Claire Williams and Travis Lattner, both of Lawrence, announce the birth of their daughter, Carlie Rose Lattner, born May 11, 2008, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

Maternal grandparents are Janis and Larry Tenny, Fontana. Paternal grandparents are Van and Francis Lattner, Sunrise Beach, Mo. Her great-grandmother is Genell Kearney Cole, Fontana.

¢Jodi Gentry, Lawrence, will participate in a trip to Bolivia this month to work in the rainforests. Projects include building self-composting latrines, installing LED study lights and replacing two pedestrian bridges.

Gentry, president of the Engineers Without Borders chapter at Kansas University, will be accompanied by 20 engineering students, two faculty members and a graduate student from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.

¢Highland Community College announces its May 2008 graduates. Commencement exercises were May 9, with guest speaker Rep. Nancy Boyda.

Area graduates:

Associate in Arts: Rhonda Leigh Boose, Lecompton; Rebecca Lee Copeland, Lawrence; Tad Stephan Eubanks, Ottawa; Anthony A. Foust, Lawrence; Rebecca Louise Mills Griffitts, McLouth; Rae Nell Brasher McCool, Oskaloosa; and John Randall Sneegas, Lawrence.

Associate in Science: Tad Stephan Eubanks, Ottawa; Rebecca Louise Mills Griffitts, McLouth; Nolan Andrew Putnam, Perry; and Sandra Marie Tucker, Oskaloosa.

Associate in General Studies: David Leroy Burggraf, Lawrence.

¢Emporia State University recognized local students with awards at the 24th annual Teachers College Honors Banquet on May 9.

Marylee Griffiths, Basehor, received a plaque in honor of professionalism, experience and work ethic from educational administration faculty.

Kyla Meisenheimer, Baldwin City; Corinne N. Samskey, Bonner Springs; Jessica Leigh Lamer, Lawrence; and Kari Hart, Ottawa, received certificates in honor of their cumulative grade point averages of 3.75 or higher.

¢Several Lawrence schools and individual chess players were recently named to the Kansas State Chess Association’s All-Star teams for the 2007-2008 season. Free State High School, in the high-school division; Southwest Junior High, in the junior high division; and Cordley, Quail Run and Sunflower schools, in the elementary division, were all named All-Star teams by the KSCA.

Individual All-Stars were selected by having the top 10 scores over the season.

High school: Thomas Clark, Peter Lesslie, Thomas Reams, and Sean Stenseng, all from FSHS.

Junior High All-Stars: Jason Chang, Andrei Elliott, and Luke Lesslie, all from SWJH .

Elementary All-Stars: Cole Reams, Quail Run; Aaron Simon, Quail Run; Sam Stephens, Quail Run; and Eddie Wilson, Cordley.

¢The Eudora High School Alumni Association’s banquet and annual meeting will be June 1 at Eudora High School, 2203 Church St.

Registration will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the high school commons. A covered-dish meal will be at 1 p.m., followed by a business meeting. Coffee and tea will be provided. The banquet is open to all Eudora High School graduates with special recognition given to the class of 1958. For more information, call Donald Bagby at (785) 542-2692 or Pam Schmeck at (785) 542-3677.

¢Lori Ann Upman, Lawrence, graduated from the School of Information Studies at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on May 18, 2008. Upman received a Master of Library and Information Science degree.

¢Kimberlyn Ledbetter, Lawrence, was named a member of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. Ledbetter is a senior majoring in elementary education with a concentration in middle school history at Washburn University.

¢Kathyrn Gabel and Aaron Mayer, both of Lawrence, graduated from Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo., on May 16, 2008. Mayer graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher.

¢Ryan Rowland graduated Summa Cum Laude on May 3, 2008, from Charleston Southern University, Charleston, S.C., with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting. He is a member of Alpha Chi honor society and is a graduate student at the College of Charleston.

Ryan is the son of Ron and Debbie Rowland, Lawrence.

¢Karen Strauss, a 2003 graduate of Lawrence High School, graduated on May 3, 2008, from Michigan State University in East Lansing with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree granted with high honors.

During her time a MSU, Karen earned the following awards:

¢ Membership on the dean’s list for all 10 semesters of the landscape architecture program.

¢ Graduation from the honors college, which requires participation in a rigorous, highly individualized program of study, including at least eight honors-caliber courses.

¢ Acceptance into Phi Kappa Phi national honor society.

¢ Acceptance into Sigma Lambda Alpha national landscape architecture honor society.

¢ Received the Albe Munson Construction Award for Excellence in Site Engineering Studies.

¢ Received the Outstanding Senior Award in Landscape Architecture for 2008.

