Isaac SukHwan Gerber served as the valedictorian and Kenlie Jade Thomas was the salutatorian of the Bluffton High School Class of 2023.
Gerber is the son of Jarrod and Amy Gerber of Bluffton He was on the High Honor Roll for all four years of high school. At graduation, Isaac received an Academic Honors Diploma.
While in high school, he competed in Tech Fest twice and was on the computer hardware team. Awards he has won include the Bluffton Rotary Club’s Outstanding Scholar award in 2022, and Computer Science awards for classroom excellence in 2021 and 2022.
Gerber participated in cross country for two years while at Bluffton High School. He was a Tiger Scholar Athlete for two years.
Outside of the classroom, he attends Hope Missionary church with his parents, brother, and sister. He enjoys gaming, being with the family’s pets, and following his favorite NBA team, the Miami Heat.
Gerber will attend Butler University in Indianapolis, with plans to pursue a degree in biology.
Thomas is the daughter of Cliff and Tosha Thomas of Bluffton. A member of National Honor Society, she also received an Academic Honors Diploma.
While in high school, she was on the High Honor Roll for four years.
Thomas participated in school choir for four years and earned several gold medals at Indiana State School Music Association contests in both solo and ensemble performances. She has participated in community theatre in Wells, Huntington, and Allen counties. She has been to the state competition for Poetry Out Loud two years in a row. During her senior year, she directed the Bluffton High School production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
In addition to her school achievements, Thomas works at the Wells County Library, both as a shelver and an intern in the genealogy department. She has volunteered at Teen Court, Forgotten Children Worldwide, and the library.
She will continue her academic career at DePauw University in Greencastle to study history and English. She plans to attend graduate school, and pursue a career in historical research and writing.
