Tri Kappa Honor Reception Held

The 61st Annual Tri Kappa Honor Reception and Awards Ceremony was held Thursday at the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center.
This annual event recognized the outstanding scholastic achievements of 132 graduating seniors from the Warsaw Community High School Class of 2026. More than 300 guests attended the celebration, including students, families, educators and Tri Kappa members, according to a news release from Tri Kappa.
The evening began with a welcome from Tri Kappa President Camerin Burnworth, who shared the organization’s history and its mission to promote charity, culture and education throughout the community and state.
Warsaw Community High School Principal Troy Akers introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Stefani Davis Yudasz, a 2009 WCHS graduate, via video message. Yudasz is an alumna of The Ohio State University, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University and a nurse practitioner at Warsaw Women’s Center. She also spoke of her roles as a wife and mother.
Yudasz delivered a message centered on living a life of purpose. She encouraged students to follow their curiosity, persevere through challenges and view failure as fuel for growth. She also emphasized the importance of seeking help when needed.
“Purpose is not just what you do, but how you show up,” she said, reminding students “purpose becomes most meaningful when lived in service to others.”
The Tri Kappa Honor Reception marks the beginning of graduation season for the Class of 2026. During the ceremony, seniors were presented certificates by Senior Class Counselor Fernando Camargo and recognized with honor cords to be worn at graduation, signifying their academic distinction as summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude graduates.
In addition, 25 students were honored with the Tri Alpha Award, presented by Director of Guidance Luisa Davis. The Tri Alpha Award recognizes excellence in academic achievement, activity and attitude. Recipients are nominated and selected by faculty based on their contributions to the school community, including their involvement, positive attitude, eagerness to learn and the impact they have on fellow students and staff, stated the release.
The 2026 Tri Alpha Award recipients were Levi Brath, Joselyn Bricker, Mydin Burgher, Eva Demopoulos, Brody Duncan, Jackson Gackenheimer, Titiksha Gorhe, Melanie Hertzler, Melayna Howett, Logan Kim, Kristina Kolembe, Daisy Leyva Solis, Spencer Love, Eden Metz, Preston Park, Ian Parrott, Victoria Peloza, Samantha Rastrelli, Hilary Renier, Lauren Robinson-Gay, Luke Smith, Margot Sprankle, Griffin Williman and Audrie Winey.
Closing comments were made by Senior Class Principal Heather Graham, who also emphasized curiosity, compassion and courage as the Senior Class of 2026 will soon embark on the next step of their life journey.
The evening concluded with a reception hosted by Tri Kappa, where guests enjoyed desserts and coffee.