Top Indian Creek seniors take turns in leadership positions

Together, they led Riley Dance Marathon and National Honors Society at Indian Creek High School.

On Saturday, they’ll grace the stage together as the school’s top two graduates.

Valedictorian Kylie Lemmon and salutatorian Paige Iaria’s journeys became intertwined through those extracurricular activities and the plethora of Advanced Placement classes they took throughout their four years at the school. Those journeys will continue this fall, when they’ll both head to Purdue University.

“We’re both very determined in what we want to do and what we do in school,” Lemmon said. “Being in Riley and National Honors Society was very nice and we grew closer. We took a lot of the same classes and see each other a lot.”

Lemmon

Lemmon

Lemmon obtained a 4.66 GPA by excelling in some of the most difficult classes Indian Creek High School had to offer, including AP classes in biology, U.S history, literature and chemistry. She also took dual credit offerings in pre-calculus and trigonometry, chemistry, medical terminology, English and government, with college credits from Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College, Lemmon said.

“My biology classes were really fun and informative and medical terminology was one of my favorite classes I’ve taken,” she said. “I love the medical field and everything to do with it. I’m not good with the gore of it, per se, but I’m going to college to hopefully become a pharmacist. I love helping people and learning about body systems and the things that affect it.”

Along with her classes, Lemmon excelled in athletics as part of the volleyball, tennis and basketball teams all four years of high school. She served as vice president for the school’s branch of National Honors Society and was president of Riley Dance Marathon, which raised money for Riley Hospital for Children, she said.

“My sister was a senior in Riley Dance when I was a freshman. It means a lot to raise money for Riley and for children who are sick and need help,” Lemmon said.

As part of National Honors Society, she helped raise money for the Johnson County Animal Shelter and volunteered, helping take care of the shelter’s dogs and cats, she said.

“With National Honors Society, I got to help the community and be with other people who want to help and serve the community,” she said. “It’s very eye-opening to be in a club that holds people to a higher standard.”

While it’s been difficult juggling school, sports and extracurricular activities, her hard work will set her up for success in the future, Lemmon said.

“It’s hard on you to take all these kinds of classes,” she said. “But I was OK going through a tougher time than other seniors who wanted to take a load off because I knew when I got to college, if I slacked off one year, I wouldn’t have the same work ethic that I did in the past.”

Lemmon plans to study pharmaceutical sciences and pre-pharmacy at Purdue before applying to pharmacy school, she said.

Iaria

Iaria

Iaria took many of the same classes as Lemmon, including AP classes in U.S. history, literature and calculus. She also took an English dual credit class through Indiana University and a dual credit chemistry class through Ivy Tech, leading to a 4.61 GPA, she said.

Through a love of math and a desire to get things done, Iaria has climbed the ranks in her senior class.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with numbers and math classes. I love calculus and I just really enjoy achieving my goals and feeling I’m working towards something,” she said.

When not in the classroom, she’s made her mark on the track. She holds school records in the 4×400 and 4×800-meter relays. Her speed also qualified her for the Indiana High School Athletic Association state track meet twice and semi-state in cross country three times, Iaria said.

“I’ve been involved in track for seven years now,” she said. “I really love my coach and my team. My distance girls, they’re like a second family to me, they’re like my sisters. My coach, Brady Devine, he’s a rock for me and one of the biggest blessings in my life.”

Iaria’s jam-packed schedule, which also involved serving as vice president of Riley Dance Marathon and president of National Honors Society, gives her peace of mind, she said.

“I have always loved to be constantly running around. I feel more at peace when I have something to do each day of the week. It really makes me feel involved and like I’m making an impact on people around me,” Iaria said.

Iaria plans to study engineering at Purdue, which she said stems from proficiency in math.

“I’ve always really liked numbers, and I always heard the default was ‘you should be an engineer,’ and it stuck with me,” Iaria said. “I didn’t understand what engineering was until a couple years ago because of how wide and involved the field is. Now, I really feel like it’s where I’ve been headed this whole time and the field is so large and there’s so many opportunities. I’m bound to find something I’m interested in.”