Twenty-seven graduates of Kansas University have been honored as newly commissioned officers in the armed forces. Cadets all completed the requirements of the Air Force, Army and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. Area honorees are as follows:

Paul Bender, of Lawrence, for the Army. Bender is a graduate of Lawrence High School and received a degree in geography at KU.

John Bergman, of Lawrence, for the Army. Bergman is a graduate of Free State High School and received a degree in business management at KU.

•

Students attending area high schools and community colleges have been awarded scholarships by Washburn University. Students are listed by their hometown, their school and the scholarships they have been awarded.

From Baldwin City: Landon Hay, Lawrence High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Claire Peterson, Baldwin High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship.

From Basehor: Emily Engler, Basehor-Linwood High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Lori Holstrom, Kansas City, Kan., Community College, Transfer Scholarship.

From Eudora: Cody Keener, Baldwin High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Sarah Prudden, Eudora High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship.

From Lawrence: Cody Bonham, Johnson County Community College, Phi Theta Kappa, Transfer Scholarship; Kyleigh Bowen, Johnson County Community College, Transfer Scholarship; Lauren Byrn, Lawrence High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Kyley Coffelt, Perry-Lecompton High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Brittany Fountain, Johnson County Community College, Transfer Scholarship; Caitlin Laird, Free State High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship, Garvey Scholarship; Olivia Marshall, Free State High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Reina McCoy, Free State High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Katarzyna Potocka, Johnson County Community College, Phi Theta Kappa, Transfer Scholarship; Ashley Schlesener, home school, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Nicki Snodgrass, Lawrence High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Bahozhoni White, Free State High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship.

From McLouth: Allison Bristol, McLouth High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Kelsey Campbell, McLouth High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship.

From Oskaloosa: Haley Adam, Oskaloosa High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship, Garvey Scholarship.

From Overbrook: Erika Foster, Santa Fe Trail High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship; Robert Molt, Allen County Community College, Transfer Scholarship; Keaton Romine, Santa Fe Trail High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship.

From Wellsville: Savanna Wilson, Wellsville High School, Freshman Academic Scholarship.

•

The following area students were awarded degrees from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., during the spring commencement ceremony on May 12:

Grant Klise, of Berryton, earned a B.A. degree .

Mary Dinsdale, of Lawrence, earned a B.S. in Nursing degree.

Kathryn Gill, of Lawrence, earned a B.A. degree.

Rebecca Haworth, of Lawrence, earned a B.A. degree magna cum laude.

Brooke Thurman, of Lawrence, earned a B.A. degree.

•

Jordyn Camille Tolefree, of Lawrence, was honored by Butler Community College with the 2012 Order of the Purple Graduates in a special ceremony on May 11. Students eligible for the Order of the Purple must have completed 30 hours at Butler and hold a 3.75 or higher cumulative GPA.

•

The nation’s oldest academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, has 60 new members from Kansas State University. To be eligible, a student must be a junior or a senior with a GPA of at least 3.7, among other requirements. New members from this area are Connor Hartpence, May 2012 bachelor’s graduate in microbiology and gerontology, Eudora; and Bryant Denning, May 2012 bachelor’s graduate in architectural engineering, and Kaylee Oberzan, May 2012 bachelor’s graduate in advertising, both from Lawrence.

•

William Collins, of Baldwin City, has been named to the Dean’s List for academic achievement during the spring 2012 session at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Students named to the list earned at least a 3.5 GPA.

•

Stephanie Nystrom, of Lawrence, has been named to the LeTourneau University Dean’s List for the Spring 2012 semester in Longview, Texas. To qualify, a student must have a GPA between 3.50 and 3.99 for the semester.

•

Forty-four Washburn University students are included in the 2012 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, having been selected as campus leaders. The students were honored during an awards reception on the Washburn campus.

Students from Lawrence include Grace Hildenbrand, communication with an emphasis in corporate communication; Daphne Phillips, mass media with an emphasis in public relations and a certificate in nonprofit management; and Justin Spiehs, human services with an emphasis in addiction counseling and mental health.

•

Martin Blanchard, of Lawrence, graduated from Macalester College May 12 in St. Paul, Minn. Blanchard, a graduate of Bishop Seabury Academy, received a liberal arts degree in physics and philosophy.

•

The following area students were named to the Dean’s List at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., for the 2012 spring semester. To qualify, a student must earn at least a 3.5 GPA.

From Lawrence: Olivia K. Dykes, sophomore, biology; Mackenzie G. Lown, sophomore, business administration and psychology; and Kelsi D. Ortega, first-year, business administration.

From Tonganoxie: Austin R. Baragary, sophomore, communication with an emphasis in rhetoric and political thought; and Cally Lynn Owsley, senior, biology.