Redwater ISD 2026 Top Ten
Valedictorian—Carson Matthew Wheat
Carson Wheat is the son of Beth and Alton Wheat. He is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, has 40 college credit hours, and is Redwater High School’s 2026 Valedictorian. Wheat is a member of the Redwater National Honor Society, volunteering over 100 hours of community service. He is part of the Excellence in Service Award for helping raise over $2,500 for the Redwater community. Over the years, Wheat has participated in ringing bells for the Salvation Army, cleaning the highway through Adopt-a-Highway, cleaning Dragon Stadium, collecting donations for fundraisers, and handing out water and Gatorade at Run-the-Line. He is also a member of HOSA, Key Club, Spanish National Honor Society, Blue Crew, and a former member of STUCO. Wheat has played for the Redwater Varsity Basketball Team for the past four years. He is currently the captain and helped his team advance to the second round of the UIL state playoffs for the first time in 20 years during his sophomore year. During Wheat’s time on the team, he has been recognized as Academic All-State, a three-time Academic All-District Player, a three-time Second Team All-District Player, and was selected as an All-Star for Team Texas in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Senior Showdown. Outside of school activities, Wheat works 30+ hours a week at Big Jake’s Barbecue, where he is currently a shift supervisor. Wheat has received a scholarship to Texas A&M University, College Station, where he plans to major in economics.
Salutatorian—Ava Susanne Kordsmeier
Ava Kordsmeier is the daughter of Katie and Trey Kordsmeier. She is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, 40 college credit hours, and is Redwater High School’s 2026 Salutatorian. She is a four-year member of the Redwater National Honor Society, where she served as Parliamentarian and is part of the Excellence in Service Award for helping raise over $2,200 for the Redwater community and accumulating over 100 community service volunteer hours, which include ringing bells for the Salvation Army, cleaning the highway through Adopt-a-Highway, and handing out water and Gatorade at Run-the-Line. She is also a member of STUCO, where she has served as president for three years; HOSA, where she earned her Certified Phlebotomy Technician Certificate; Spanish National Honor Society; and Key Club, where she has participated in several community service projects, including Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Kordsmeier is also a four-year member of the Redwater Cheer Team, where she has served as captain for the past two years, leading her team to place in the top 10 teams across the state of Texas all four years. She also received the TGCA All-State, TTGCA Academic All-State, GCA All-Star, UCA All-American, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Cheerleader awards. Additionally, Kordsmeier is a four-year member of the Redwater Powerlifting Team, where she has placed fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh in regional competitions. Finally, she is a four-year member of the Redwater Volleyball Team, where she received Academic All-District and Second Team All-District honors. Kordsmeier plans to attend Texas A&M University–Texarkana, where she has been awarded the Salutatorian Scholarship, and pursue a bachelor’s degree in health sciences to become a radiology technician.
Lucille Katherine Miller
Luci Miller is the daughter of Brian Miller and Leah Pickering. She is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, has 32 college credit hours, and is graduating third in her class. Miller served as a class representative for STUCO her freshman year. She has been a member of FCCLA for the past three years and served as secretary her junior year and president her senior year. She participated in Regional FCCLA competition all three years and was awarded first and fifth place during her sophomore and senior years, qualifying her for the state competition. At state, she placed fifth her senior year. She is a four-year HOSA member and has served as secretary and meeting coordinator her junior and senior years. During her time in HOSA, she obtained a certification in phlebotomy. She was also a member of Key Club during her freshman through junior years, raising money at Alex’s Lemonade Stand for patients with leukemia. She is a member of the Spanish National Honor Society, currently serving as president. She is a three-year member of the Redwater National Honor Society, where she has volunteered numerous hours in her community, including ringing bells for the Salvation Army, serving runners at Run the Line, and helping raise $2,200 for needy families. She is also part of the NHS Excellence in Service Award. She has also been part of the volunteer staff at St. Michael Hospital, where she helped with patient organization. Miller received the Academic Excellence Scholarship at UT Tyler, where she will attend in the fall and pursue a BSN in nursing.
Bailey Marie Usrey
Bailey Usrey is the daughter of Amy and Scott Usrey. She is graduating with a 3.9 GPA, has earned 32 college credit hours, and is graduating fourth in her class from Redwater High School. She is a two-year member of STUCO, where she serves as vice president of the student body. She is also a member of Key Club, where she has helped raise money for leukemia through Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and a three-year member of the National Honor Society, where she has accumulated more than 80 community service hours, including ringing bells for the Salvation Army, cleaning Dragon Stadium, participating in Adopt-a-Highway and National Smokeout, and helping raise more than $2,200 for the Redwater community. Usrey has anchored Dragon TV for the past four years and has been a member of the Redwater and New Boston Powerlifting Teams, where she advanced to regionals and state. She also participated on the Redwater and New Boston volleyball and softball teams. She plans to attend Texas A&M University–Texarkana, where she has been awarded the Soaring Eagle Scholarship. Usrey will major in elementary education and hopes to someday teach first grade.
