ZION CHRISTIAN ACADEMY____________________
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MEDIA RELEASE
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May 19, 2015
Zion Christian Academy Class of 2015
Graduates with Honors and Distinction
Zion Christian Academy's twentieth graduating class is the school’s largest ever with 37
members. Graduates took part in commencement exercises held on Saturday, May 16, 2015
bringing Zion’s total number of graduates to 435.
In addition to the record-setting number of graduates, this group achieved some impressive
accomplishments in other areas, as well.
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Thirty percent of the Class of 2015 are members of the 30+ Club – meaning that they
scored a 30 or better on at least one section of the ACT, with 10% achieving a 30 or
better in all four sections.
Almost 50% of the Class of 2015 graduated with an honors distinction of Summa Cum
Laude (GPA 3.75-4.0) and another 20% graduating with an honors distinction of either
Magna Cum Laude (GPA 3.50-3.74) or Cum Laude (GPA 3.25-3.49). In total, 70% of
Zion’s Class of 2015 graduated with honors.
This graduating class was accepted at more than 35 universities and colleges nationwide
and earned more than $30,000 per student in scholarship awards including HOPE
scholarships, leadership, academic, merit and athletic scholarships. These ZCA graduates
are headed off to 15 different college and universities in the fall including Ole Miss,
Samford, University of Alabama-Huntsville, University of Tennessee-Knoxville,
University of the South/Sewanee, Lipscomb and William Carey University.
Two members of this class will go on to compete in athletics at the collegiate level -- in
football and soccer. Will Palmer received a football scholarship to play football at Bethel
University in McKenzie, TN and Campbell Bybee received a scholarship from Martin
Methodist College in Pulaski, TN to play soccer.
"We are very proud of the academic and spiritual accomplishments of the Zion Class of 2015.
They have shown a great passion for Christ in many ways this year and have provided great
leadership at the school. Their hard work and perserverance will serve them well in the years to
come," said Don Wahlman, headmaster at ZCA.
He continued, "We are also exceptionally pleased with the academic performance of the entire
student body this year. Zion students are now ranked in the top 18% in the nation according to
this year’s national achievement testing results."
For the Wahlman family, it was a particularly bittersweet commencement this year. Mr.
Wahlman and his wife, Mary Beth, have had all five of their children attend and graduate from
Zion Christian Academy since his arrival as the school’s new headmaster in 1997. Their four
older children including Matt, Martha, Ben and Phil have since gone on to pursue college and
careers and their daughter, Rachel, is the last to graduate from Zion with the Class of 2015.
It was an especially moving moment when Rachel received her diploma from her father.
The Valedictorian for the Class of 2015 is Ella Kate Rose. Miss Rose is the daughter of Dr. and
Mrs. Lanny Rose of Columbia. She attended ZCA for 15 years and is a member of First Baptist
Church of Columbia.
Miss Rose was an active member of the student community and took on many leadership roles in
a wide range of organizations at ZCA, including academic associations, athletics, music and
drama. She served as Vice President of the National Honor Society and was a member of both
the Science National Honor Society and the National English Honor Society. She won numerous
academic awards for science, math, and journalism, among many others. Miss Rose was the
Managing Editor for Zion’s monthly newspaper, the Lumen, and a member of the Journalism
Club. Miss Rose will be attending William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS and majoring in
music.
The salutatorian for the Class of 2015 is Judson Owen Smith. Mr. Smith is the son of Dr. and
Mrs. Anthony Smith of Columbia. He attended ZCA for 14 years and is a member of First
Baptist Church of Columbia.
Mr. Smith was actively involved in the ZCA community with numerous academic, athletic and
extracurricular pursuits. He was been a long-time participant in student government and served
as Student Body President. He was a member of several varsity teams at Zion, including soccer,
golf and tennis and was the recipient of several student-athlete awards from the TSSAA.
Additionally, Mr. Smith was a member of the National Honor Society, the Science National
Honor Society, the National English Honor Society and has won numerous academic awards at
Zion. He also acted as the Vice President of the Interact Club and recently served as Zion’s
delegate to RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards). Mr. Smith plans to attend the University
of Alabama at Huntsville with a major in electrical engineering.
Zion Christian Academy is a nondenominational, Christian private school in Maury County
serving students from preschool through the 12th grade. The school offers a challenging collegepreparatory curriculum and a full range of athletic, fine arts and extracurricular opportunities in a
Christ-centered environment. Zion students consistently test in the top 20% of the nation.
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Contact:
Anita Nisbet
931-388-5731
development@zioneagles.org