school career when her mom offered her a trip if she achieved the goal. 

So, she made sure she maintained straight As, took as many college and advanced placement classes as she could and already had a good idea she had indeed topped a talented field when she heard officially from Principal Tim Wormald. 

Still, she was pleased to earn the honor and said the work to earn it helped her get into Brown, an Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island. 

“I think that definitely helps with my application, just between having good grades, and then you have to write good essays, and have the extracurriculars, have the ACT score, have lots of things going for you,” she said. 

The only not so good news to come out of the process was in realizing she’d have to give a speech in front of the student body. 

Her strategy is to keep it short. After all, 115 grads will be itching to walk across the risers and receive their diplomas at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon in the school gym, two hours after the 18 Shoshone Learning center graduates receive their diplomas in the PHS auditorium. 

This has been a high achieving high school class. 

“As a class, these students have averaged a 3.32 GPA, a very impressive mark,” Wormald said. 

Also, 28 students are graduating with honors because they have earned at least a 4.0 weighted GPA, and 12 scored a 30 or higher on the ACT. 

“That number is certainly higher than most years,” Wormald noted. 

Graduating seniors also earned a whopping $6,785,089 in college scholarships. 

“That is a huge amount,” he said. “I had to go back to my notes and look because I was thinking that was a record amount. It is not a record, but it is pretty darn close.”

Jordan is certainly helping that number with her scholarship to a pricey Ivy League, but she’s far from alone, as she will be joined on stage by salutatorian Colin Walker, who just squeaked by Ryan Barrus, the No. 2-ranked student by GPA in the class, due to Walker’s higher ACT score (33) and in taking one more class. The school added a consideration of ACT scores to this year’s class ranking system. 

Walker was thrilled to accomplish the goal. 

“I was very glad. I was very excited,” he said. “This is something that I was hoping for, for the past two years, and I was very glad to hear about it.” 

He also received the Wyoming Trustees Scholarship, one of five Panthers to receive the honor, and is set to attend the University of Wyoming in the fall with a huge leg up thanks to all of the college credits he received via Northwest College and AP classes. That advanced work will pay off as he dives into a heavy college load, as he plans to double major in physics and mathematics with a minor in chemistry. 

His ultimate goal is to go into the research of particle physics, while continuing on with his high school cross country success by getting into marathon running. 

Walker will be leaving with fond memories of being a Panther. 

“I’ve very much enjoyed my time in Powell,” he said. “And I enjoyed the opportunities to go to Northwest College and take classes there, and along with the college classes that were offered here in the high school.”

Jordan was similarly happy about all of the opportunities to get college credits — she nearly has enough for an associates degree, although none of that will transfer to Brown due, she said, to its high standards for credits. 

Still, she’s excited to go east to study modern culture and media — potentially double majoring in education — and compete for the women’s wrestling team. 

She too will look back fondly at her time in Powell, which she said broadened her horizons after spending her early years in Greybull and Basin. 

“There’s a lot more opportunities here than at some of those smaller schools, and so I’m really thankful for that, like I would have never probably been able to do a journalism class, or the internship for the paper, or even my athletics are probably better because I’m at a bigger school,” she said. “I am thankful I’ve been at Powell, it’s been a good, good four years.”

Shoshone Learning Center

This year is special for the alternate high school in Powell, as it’s the 15th anniversary of the first cap and gown graduation ceremony held specifically for the school’s 18 graduates. 

Back then, SLC Coordinator Shannon Blackmore recalled, it was held in a room at Northwest College with Luke Danforth as the principal and Blackmore in the teacher position. They graduated 18 seniors at that first ceremony — the same amount receiving diplomas this year.

“This school has been instrumental in so many lives in not only accomplishing this milestone, but taking the time to celebrate it,” she said. “I am super excited to continue to see all students reach their goal of earning their high school diploma.”