Vaverka, Milwagon are Highlanders’ headliners

One was running to success, while the other was effectively steering her way through rough terrain.

The common denominator? Excelling in the classroom.

Anna Vaverka and Winona Milwagon are atop their senior class at Eureka Springs High School.

Vaverka, an avid runner who will continue her cross country career this fall at Lyon College in Batesville, is the ESHS Class of 2026 valedictorian and Winona Milwagon, a key member of the school’s mountain biking team, is salutatorian.

Both will be in the spotlight during graduation ceremonies set for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Highlander Arena.

“We really didn’t talk much about [the top two spots in the class],” Vaverka said. “It was just kind of how things were. She was first for so long, and I was just happy to be second, and then by final semester, I was happy to learn I had gotten that [valedictorian] position.”

Milwagon said she focused her senior year on enjoying activities and friends, but is proud of how things ended up.

“It was more of a goal in past school years, but this year I have more prioritized enjoying my senior year and hanging out with my friends,” Milwagon said. “It has never been something that I was going to break myself over, but I always have wanted it.

“I was definitely proud of myself whenever I learned that I had gotten [salutatorian].”

VALEDICTORIAN

Vaverka said finishing at the top of her senior class “just kind of happened.”

“I didn’t even know I was going to be top of my class until the end of the first semester,” she said. “When I found out, I was sitting in second.”

An extra push in her final semester of high school allowed her to claim the top spot in the class, and follow in the footsteps of her parents, Kevin and Amber, who also were valedictorians of their high schools in Kansas and Oklahoma.

“I was very happy because … my mom and my dad have been valedictorians,” Anna said. “It was really cool to continue that tradition.”

When she got the news, her parents were happy, but not shocked, Anna said.

“They weren’t really surprised,” she said. “They see me as very smart and hardworking, but they were very happy for me.”

Other than staying busy training and competing in cross country and track, Vaverka also was involved in FFA, National Honor Society and art club.

“I had a pretty good system in place because luckily a lot of my clubs and stuff were on different days,” she said, adding that because she was enrolled in a number of advanced placement classes, staying on top of her grades was important.

“My parents got great grades when they were in school and expected me to do the same,” she said. “I wanted to get good grades myself, and it was very important to me. So, I pushed myself hard.”

While at Lyon College, Vaverka said she plans to enter the school’s veterinary program and major in biology. Her goal is to become a “mixed practice veterinarian.”

“After college, my dream job is going to be working with both livestock animals and companion animals,” she said.

For now, however, her focus is on getting acclimated to college and continuing her successful running career, something she’s been doing since the second grade, she said.

“My mom started … a program in my elementary school,” Anna said. “Then, when I moved to Eureka (in sixth grade) I joined our cross country program, which starts in seventh grade, and I’ve been doing it the entire time.

“Since then, I’ve just liked running more distance stuff. I just love running. That’s why I do it.”

While admitting it’s not her favorite thing to do,  Vaverka said she’s ready to address her peers at Saturday’s graduation.

“I’m not really looking forward to giving a speech,” she said. “I don’t like doing it, but my time in FFA, and practicing a lot of prepared speeches, have prepared me. I know I have the physical abilities to give a great speech and present it in a good manner.”

Vaverka says she knows her parents will be proud that she was able to repeat what they accomplished in high school.

“My parents definitely played a big role in it because they spent a lot of time getting me into good preschools, spending their time after school teaching me how to read, teaching me math skills when I struggled,” she said. “I would say they were the biggest influence in me being where I am today.”

SALUTATORIAN

Milwagon has had a busy — but very successful — senior year and will represent her class as salutatorian at Saturday’s graduation.

She’ll be at the ceremony to address the ESHS senior class, getting back just in time from a trip to Greece, where she has been working as part of her job assisting with culinary retreats.

“She works for Karen Gros, a chef who leads culinary trips around the world,” said Shawna Miller, Winona’s mom and a teacher at ESHS. “Winona helps with her culinary retreats and is currently traveling as her assistant (accompanied by her grandmother, Patsy Miller).

“She will be back just in time for graduation.”

Milwagon said via email while in Greece that her parents, Miller and Richard Waggoner, were excited when she learned she was her class salutatorian.

“They were proud of me,” Milwagon said. “My parents never overly stressed me being on top of my grades, or tied it to my worth. They have always been supportive of me, no matter what my grades were, but also encouraged me to stay on top of them for my own good.”

Staying on top of her grades wasn’t always a breeze thanks to an array of activities Milwagon was involved in at ESHS.

“I was captain of the Eureka Springs Mountain Biking Team and co-president of College Prep Club,” she said. “I was also involved in NHS, Student Council, Rotary Interact, and NAMI.

“This last summer I was part of the Yale Young Global Scholars program.”

Juggling so many extracurricular activities often meant long hours, Milwagon admitted.

“A lot of late nights, unfortunately,” she said. “There have been a few times where I have definitely struggled and had to play catch-up with my grades, but I have always managed to pull myself together and accomplish what I needed to.”

Milwagon said her biggest interests in the classroom her senior year were chemistry, physics and advanced placement biology.

“They had the biggest impact on what I want to study in the future,” she said.

That future starts this fall when Milwagon said she plans to attend Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colo., and major in environmental science with a focus on chemistry.

In the meantime, Milwagon is wrapping up her time in Greece and getting ready to address attendees at Saturday’s graduation.

“I think it will be fun,” she said of the speech.  “My advice for future students is to be nice to your teachers, and having people who always support you is vital to your success.”