Delta and Oak Ridge valedictorians tell how their interests in agriculture and engineering help spur their academic success

Dallas Naramore

2012 valedictorian, Delta High School

Delta High School's highest achieving senior in 2012, Dallas Naramore, spent every summer since he was a kid working for his grandparents in Salem, Mo., where he farmed hay and cattle.

"I don't know how work fits into a teenager's mind," he said. "But I love to."

In his spare time, he loves to hunt and fish, which is why he chose to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo. Rolla is a great area for an outdoor sportsman, Naramore said.

He plans to study mechanical engineering, but that decision isn't final, he said, and he still has two years to fully make up his mind. Naramore thinks he will go into that area of study because he wants to be able to create machines that are energy-efficient. He even decided to get an early start in his studies with an at-home project -- this summer he is building a diesel engine that could get as much as 50 miles per gallon when he is finished, he said.

"I like to build things, you know, just tinker," he said. "There's no feeling like getting something to work."

Naramore's quest for knowledge through work and projects paid off big when he took the ACT. He scored a 32 on the science section. He is quite proud of that, he said, but his proudest moments in high school came when he was announced as a recipient of a Bright Flight scholarship -- he and his parents were estatic, he said, and when he received a state degree from the FFA.

Dustin Oehl (Laura Simon)

Dustin Oehl

2012 valedictorian, Oak Ridge High School

Dustin Oehl said he didn't become valedictorian of Oak Ridge High School's class of 2012 on purpose.

"It just kind of happened," Oehl said. "Doing well is what happens when you find your passion."

Oehl's passion in high school, and now, is participation in 4-H. And that's involvement that wasn't school-related.

Throughout his school years, he took on numerous 4-H projects, from goats and poultry to quilting and computers.

Those projects, he said, "were interesting for sure. You always have to be open to new things."

His involvement has taken him all the way to the top: He is the current Missouri State 4-H Council president, representing 95,000 members statewide.

4-H also led him to making decisions about post-high school life. He will attend the University of Missouri-Columbia, which he has visited many times for various 4-H events since he was 8 years old. Going to a familiar place, yet huge compared to his small town, will help his transition to college, he said. He isn't yet sure what he wants to study, but education or business are among his considerations.

"I like to help people, so I really think either of those would work," he said.

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