February 15, 2013
Story and Photo by Joe Vinduska

Four students from Barton Community College in the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society were recognized Thursday for being selected as members of the PTK All-Kansas Academic Team at an award luncheon at the Ramada Inn in Topeka.

Sophomores Michelle Klepper and Michelle Miller of Ellinwood from the Great Bend campus, and Mandela Lofton and Marion Schweitzer-Noble of Manhattan from the Ft. Riley campus, all attended the award ceremony and luncheon, which included a keynote address from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Schmidt stressed the importance of public service to the honorees, a virtue held dear by the PTK organization.

“We need to figure out problems, and find ways to solve them together,” he said. “You will all be deciding how to best utilize your talents as you move forward with your education, and I hope that you decide to give some of your talents back through public service and we can leave this place better than we found it.”

From left: Marion Schweitzer-Noble, Mandela Lofton, Barton Community College President Dr. Carl Heilman, Michelle Klepper and Michelle Miller. All honorees earned a medal to commemorate their achievement as well as a certificate.

PTK is the international honor society for two-year colleges and symbolizes an excellence in higher education. Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher are invited to join the PTK. The PTK group at Barton spends significant time sponsoring local events as well as helping out at other community events that are sponsored by others.

The students had to go through an application process and have their applications reviewed by an anonymous selection panel on their respective campuses. All four students will have a chance at being named to PTK’s All-America Academic Team, which will be announced in March.