High schools from throughout the Houston County School District have announced their valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2022. The top graduates are:

• Houston County High - Valedictorian Shiv Patel and Salutatorian Melissa Do

• Northside High - Valedictorian Ishaan Vyas and Salutatorian Heta Patel

• Perry High - Valedictorian Preston Prater and Salutatorian Caroline Gallemore

• Veterans High - Valedictorian Hailey Tayag and Salutatorian Samuel Guimond

• Warner Robins High - Valedictorian Timothy Howell and Salutatorian Christopher Hyde

Photographs and brief biographies for each valedictorian and salutatorian are shown below.

Houston County High Valedictorian, Shiv Patel

Shiv Patel is a member of his school's Beta Club, Math Team, Spanish Honors Society, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and Student Council. Being an AP Scholar with Distinction, Patel has taken many Advanced Placement (AP) classes throughout all different subject areas and has scored a 4 or 5 on all of the exams. He enjoys taking rigorous and demanding courses to enable his deeper learning sensations and prepare him for the future. His fondest memories include volunteering at other schools in his community with Beta Club and competing in region math completions. With his Math Team, he placed 3rd at the Middle Georgia State University (MGA) Math Olympics. He strives to understand his community and the diverse members and cultures of society, and he wants to create beneficial changes the best he can. He also enjoys learning about other cultures all over the world including learning the Hispanic culture with the Spanish Honors Society. He plans to complete Pre-Med in undergraduate school and pursue graduate school to further his education. His parents are Manish and Neeta Patel, and he has an older brother, Kush Patel.

Houston County High Salutatorian, Melissa Do

Melissa Do currently serves as the Georgia FBLA State Southwest Area Vice President, Class of 2022 Senior Class President, and is a member of the Georgia Associations of Student Councils' State President School. She has previously served as an FBLA region officer, Student Council Secretary, and Class of 2022 Junior Class President. She is also the Varsity Tennis team captain and has held the position of first girls' singles for the past four years. At the Georgia State BETA Convention, she has earned the title of national qualifier in the event of On-Site Art for two years in a row. Special awards include National Merit Semifinalist, Governor's Honors Program Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, Mercer Presidential Scholar Finalist, and State Recognition at the Georgia FBLA State Conference in the events of Business Ethics and Banking and Financial Systems. In addition, she is a member of the National Honor Society and National Technical Honor Society, where she enjoys providing instances of servant leadership and encouraging others to step out of their comfort zone. Do hopes to pursue biomedical engineering and enter the medical field in the future. Her parents are Minh Do and Michelle Tan, and she has a younger brother, Michael Do. 

Northside High School Valedictorian, Ishaan Vyas

Ishaan Vyas was named the Northside High School 2022 STAR Student and has retained his class rank since freshman year. He was also an

International Science and Engineering Finalist, in additional to winning the Grand Prize at the Houston Regional Science and Engineering Fair and winning special awards such as Inspiring Excellence in science, MERC, Mercer University Alpha Theta, Office of Naval Research, and BROADCOM Masters. He was also selected as a 2021 Georgia Flint Energies Electric Co-op Washington Youth Tour Delegate. In his sophomore year 2019-2020, Vyas was a Governors Honors Program Finalist Alternative for Social Science. He has been nominated for the 2022 Golden Eagle program and scholarship in science. He was also the Northside High School Optimist Student of the Month for November and has competed in National History Day and placed 1^st in region advancing him to the State Finals. He is a recipient of the Top 5% award for four consecutive years and has been awarded the Georgia Certificate of Merit in addition to being named an AP Scholar. He has been a 4-year member of Beta Club, one of which he has served as a Social Media Chair and two of which he’s served as President. He has also been a 4-year member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), two of which he’s served as Chapter President and one of which he’s served as a Region 5 Regional Officer. In FBLA, Ishaan has won numerous awards such as 1^st place in Job Interview, Business Calculations, and was awarded the Statesman Award. Ishaan has been a 4-year member of the Academic Bowl team and currently serves as team captain. He has also been a 4-year member of the Junior Optimist Octagon International club where he has served as chapter Vice-President. He also serves as a member of National Technical Honor Society, Senior Executive Council, and Math Club. Vyas was a part of the Robins Regional Youth Leadership Program during his Junior Year and has served as an honorary Junior Board Member for the Houston County Board of Education. Additionally, he spent time playing on the Tennis Team as a 2-year Varsity player. He has also completed a pathway to become certified in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Furthermore, Vyas received the highest average in over 14 classes including AP World History, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, AP Statistics, and Honors Pre-calculus. To give back to the community, he has spent numerous hours with the Jays Hope organization serving as Camp Counselor and helping to set-up fundraising events over the past four years. Vyas has also volunteered for the Hands of Grace Medical Clinic and Homeless Outreach where he distributed food to families in need to combat the effects of the pandemic for our community. He has also made masks for first responders during the peak of the pandemic and volunteered for the Centerville Public Library, Habitat for Humanity, and Presidential Election/Senate Runoff Election as a Poll Worker. He has been accepted Early Action to the University of Georgia and Georgia Institute of Technology but remains undecided. He is interested in pursuing a career based in healthcare. Ishaan is the son of Manish and Vijaya Vyas and is the younger brother of Shelly Vyas.

