More than 150 Free State High School students were honored Monday night during the Senior Recognition Ceremony.

About 400 people attended the event in the school auditorium, which recognized academic, athletic, scholarship and citizenship awards.

Principal Joe Snyder said he was proud of the class because it continued to build tradition at Free State, which opened in 1997.

“We have a real sense of satisfaction to see so many accomplishments by this class,” he said.

One of the most prestigious awards Monday night was the Kansas State High School Activities Assn. Citizenship Award, which went to Walker Douglas and Catherine Kelly.

Douglas, 18, also received a President’s Award for Educational Excellence.

“I just never really saw myself as someone who would get an award like this,” he said. “I just try to be nice to everyone in the school.”

Douglas, a member of the football and track teams, plans to study architecture next fall at Kansas University and walk on to the football team.

Kelly, 18, participated in a variety of activities at Free State, including tennis, Key Club and Scholar’s Bowl. This year, she also was a concert mistress for the Free State orchestra.

In the fall, she’ll be attending Washington University in St. Louis on an Eliot Scholarship, where she plans to study English, Latin or math, and continue playing the violin.

She received a President’s Award for Educational Excellence and was a National Merit semi-finalist, too.

“I’ve just worked hard all my high school years to contribute to the school,” she said.