Celeste Independent School District

Celeste High School is proud to announce the Class of 2020 Valedictorian Peyton Dickens and Salutatorian Jaidyn Vankirk.

Peyton Dickens is the daughter of Jeremy and Christine Dickens and sister of Sydnee Dickens. She is the Valedictorian of her class with a 4.0 GPA. Throughout high school, she has taken honors and dual credit classes, participated as an officer in Beta Club, worked on yearbook eventually becoming editor, acted for the UIL One Act Play, elected President of the student council, and played in the Drum Corps, eventually becoming Captain. Outside of school, she enjoys acrylic painting, reading, theatre, and music to fill her free time. She also helps out in the children’s department of her church, and acts in the community theatre productions from Greenville Family Theater and Greenville Theatre Works. Recently, she was featured in leading roles such as Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz” and Belle in “Beauty and the Beast.” Peyton is planning to attend college at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. She wants to major in Musical Theatre and minor in graphic design.

Jaidyn Vankirk is the daughter of Angela and Gary Vankirk and the younger sister of Robert and Marquis Vankirk. Throughout her high school career, she has been an honor and a dual credit student, which has led her to become Salutatorian. She is a hard-working and dedicated girl who loves animals and has a passion for dance. Outside of the classroom, she has participated in Beta Club, the Celeste High School Yearbook Committee as co-editor, the robotics team, the Celeste High School one-act play as an actress, and drill team. One of the biggest extracurricular activities she has participated in is dance, which she has been enrolled in since the age of four. Throughout her high school career, she has danced at Illuminate Dance Force and been a proud member of their Volt Edge Competition Team. This activity has led her to many things, including being a dancer for Greenville Family Theater Productions, helping with teaching kids to dance at New Horizons, and winning multiple awards and scholarships at a variety of dance competitions. She plans to attend Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and major in computer science. While attending classes, she hopes to share her love of dance by teaching classes to younger generations.