Northside High School Salutatorian, Heta Patel

Heta Patel has been a member of the National Beta Club for three years and an officer for one year.  She is a member of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) where she has held officer positions such as Vice President of Programs and President. Through FCCLA, she has placed first and second for numerous projects at local, state, and national levels. She has also worked at Kumon Math and Reading Center for two years as a tutor to enhance children’s math and reading skills. Before working there, she was enrolled in Kumon from kindergarten to her 10th grade year and has completed the reading program offered. During her 11th and 12th grade years, she took Dual Enrollment classes through Middle Georgia University. She has also been a recipient of the Top 5% award for four years. In 11th grade, she received academic awards in AP English, AP Government, AP Chemistry, and Honors Pre-Calculus. She has also been a recipient of the University of Georgia Certificate of Merit her junior year. In 9th grade, she became a member of the Latin Honor Society through her Latin I and II class. She also joined the school’s swim team and has competed in several meets in her junior and senior years. She has been a manager for cross country and soccer for two years. During the midst of the pandemic, she volunteered at Robins Pharmacy where she updated patients’ vaccination records after taking the COVID vaccine. She is also a nominee for the 2022 Golden Eagle scholarship for Mathematics. She has been accepted to Augusta University, Mercer University, and the University of Georgia. She plans to attend the University of Georgia in the fall and majoring in Public Health in hopes of pursuing a career in the Medical Field. Her family includes her parents: Rajesh and Vrunda Patel, and her older sister, Henna Patel.

Perry High School Valedictorian, Preston Prater

Preston Prater is the son of Tony and Emilee Prater. Preston is an Advanced Placement Scholar and a 2022 Perry High School STAR student. He was a recipient of the Georgia Certificate of Merit and has been nominated for the Governor’s Honors Program. Preston has excelled through rigorous coursework to include Advanced Placement Biology, Chemistry, Language and Composition, Statistics, Literature, Macroeconomics, and Calculus. Preston is also an athlete. He played baseball, golf, and Varsity football for two years where he won multiple Player of the Week awards and the Hazel Jackson Scholar Athlete award. Currently, Preston is a three-year member of the Perry High School Bass Fishing team where he placed second at the county championship in 2021. He is a member of the FFA and competed in the Nursery/Landscape and Farm Business Management (FBM) teams. He led the FBM team to a second-place finish as well as earned the honor of being second highest overall individual at the Georgia state competition. In addition, he was the Grand Champion at the Georgia National Fair for his landscape design drawing. Outside of school, Preston is very involved in the community. He is the owner of Life and Leisure Lawn Care and tutors algebra and chemistry. He has owned his business for two years and enjoys providing quality service to the Middle Georgia community. Preston enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his three younger brothers. Preston plans to major in mechanical engineering at The Georgia Institute of Technology or The University of Florida.

