VBHS Arkansas Scholars Awards Ceremony

The Van Buren Chamber Education and Workforce Committee, in conjunction with the Van Buren School District, will honor Van Buren High School’s most exceptional students at its 2023 Arkansas Scholars Awards Ceremony on April 25th.
 
Arkansas Scholars is a prestigious distinction given only to graduates who have achieved a 95% or better attendance record in their four years of high school. The students must also have a "C" or higher average and have completed all the required courses to graduate in four years. Each scholar is presented with a certificate at the ceremony and awarded a medallion at graduation.
 
The ceremony will take place at the Van Buren Fine Arts Center and will include a special program honoring the graduates.

New this year for employers
Career Connection will take place before and after the ceremony, featuring display tables for employers and universities to share career opportunities with the graduating seniors and their parents or guardians. The hours are 4:30 pm until 6 pm and again from 7 pm until 8 pm.  For details on how to sponsor the Arkansas Scholars Ceremony and participate in Career Connection, click here.  To register as a sponsor, click on the "Registration" button on the right hand side of this page. 

Sponsorship of this event supports scholarships presented to graduating VBHS students who will be attending University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and Arkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus this fall. 

 

 

Key Note Speaker

Randy McClaren II Plant Manager Bekaert Van Buren

Randy McClaren II is the Plant Manager at Bekaert Corporation’s Van Buren, Arkansas Manufacturing facility, where he is responsible for more than 450 team members and an annual payroll of more than $28M. 

By focusing on innovation, best in class quality, continuous improvement methods and customer relationships, he has led Bekaert Van Buren to record breaking achievements and business growth, including 2 plant expansions in 3 years.

Randy has been recognized by The Wire Journal as a Rising Hot Shot in the Metal Transformation profession and by Bekaert Corporation for his investment in building employee relationships and leading transformational change.

When not at Bekaert, Randy enjoys trout fishing and loves spending time managing The Arkansas Chosen Few, a travel baseball team which includes his son as a member.