May 26, 2022
Today is the last day of classes for students in Greenville ISD. Congratulations to all our students and families on a school year full of wonderful memories!
Below are two Herald-Banner stories spotlighting many new milestones in GISD history and brief profiles of our valedictorian and salutatorian. The second story is a column by Herald-Banner Sports Editor David Claybourn celebrating the fact that our val and sal are both standout athletes.
GISD to say farewell to Class of 2022
By Travis Hairgrove | Herald-Banner Staff
On Friday, May 27, the 325 members of the class of 2022 at Greenville High School and New Horizons High School will walk across the stage and into a new chapter in their lives.
While most graduations are a mix of nostalgia for the past and optimism for the future, this year’s ceremony marks a few firsts in the school’s history.
For one, it will be the first graduating class of Greenville ISD’s Early College High School, a program developed in collaboration with Paris Junior College. In fact, for the 13 students who completed the four-year program, Friday’s celebration will be their second graduation of the year, as they’ve already graduated from PJC (on May 13) with associate’s degrees in engineering and multidisciplinary studies.
The 2021-22 school year also marked the first year in which its cosmetology students will be graduating after already earning their cosmetology licenses.
So far, at least eight of these students have successfully completed their written and practical exams to earn their licenses, and a few more are scheduled to take their tests by the end of the month.
In addition to the students graduating with cosmetology licenses, GHS Associate Principal Ari Weinberg estimates that about 60-65% of the students in the graduating class have at least one professional certification in skills diverse as welding, electrical systems, veterinary assistance, culinary arts, or use of specific software, such as Microsoft Excel or Adobe Creative Suite.
As for GHS’s graduates who are headed straight into college, lead counselor Catherine Just said that the class has earned about $1.35 million total in scholarships.
Greenville High School’s close relationship with Texas A&M University-Commerce continues, as 75 students were accepted and 18 have registered to begin classes there this fall.
The graduation ceremony will be 8 p.m. Friday, at T.A. “Cotton” Ford Stadium, with gates opening at 6 p.m. It will be streamed on Greenville ISD’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
Greenville High School 2022 Valedictorian Jenna Wade
Greenville High School’s 2022 Valedictorian Jenna Wade is looking forward to moving on to East Texas Baptist University, where she intends to study kinesiology and education, and also play for the Lady Tiger volleyball team.
Throughout her high school career, Wade has been heavily involved in sports and has played on the volleyball, basketball and softball teams, and has also competed in track and field.
As tenacious in the classroom as she is in sports, Wade has earned several accolades, many of which acknowledge her achievements as a scholar athlete. They include: making academic all-district in sports for all four years of high school, academic all-state in volleyball, being named a WFAA’s Scholar Athlete of the Week, being an Outstanding All-State Senior, and being a GISD Superintendent Scholar. She has also stayed busy as a member of the National Honor Society and the GHS Art Club.
Jenna is the daughter of Jeff and Amy Wade, granddaughter to Randy and Judy Tarpley, and younger sister to Justin and Jacey Wade, who graduated from Greenville High School in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
Greenville High School 2022 Salutatorian Caden Bowers
Greenville High School’s 2022 Salutatorian Caden Bowers will soon be attending the University of North Texas, where he plans to major in computer science. He has also been selected as a member of UNT’s Honors College and is the recipient of the university’s Excellence Scholar-Honors Scholarship.
At GHS, Bowers has been active in school sports as an outfielder on the baseball team and has played golf, a sport he lettered in for all four years. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. He also was recognized as a Superintendent Scholar for all four years of high school.
Outside of school, Bowers worked at Peddler’s Pizza throughout his high school career. His interests include playing golf and spending time with family and friends. He is also a devoted Dallas Cowboys fan.
Caden is the son of Craig and Kimberly Bowers.
Sports Views: These student-athletes earned top grades
By David Claybourn | Herald-Banner Sports Editor
Jenna Wade and Caden Bowers of Greenville High School have proven once again that a student can be active in athletics and still make very good grades.
Wade is the valedictorian and Bowers the salutatorian for the GHS senior class, which is to graduate on May 27.
Wade competed in a variety of sports for the Lady Lions, including volleyball, basketball, softball and track and field. She earned all-district honors in volleyball this past season for the 23-16 Lady Lions, made the academic all-state volleyball team and signed a letter of intent to play college volleyball at East Texas Baptist University.
Wade shared the most valuable player honors for her team with another senior: Brooke Hutchings. Wade led the Lady Lions for the season with 115 blocks, was second on the team in kills with 330 and sixth in digs with 118.
Bowers played in the outfield for the Lions’ baseball team and was usually their lead-off hitter. He also played on the Lions’ varsity golf team that finished third behind two Highland Park teams that went on to finish second and third at the state tournament in Austin. Bowers shot rounds of 90 and 86 for a 176 total at the District 13-5A tournament at the Rusted Rail Golf Club in Crandall.
Wade and Bowers are from two families that are well-known in Greenville. Her mother Amy works in the Greenville Independent School District. Older brother Justin Wade played a couple of seasons of basketball at Austin College and her uncle Mark Tarpley was a standout basketball player for the Greenville Lions and at Austin College.
Her grandparents Randy and Judy Tarpley are graduates of Greenville High School and a cousin, Alyssa Tarpley, Mark’s daughter, was a standout basketball player at Gunter and has signed to play at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
Bowers’ father Craig Bowers was a scrappy basketball and baseball player for the Greenville Lions as well as one of the city’s top golfers. Craig was an assistant coach in basketball for the Greenville Lions and later an assistant principal at Royse City High School. Craig earned the nickname “Monster” starting in junior high because of his competitive fire but not his stature. He stood well under 6 feet.
Craig died in a snow skiing accident in 2012 in Colorado. There’s a basketball tournament at Royse City named for him, plus the Craig Bowers “Monster” Ball Golf Tournament planned for June 24-26 at Webb Hill Country Club near Wolfe City. Caden said he plans to plan in that tournament with his grandfather Bobby.
Craig’s younger sister Caroline Bowers has played volleyball, basketball and soccer for the Lady Lions.