Perry High School Salutatorian, Caroline Gallemore

Caroline Gallemore is the daughter of John and Kelly Gallemore. She is an Advanced Placement Scholar with distinction. Caroline is a recipient of the Georgia Certificate of Merit and a nominee for the Governor’s Honors Program in Biology. As President of the National Honors Society, Caroline has served the community through numerous projects such as volunteering at local elementary schools and at Perry’s Mistletoe Market. She has maintained a 4.0 grade point average while taking Advanced Placement Courses and honors courses including AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Macroeconomics, AP Literature, Honors PreCalculus, and more. Caroline plans to attend either Auburn University or The University of Georgia in the fall to pursue a degree in Pre-Med with a minor in Spanish. 

Veterans High Valedictorian, Hailey Tayag

Hailey Tayag is the VHS STAR student for the year and an AP 5 scholar who has been recognized with a National Merit Scholarship Commendation and a UGA Certificate of Merit. She is the founder and lead instructor of the VHS Coding Club, and the lead programmer of the Houston County First Robotics Team 3635: Flying Legion; additionally, she has served an internship at STARBASE Robins. A multi-talented student, Hailey has attended all-state chorus five times and all-state band three times, and will be playing the lead role in the 2022 VHS spring musical, Mamma Mia. Miss Tayag enjoys playing both the piano and the oboe, and she has played at both Sacred Heart Catholic Church and as a member of Wellston Winds for the past seven years. The daughter of Dr. Rommer Tayag and Dr. Maria Christina Tayag, Hailey plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in computer engineering and pursuing a career in Cyber Security. 

 Veterans High Salutatorian, Samuel Guimond

Samuel Guimond is an AP 5 scholar who has been recognized with a UGA Certificate of Merit, along with a variety of other school-level academic awards. Sam is a four-year member of the VHS marching band, serving as the low brass section leader his senior year, and he has played with the VHS basketball pep band this year. He has participated in concert band for four years, as well, serving as the first chair for the trombones. Mr. Guimond serves as a collaborator in the Warhawk Workshop, and he is a member of Rho Kappa Honor Society. When not at school, Sam is very active in his church youth group; he serves as a member of the youth council and assists with Vacation Bible School during the summer. The son of Steve and Stephanie Guimond, Sam plans to attend the University of Georgia to pursue a degree in History Education. 

Warner Robins High Valedictorian, Timothy Howell

Timothy Howell has marched in the Demon Marching Band since his freshman year; accruing three solos and two duets during that time along with providing various "body" ideas to the shows. His junior and senior year he was a section leader of the baritone section along with being field captain his senior year. In school, he has been the primary trombonist in symphonic band since his freshman year; also earning a few solos along the way. He has made honor and region band all four years, and he made all-state his senior year. He competed in extemporaneous speech competitions earning a semi-finalist position, a merit degree from the National Speech and Debate organization, and was the alternate for region speech competitions. He helped with audio for the WRHS Theatre Department and the Wellston Winds, a community band. He writes and produces his own music under the name "Unstable Music". He earned the highest SAT score in his class, thus making him the STAR student with Mrs. Candace Henderson as his STAR teacher. Timothy has been accepted into Troy University and will be majoring in music.

Warner Robins High Salutatorian, Christopher Hyde

Chris Hyde has played for the varsity soccer team since his freshman year, and was elected as team captain his senior year. Diversifying his interests his senior year, he learned to play piano for the first time, playing in a school concert. He joined art club the same year, learning to cultivate creativity among creative minds. Chris has been nominated for the Governor’s Honors Program, received the Georgia Certificate of Merit, 2021, December Optimist Student of the Month, and recognized as an AP Scholar with Honor. As a soccer player with a passion for the sport, Chris has strived to share that passion with younger students and children. In that pursuit, he has taught soccer to daycare children and assisted the Warner Robins Middle School soccer club at practice. Chris plans to major in Computer Science. He has been accepted into Mercer University, but is awaiting other admissions decisions and has not decided where he will attend.