Valedictorian Quanecia Worthy and salutatorian Somer Rowe will lead the Lamar County Class of 2012 during commencement exercises Saturday morning at Trojan Field. Ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. Valedictorian: Quanecia Worthy has beaten some timeworn statistics and is proud of it. ’I come from a single parent home and I’d been told I’d never amount to anything,’ said Worthy. ‘This really means something to me. I feel it’s a great achievement.’ While she and her two sisters Chameria Watson and Qua’Nekka Worthy, were raised by her mother LaTisha Foster, she notes her father Eugene Worthy and stepfather Michael Foster have both been very supportive, as have her grandmothers Betty Turner and Ruby Watson of Forsyth. ’My dad is very involved in my life,’ she said. ‘My grandmothers and stepfather are a big part of me being successful in my schoolwork as well. I can’t forget my best friend Amanda Moreland and the teachers at the high school really helped.’ Most of all, Worthy credits the honor of becoming valedictorian to hard work and dedication. She has made all A’s since kindergarten, the entire time at Lamar County schools, and was this year’s homecoming queen. ’I’m very dedicated to my schoolwork,’ Worthy said. ‘It comes first. My parents taught me that and support me in everything I do.’ After graduation, Worthy will join the Air Force, leaving June 19 for basic training. ’Once I finish my Advanced Individual Training and get an exact location where I’ll be stationed I plan to go to college to major in computer science,’ she said. ’I like working with and figuring out things and I love math and science, so I figure it’ll be a great field for me. Computers intrigue me for some reason.’ She is trying to talk her sister Qua’Nekka into joining the military with her, but her sister told her she is leaning more toward the nursing field, like sister Chameria. Worthy has been in the Beta Club since 10th grade and joined the STARS abstinence program in ninth grade. This year she joined the math, science and Interact clubs, which provide her plenty of opportunity for community service including tutoring second grader Unique Evans, whom she helps with homework and encourages her to make all A’s. ’We most recently did the car wash for Taylor (Davis), who is one of my best friends,’ she said. Davis, a member of the Trojan track team, was recently diagnosed with leukemia. She is also involved in sports, playing basketball and running track in her freshman and sophomore years before switching to cheerleading in her junior and senior years. ’We created the Step Phi team this year and I’m the captain,’ she said. ‘It’s a year round step team and we go to competitions. I’m always doing something to keep myself busy and in shape.’ Worthy has been a lifelong member of East Mt. Sinai Baptist Church. ’I was in the choir when I was little but not any more,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I’m such a good singer. God is a big part of my life. Without him, who knows where I’d be. He’s helped me get through a lot of stressful situations.’ As valedictorian, Worthy will talk to her fellow graduates about how to be successful in life. ’I want to inspire my classmates,’ she said. ‘I like to encourage people to do anything they can put their mind to. A lot of people put themselves down and listen to what others think of them. I try not to do that. Everybody has something to say but I take the best and move ahead. It’s up to me to determine what I’ll do with my life. Everybody makes mistakes ‘“ I’ve made a couple myself ‘“ and learned from them.’ Salutatorian: Keeping the honors in the family, Somer Rowe is the third and youngest of the four children of Mike and Pamela Rowe to be valedictorian or salutatorian in the past few years. Her brother Nathaniel was valedictorian in 2008 and sister Abi was salutatorian in 2011. Her cousin David Henry, son of Rolfe and Janine Henry, was the 2010 salutatorian. Rowe also has an older sister, Miriam, and is the granddaughter of Pamela Henry. She has been on the swim team all four years of her high school career, serving as the girls’ captain this fall, and has been a member of the Beta Club three years and the Leo Club. Both involve her in community service. ‘Leo is a community service club, a Junior Lions Club,’ Rowe said. ‘The Beta Club requires 10 hours of community service that could involve anything from tutoring peers to helping out with Buggy Days and BBQ&Blues.’ Born in Wisconsin, ‘I’ve lived in Georgia pretty much all my life,’ she said. ‘We moved here when I was a little less than a year old.’ Her speech will entail looking back at the high school careers of the class of 2012. ’I’m still working on it,’ she said. ‘We’ll see how it comes out.’ At Barnesville First Baptist Church, Rowe has gone on several mission trips with the youth choir and mission team. ’The most memorable was when we went to Honduras. It was a medical mission and I had no medical training, so I ended up blowing up balloons and making swords and animals out of them while the children waited for medical service,’ she said. ‘Even though I didn’t understand a word they said, it was really fun to use what I knew to help others.’ A dual enrollment student who attends Gordon College full time and holds down a job at The Rock Ranch produce stand, Rowe plans to transfer her eight college credits earned ‘“ along with two semesters on the dean’s list ‘“ to Bryan College in Tennessee. ’I chose it because it’s a Christian college with a good science base,’ she said. ‘My mom and several of her siblings went there.’ Her favorite class is general chemistry, one of the Gordon classes. However, Rowe plans to major in biology, especially botany. ’Hopefully I’ll be able to get out and do some field work, in relation to mission work, in Africa,’ she said. ’I’ve always been interested in plants. Ever since I can remember we’ve had a garden and I have an herb garden. I like herbal teas ‘“ mint and sage is one of my favorites, it’s a nice flavor combination and is good for sore throats ‘“ and I’d like to learn how to use them professionally. Right now it’s just a hobby of mine.’ However, she is not 100% sure of what she will do with her science major, since she had considered English and history first thanks to her teachers who taught those subjects ‘“ and taught her to like them. ’I felt like I could do something like plant research,’ she said. ‘I’ll see what comes up.’
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