Amelia Strittmatter and Chloe Hartman earned the top honors for the Tioga High School Class of 2026.
Strittmatter, the class valedictorian, said she was grateful for the plethora of opportunities that being in Tioga ISD provided her from sixth grade on.
'Tioga has been able to give me a lot of opportunities that let me see different ... areas of the world and learning that I might not have gotten to see if I didn't go to a smaller school like this,' she said. 'I got to be involved in so much.'
She participated in athletics, playing volleyball and tennis, and she delved into theater, theatrical design and FCCLA.
'Freshman year for One Act Play, we went to state and we got seventh there, and then this year we ended up being lucky enough to go back to state,' Strittmatter said. 'We ended up getting fifth, so that was a big accomplishment for us.'
She also went to state three times for FCCLA.
Strittmatter will head in the fall to College Station to attend Texas A&M University.
'I'll be majoring in human development and family sciences, kind of as a pre-occupational therapy track,' she said.
She added that her work in FCCLA as well as being part of the staff of the Tioga Early Childhood Development Center have influenced her.
'I've always wanted to work with kids,' she said.
She also said she is grateful for the way her parents, Lindsey and Andrew Strittmatter have supported her, as well as the influence of her teachers Haley Hertel and Christi Crowe.
Hartman, too, has been involved in a variety of activities at Tioga High School, including FCCLA and academic UIL.
'This year and last year, I went to state in accounting,' she said.
Hartman began her education in Tioga ISD in the pre-K 4 class.
She also serves on the Tioga Volunteer Fire Department.
'My stepdad is the chief, and so I'm part of the Explorer program, which is just for high school students who are looking into stuff like that,' Hartman said.
She spoke with great appreciation and love for her mother, Jennifer Hartman, and her stepfather, Richard Hartman, who have supported her and encourage her to pursue her goals.
That includes her plan to attend Rice University in the fall.
'I'm planning to major in political science and eventually go to law school after that,' she said.
Her interest in practicing law focuses on family law right now with environmental law as a possibility, as well, Hartman said.
Rice's culture of connecting students and helping them create their network with fellow students who have similiar interests was a part of what drew Hartman to the prestigious university.
She also mentioned her gratitude for Jennifer Nevins, who taught her in seventh grade and again for sophomore English.
'She's been a really big inspiration for me to look up to, because of the way she carries herself and her attitude towards everything,' Hartman said.
She also provided extra support to Hartman in middle school.
'She's one of those teachers that you just kind of never forget,' she said.
