Westview saw 33 of the Class of 2021 graduate with Honors and 41 with Distinction. Five students will be entering the military. Fifteen of the graduates will be remembered on Westview’s ACT Wall of Fame. Those receiving the more than $1.4 million in scholarships include:
Josef Abdulla -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor’s Scholarship, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Scholarship, Aspire Scholarship
Abigail Arredondo -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship, Charger Foundation Scholarship
Olivia Bailey -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship
Elaina Berneeco-- HOPE Scholarship
Douglas Brown -- Hope Scholarship
Madison Brown -- TN Promise
Mary Beth Buchanan -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Knoxville Volunteer Scholarship, Achieve Scholarship, General Assembly Scholarship, Woodmen Life Focus Forward Scholarship
Michael Butler -- ACT Wall of Fame
J. T. Carver -- HOPE Scholarship
Carter Coleman -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, General Assembly Merritt, TN Achieves, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor’s Scholarship
Anna Cursey -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Knoxville Volunteer Scholarship
Kathryn Cursey -- ACT Wall of Fame, Colvard Future Leader Scholarship, Freshmen Academic Excellence Scholarship, Non-resident tuition scholarship, Anchor Club Scholarship
Jonathan Davidson -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship, Charger Foundation Scholarship
Ryder Davidson -- University Academic Achievement Scholarship, The Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business Scholarship
Michael Ford -- HOPE Scholarship
Gracie Giffen -- HOPE Scholarship, UT Promise, Aspire Scholarship Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship
Hallie Gray -- HOPE Scholarship
Sonnie Greer -- University of Tennessee at Martin Fare Mound Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Excellence Scholarship, Aspire Scholarship Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship
Ashley Hanks -- HOPE Scholarship, Aspire Scholarship Scholarship
Serenity Harrell -- HOPE Scholarship, Harold Conner Achieve Scholarship, Kay Durden Scholarship, Charger Foundation Scholarship, Achieves Scholarship
Kayle Hensley -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Excellence Scholarship, UT Promise Scholarship, Charger Foundation Scholarship, Weakley County Young Professionals Scholarship, TN Achieves Scholarship
Ava Hicks -- National Scholars Scholarship
Jackson Hopper -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Excellence Scholarship
Luke Jackson -- Elam Legacy Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship
Gabriel Jahr -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellors Scholarship
Kellan Kelso -- Pittsburg State Legacy Scholarship
Devyn Kerney -- Tennessee TSAA Award, HOPE Scholarship, UT Promise
Natali King -- Graduating with Honors, HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship
Avery Leyhue -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor’s Scholarship
Emerson Leyhue -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor’s Scholarship
Porter Mantooth -- ACT Wall of Fame, AFROTC Scholarship, Leadership and Engineering Scholarship, Weakley County Sports Hall of Fame Female Athlete Scholarship
Grant McGehee -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship
James McGregor -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor’s Scholarship, Music Chancellor’s Scholarship, Aviator Scholarship, Ralph Hale Music Scholarship, Charger Foundation Scholarship
Austin Mount -- TN Promise, International Humanitarian Scholarship, Good Samaritan Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship
Jamie Murphy -- Aspire Scholarship, Eddie Russell Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship
Dylan Muzzall -- ARMY National Guard
Scarlett Nail -- HOPE Scholarship, University of TN at Martin Excellence Scholarship
Emily Palafox -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee Dean’s Scholarship
Bryce Pettit -- Tennessee Promise
Lane Pierpoint -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship, Elam Alumni Legacy Scholarship, Weakley County Hall of Fame Male Athlete Scholarship
Kizer Riley -- HOPE Scholarship, TSAA Grant for TN Tech
Akeria Rivers -- Workforce Development Scholarship, Sellars BP Scholarship
Susana Rodriguez -- HOPE Scholarship, TN Achieves Scholarship, UT Promise
Ashley Rogers -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, The University of TN Knoxville Volunteer Scholarship
Caleb Romans -- Marine Corps
Ethan Rose -- Charger Foundation Scholarship, University of TN at Martin Excellence Scholarship, UTM Alumni Legacy Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship
Sydney Shanklin -- HOPE Scholarship
Jonah Simmons -- ACT Wall of Fame Graduate, University of Tennessee at Martin Chancellor’s Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship, Tennessee Geographic Bee Scholarship, Pete Evans Music Scholarship
Devonte Smith -- HOPE Scholarship
Michaela Smith -- HOPE Scholarship, Freed Hardeman University Merit Scholarship
Mason Snider -- United States Army
Tara Steffen-Brewer -- HOPE Scholarship, Aspire Scholarship, TN Achieve Scholarship
Marquez Taylor -- United States Army
Kaylee Tims -- HOPE Scholarship, Beacon Scholarship
Dylan Totty -- ACT Wall of Fame, HOPE Scholarship, Freed Hardeman Merit Scholarship
Will Tuck -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship, Wendell Alexander Scholarship
Mason VanCleave -- HOPE Scholarship, University of TN at Martin Dean’s Scholarship
Tristan Villasica -- Bethel Baseball Scholarship
Carley Wainscott -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Excellence Scholarship
Katelyn Webb -- TN Promise
Haley Wheat -- HOPE Scholarship, Achieve Scholarship
Zachary Whiteman -- ACT Wall of Fame, University Scholars, University of TN at Martin Chancellor’s Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship
MaKaylan Williams -- HOPE Scholarship, Excellence Scholarship
Georgia Wilson -- Renaissance Scholarship, Contiguous County Scholarship
Noah Wilson -- TNTSAA Award, HOPE Scholarship
Nolan Winstead -- HOPE Scholarship
Robin Wynne -- HOPE Scholarship, University of Tennessee at Martin Dean’s Scholarship
Madison Yates -- Air Force, D-Lab Score Bonus
