12-04-2025
Fort Gibson honors top scholars
Fort Gibson High School senior Zander Floyd said becoming a Red Scholar took hard work, dedication and friends like Grant Faulkner.
'It was nice to have friends along the way who pushed me to be a Red Scholar,' Zander said. 'I'm a very competitive person, so when I saw Grant made 90 on his test, I wanted to be a 95.'
Zander was one of 10 Red Scholars and Grant was one of 27 White Scholars honored Thursday at a Fort Gibson High School honor banquet at Indian Capital Technology Center.
Red Scholars have a weighted GPA of more than 4 points and an ACT composite score of 25 or more. White Scholars have a weighted GPA between 3.5 and 4 and an ACT composite of 22 or more.
Guest speaker was Oklahoma State Sen. Kristen Thompson, a 2003 Fort Gibson graduate. The Edmond Republican told honorees the world is full of challenges and encouraged them to use their abilities to succeed.
'Don't forget where you came from; don't forget who you are,' Thompson said.
Red Scholar Laine Jones said it took a lot of determination to earn her honor.
'Just a lot of hard work through high school to keep your GPA up,' she said. 'For me, I wanted to get a 30 on my ACT, so I took it about six times.'
Laine said earning Red Scholar opens scholarship opportunities. She said she plans to attend Northeastern State University as part of the President's Leadership Class, then attend medical school to become an OB/GYN.
Chloey White said becoming a White Scholar means, 'I tried hard.'
She said she plans to attend University of Arkansas and earn a master's in psychology.
'It's going to be hard work, but I'm very excited,' Chloey said. 'It's definitely going to be worth it to use my skills to help other people.'
