Liberty High School

Outstanding orator: Haley Brown, a 2014 graduate, placed third in this year’s national speech competition.

Brown, a four-year member of the high school speech and debate squad, placed in the expository category at the National Speech and Debate Association tournament in Overland Park.

To compete at the national tournament, students must place among the top competitors at a district tournament. Brown has qualified twice.

North Kansas City School District

Talent identified: Four seventh-graders earned Grand Recognition in the Duke University Talent Identification Program.

They are Kathryn Bullock and Kathryn Lindsay of Maple Park Middle School, Keshvi Mahalingam of New Mark Middle School and Viet Nguyen of Antioch Middle School.

The students were selected as academically talented based on college-entrance exam scores. They qualified for Grand Recognition by scoring at the highest levels on the ACT or SAT test. Those tests measure the aptitude of college-bound high school seniors.

Grand winners were invited to a ceremony at Duke University in Durham, N. C.