Top Ten
Michael Butler
• Parents – Chris and Jenise Butler
• Clubs and Activities – Spanish Club, Yearbook Committee, Beta Club, Ethics Club, FBLA
• University – University of Chicago
• Class Rank – 1
Avery Leyhue
• Parents – Jeff and Stephenie Leyhue
• Clubs and Activities – Varsity Girls Basketball, Anchor Club, FCA, BETA Club
• University – University of Tennessee at Martin
• Class Rank – 2
Anna Cursey
• Parents – Keith and Angie Cursey
• Clubs and Activities – HOSA, Anchor Club, BETA, Senior Class Vice President, FCA, Spanish Club
• University – University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• Class Rank – 3
Emerson Leyhue
• Parents – Jeff and Stephenie Leyhue
• Clubs and Activities – Girls Varsity Basketball, BETA Club, Anchor Club, HOSA, FCA
• University – University of Tennessee at Martin
• Class Rank – 4
Katy Cursey
• Parents – Keith and Angie Cursey
• Clubs and Activities – Anchor Club, HOSA, Yearbook Staff, BETA Club, FCA, Weakley County Youth Leadership, Welcoming Cheer Committee, Spanish Club, 1st place in Weakley County Art Drawing Contest
• University – Mississippi State University
• Class Rank – 5
Ashley Rogers
• Parents – Stacey Cook and Jim Rogers
• Clubs and Activities – Anchor Club, HOSA, BETA Club, Spanish Club
• University – University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• Class Rank – 6
Mary Beth Buchanan
• Parents – Kevin and Cecile Buchanan
• Clubs and Activities – HOSA, Anchor Club, BETA Club, FCA
• University – University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• Class Rank – 7
Emily Palafox
• Parents – Jackie Palafox
• Clubs and Activities – Spanish Club
• University – University of Tennessee at Martin
• Class Rank – 8
Tristan Villasica
• Parents – Cary and Rain Villasica
• Clubs and Activities – BETA Club, Spanish Club, Baseball Team
• University – Bethel University
• Class Rank – 9
Jonah Simmons
• Parents – Eric and Kim Simmons
• Clubs and Activities – Westview High School Marching Band, Westview Jazz Band, Key Club, French Club, Japanese Club, STEM Club, Beta Club – Vice President, All West Honor Band, All West Symphonic Orchestra, UTM Honor Band, UTM Chamber Fest, First Baptist Church of Martin Orchestra
• University – The University of Tennessee at Martin
• Class Rank – 10
Valedictorian Speech
Michael Butler
I’ll never forget the first day of middle school. I successfully made it to the breakfast cart and home room … until I sat down and spilled milk on pants.
So quickly my day was ruined— by no one but myself.
That’s a common trap— one I’ve found myself fall in many times since then.
I let other’s POTENTIAL thoughts create my own REAL ones. I’ve found this is an incredibly ineffective way to think.
Even as I was deciding what to write this speech about, I found myself constantly thinking about what others would think about.
Now imagine it’s what we’re going to do after high school, where were going to go, who we are going to be.
These are huge decisions. Are we going to let endless assumptions and anxieties about others’ thoughts influence them more than our own?
The future is ours, and we are in charge. Only we know what’s going to make us happy better than anyone else. And we can’t forget that.
I’m so thankful for the friendships and lessons Westview has brought me the past four years, and I can’t wait to see where we all end up.
My biggest hope for this class is that each of us takes control of our futures rather than letting fear and worry do it for us.
Salutatorian Speech
Avery Leyhue
Good evening, it is my privilege to extend a welcome to our faculty and staff, graduates, family, and friends to the graduation ceremony for the Westview High School class of 2021. Thank you for being here to mark this special moment with us. This year has presented us with unique challenges and changes-most notably a global pandemic (a topic I will spend too much time dwelling on). With this in mind, I would like to give special thanks to Mr. Randy Frazier, Mr. Jeromy Davidson, and Coach Lifsey for enforcing health guidelines within the school, Mrs. Stover for providing our school with all the necessary personal protective equipment such as hand sanitizer, wipes and masks, and the rest of the Westview staff and faculty for putting our health and safety first. Without you and health measures you took, in-person learning would not have been possible. (Please join me in showing our appreciation for all they have done for our school this year.)
As I sat down to write this speech my mind bounced all over the place. What would I write about? Who can I quote? How can I make this speech memorable for myself and all of you in the short time that I am given to speak? Then it hit me. Who better to talk about than the king of giving speeches himself - Coach Haskins? Although his speeches were never more than one to two minutes in length, they were always memorable. So after four years, hundreds of quotes and saying Coach Haskins would give us throughout and after basketball practice, I have decided to leave you, graduates, with this one quote: “It’s not about what you’re capable of, it’s about what you’re willing to do.”
Every single one of you is capable of great things, but if you have no willingness to use and strengthen your capability, success will not come so easily. As Coach Haskins would say, “It’s not rocket science.”
The successful and the unsuccessful are separated by one factor: not that one is more capable than the other, that one is more willing to make sacrifices and decisions that allow hers or his capability to flourish. Take for example this new chapter that some of us are about to start - college. Throughout your journey you will face many challenges as you strive toward success, and it will be your willingness to not back down and power through that will propel you toward prosperity. Yes, you are capable of thriving in college, but if you are unwilling to show up for class, study that extra hour, or miss that one social event, your capability will turn into wasted potential and regrets.
But do not lose heart, as long as your capability is accompanied by willingness, there is no limit to what you can accomplish. So, thank you, class of 2021, faculty and staff, parents, family and friends for allowing me to be a small part of the accomplishments being recognized tonight.
Go Chargers!