photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Lawrence High School sophomore Arabella Gipp speaks after being announced as the winner of Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence's 2023 Youth of the Year honor Thursday night. Gipp was named the Youth of the Year for the second year in a row.

For the second year running, Lawrence High School sophomore Arabella Gipp is the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence’s Youth of the Year.

Gipp was announced as the winner of the 2023 honor ahead of four other nominees at Liberty Hall on Thursday night. Alongside Gipp, Free State High School junior La’Ron Williams; Free State High School sophomore Chloe Clossen; Free State High School sophomore Ohene Danso; and recent Free State High School graduate Audrey Rice were also nominated.

Gipp will move on to represent Lawrence in the statewide Youth of the Year competition, which she also won last year. In that competition, she became the sixth Lawrence native to earn the Kansas title in the past decade.

The winner at state moves on to the Southwest Region Youth of the Year contest, where they’ll get the chance to advance to the national contest.