Being designated the top graduates of the South Effingham High School class of 2015 was a welcome status for Jake Elliott and Cody Morgan.
Elliott, the valedictorian, is headed to the University of Georgia later this summer, while Morgan, the salutatorian, will attend Georgia Southern University.

Caitlyn Richtman has been named the honoraria.

“I was pretty happy about it,” Elliott said of earning valedictorian distinction. “I feel blessed I was able to accomplish this.”

Said Morgan: “I’m proud to be salutatorian, and I feel a lot of other people have worked equally as hard.”

Elliott also played football and baseball, so managing his time and his workload was paramount.

“It was a lot of time management,” he said. “I’d get home from practice and start working on it for however long it took and go to bed whenever I got done. It was a lot of work, but I made sure I came home and did my work every night and just got it done.”

Morgan echoed how much effort was expended to achieve top-flight grades and maintain those standards.

“It’s been a lot of work,” he said. “I spent several hours a night working on homework and taking care of everything as best I can.”

Elliott will undertake a pre-medicine course of study at Georgia, and he’s had his sights set on the Athens school for years.

“It’s just a good school,” he said. “I’ve wanted to go there since I was a kid. I’m happy to make that dream come true.”

Morgan intends to stay at Georgia Southern for at least one year but is undecided about what he wants to study.

“Maybe something with biology,” he offered.

Elliott called l the fellowship with his friends and playing sports a good experience for him during his four years at South Effingham. Elliott’s athletic career has included some of the biggest moments in the school’s interscholastic activities, and he took note of how much athletic accomplishments had an effect on the school and student body.

“It feels great to make a run,” he said, “and the school gets excited when you advance to the next round.”

Morgan said South Effingham is “a great school,” and picking a favorite a class was tough for him.

“There have been a lot of good moments,” he said. “I’m just happy to have good teachers and a good student body. It’s been a good four years.”

For Elliott, his favorite subject is “definitely math,” either calculus or statistics.

“I like the logic behind it,” he said.