Strauss will be employed as a landscape architect with Bartlett and West, in Lawrence, beginning in mid-June.

¢Salvador and Kori Alvarado, Fort Worth, Texas, announce the birth of their daughter Sadie Lyn Alvarado, born April 17, 2008, at Harris Methodist Hospital, Fort Worth, Texas.

Sadie has a brother, Dylan Alvarado, 2.

Her maternal grandparents are Gary and Judy Gilliland, Lawrence. Paternal grandparents are Santiago and Socoro Alvarado, Kermit, Texas. Her great-grandparents are Letha Mae Gilliland, Lawrence, and Salvador Gonzales Juan Aldama, Zacatecas, Mexico.

¢Lea Hogsett, Baldwin City, received the Olive E. Thomas Biology Undergraduate Research Scholarship at the Celebration of Honors on April 17 at William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo.

Hogsett is a senior majoring in molecular biology and mathematics. The Oxbridge Honors Program is an international honors program and supported by the Hall Family Foundation.

¢Kansas University’s 24th annual Employee Recognition Ceremony was May 7 in the Kansas Ballroom. Awards include:

Years of Service: Robert C. Umholtz, 55 years; and William O. Scott, 50 years.

Employees of the Month for University Support Staff in 2007 were: Penny Fritts, April; Amy Pabst, May; Jama Lickteig, June; Jan Emerson, July; Terri Osborn, August; Michael Sincl, September; Pamela Morris, November; and Annie Rajaei, December. In 2008 they were: Justin Lohrmeyer, January; Kenneth Blackwell, February; and Rae Ann Brown, March.

2007-2008 Support Staff Employee of the Year award: Annie Rajaei, administrative associate senior, parking and transit.

Employees of the Month for Unclassified Non-Teaching in 2007 were: Pam Willits, April; Teresa Pepper, May; Janet Lukehart, June; Paul Farran, July; Teri Varuska, August; Kathleen Mason, September; Juan Izaguirre Pena, October; Anne Madden Johnson, November; and Leah Luckeroth, December. In 2008 they were: Elizabeth Pesek-Shields, January; Brenda Maigaard, February; and Patricia Weaver, March.

2007-2008 Unclassified Non-Teaching Employee of the Year award: Leah Luckeroth, student health services physician, Watkins Memorial Health Center.

¢Leah Hoffhines, McLouth High School senior, received the Dale Dennis Excellence Award. She is the daughter of Chris and Angela Hoffhines, McLouth.

¢Nicole Andregg, April Miller, Lawrence, and Stephanie Gaines, Overbrook, were named to the academic honor roll for the spring 2008 trimester at Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Mo. To be named to the academic honor roll, students must earn a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or above.

¢Garden City Community College announces its May 2008 graduates. Commencement exercises were May 10.

Area graduates who earned Associate of Science degrees were Jason McGhee, Lawrence, and Brianna Eden, Overbrook.

¢Bernadette Drees, Lawrence, was named to the dean’s honor roll for the spring semester 2008 at Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, Mo. To be named to the dean’s honor list, students must earn a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or above.

¢Erin Levy, Lawrence, was named to the dean’s honor roll for the spring semester 2008 at Beloit College in Wisconsin. To be named to the dean’s honor list, students must earn a cumulative grade-point average of 3.4 or above.

¢Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., announces its May 2008 graduates. Commencement exercises were May 10 at the Qwest Center Omaha.

Area graduates who earned degrees were Megan Urban, Eudora, Doctor of Pharmacy; and Matthew Pottorff, Lawrence, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

¢Luke Wempe, a 2006 graduate of Lawrence High School, graduated magna cum laud from Seward County Community College in Liberal. Wempe won numerous awards this spring for his work in journalism. Wempe earned these honors from Kansas Association of Collegiate Press: Journalist of the Year for two-year college newspapers; second place honors for sports news writing and special section; bronze medal for online news site; third-place honors for series writing; and honorable mentions for sports feature, infographics and two sports columns. He also was named Online Pacemaker award finalist for two-year colleges by Association of Collegiate Press, won the Martin Umansky Memorial Scholarship from Kansas Society of Professional Journalists and was recognized for outstanding sports coverage by American Scholastic Press Association.

¢The Lawrence High School Class of 1988 is gearing up for its 20-year reunion June 20-21.

Planned events start with a “welcome back” reception beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, June 20, at Zig & Mac’s Bar & Grill. Events on Saturday, June 21, include tours of LHS from 10 a.m. to noon followed by a picnic from noon to 2 p.m. at Veterans Park.

The reunion will conclude with a class party starting at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Naismith Ballroom at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott.

Former teachers are encouraged to attend. For more information or to register, see http://groups.yahoo .com/group/lhs88ks.