Tucker Alan Frachiseur
Tucker Frachiseur is the son of Shari and Greg Frachiseur. He is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, has earned 32 college credit hours, and is graduating fifth in his class from Redwater High School. Frachiseur has been a member of the Redwater High School FCCLA for the past three years, where he served as treasurer his junior year and Vice President of Community Service and Social Events his senior year. He received first place at FCCLA regionals and earned a spot at state, where he was awarded the HEB Scholarship for $1,000. He is a two-year member of STUCO, where he served as governor of his 11th-grade class and as president of the student body his senior year. During his time in STUCO, he served on the Vision Committee for improving school campuses and the SHAC Committee for two years to improve the dietary health and menu of Redwater school cafeterias. He is a four-year member of the Redwater Key Club, where he served as webmaster for two years and president for two years. Frachiseur is a three-year member of the Redwater National Honor Society, where he served as president his senior year and earned a $3,200 national scholarship. He is part of the Excellence in Service Award and has accumulated more than 100 community service hours while helping raise $2,200 for his community. Finally, Frachiseur is a member of the Redwater Powerlifting Team, where he advanced to regionals his senior year, and a member of the Redwater Varsity Football Team, where he received First Team All-District and Academic All-State honors and was nominated to play in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Game. In the fall, Frachiseur plans to attend Texas A&M University–Texarkana, where he received an athletic scholarship from the Wacha Family Foundation in the amount of $2,000, the Soaring Eagle Scholarship for $6,000, and an additional $1,000 for Honors College. Frachiseur would like to pursue his doctoral degree in physical therapy. I've edited these for grammar, punctuation, consistency, and your magazine style. I also changed the married parents to wife-first format while leaving unmarried parents unchanged.
Michael Neil Mitchell
Michael Mitchell is the son of Christopher McKinney and Ashley Waller. He is graduating with a 3.96 GPA, has earned 32 college credit hours, and is graduating sixth in his class from Redwater High School. Mitchell is a four-year member of the Redwater Robotics Team, where he has competed at the state level and earned second place at regionals, as well as VEX Robotics, where he was a UIL State Runner-Up during his sophomore year. Mitchell has dedicated more than 165 hours to community service, volunteering through multiple organizations, including Harvest Regional Food Bank, local shelters, and community outreach programs. He is a three-year member of the National Honor Society, where he helped raise $2,200 for needy families in Redwater and participated in multiple cleanup projects, including Adopt-a-Highway and Dragon Stadium. He is also the reporter/historian for the Redwater Spanish National Honor Society and a member of the Computer Science UIL Team, where he received a second-place award at regional competition that qualified him for state. He is a four-year member of HOSA and has served as vice president and president during his sophomore and junior years. He is a two-year member of STUCO, where he served as Junior Class Lieutenant Governor and Senior Class Secretary, and a four-year member of Key Club, where he served as vice president his junior year. Mitchell was selected to serve on the Superintendent's Dragon Cabinet from his freshman through senior years. He is currently enrolled in a CCMA program in pursuit of the medical field and is the recipient of the Texas Leadership Scholars Program, where he was awarded a $6,000 scholarship in addition to the Soaring Eagle Scholarship and Honors College Scholarship to Texas A&M University–Texarkana, where he will attend in the fall to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Mitchell plans to become a hospital pharmacist and pursue a Pharm.D.
Tad Hudson Estes
Tad Estes is the son of Sara and Dustin Estes. He is graduating with a 3.98 GPA, has earned 40 college credit hours, and is graduating seventh in his class. Estes is a three-year member of the Redwater Tennis Team and a four-year member of the Redwater Cross Country Team, where he has received the Leadership Award twice and was named MVP his junior year. Estes was also a member of the Redwater Track Team, where he won several awards, placing between first and sixth in local meets. He is a member of the Blue Crew, Key Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and HOSA. Estes has accumulated more than 100 community service hours through his various organizations, including raising money for leukemia through Alex's Lemonade Stand and the annual Redwater Color Run. He has also helped raise $2,200 for the Redwater community and has served at numerous volunteer events, such as ringing bells for the Salvation Army, participating in Adopt-a-Highway, cleaning Dragon Stadium, and handing out water and Gatorade at Run-the-Line. Estes has accepted multiple scholarships to Texas A&M University–Texarkana, including the Soaring Eagle Scholarship and Honors College Scholarship, where he plans to attend in the fall and pursue degrees in psychology and biology. Estes plans to eventually practice dermatology.
Alexis Krystal Sorsby
Alexis Sorsby is the daughter of Kristy and William "Billy" Sorsby. She is graduating with a 3.98 GPA, has earned 26 college credit hours, and is graduating eighth in her class from Redwater High School. Sorsby has been a member of the Redwater High School Band since her freshman year. During that time, she has served as drum major and captain of the woodwinds and has helped lead the band to earn several awards, including sixth place at state during her sophomore year and third place at state during her junior and senior years. She has earned Sweepstakes medals all four years. She is currently a member of HOSA, where she serves as Social Media Coordinator and has earned a certification in phlebotomy; the Spanish National Honor Society, and the National Honor Society, where she has participated in numerous community service projects, such as ringing bells for the Salvation Army, handing out water and Gatorade at Run-the-Line, and helping raise $2,200 for the Redwater community. Sorsby has accumulated more than 200 community service hours volunteering with her church, Key Club, and other organizations. She is a four-year member of the Redwater Powerlifting Team and has advanced to regionals three out of four years, placing first and advancing to state her junior year. She was named Dragon Heart for her accomplishments. She is also a four-year member of the Redwater Tennis Team, where she has competed at regionals for the past three years and was named MVP last year. She has been a member of the UIL Science Team and earned the top Chemistry score her sophomore year. Sorsby is the recipient of the Blue and Gold Scholarship and a stackable band scholarship to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas, where she will pursue a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Sorsby hopes to become a powerlifting and tennis coach.
Ella Brooke Calhoon
Ella Calhoon is the daughter of Tanya and Greg Calhoon. She is graduating with a 3.96 GPA, has earned 40 college credit hours, and is ninth in her class at Redwater High School. She is a member of Key Club, where she raised money for leukemia and participated in several community service projects. She is also a four-year member of STUCO, serving as secretary and class representative. She is a member of the Spanish National Honor Society and the Redwater Chapter of the National Honor Society, where she has accumulated more than 100 community service hours and has helped raise $4,700 for the Redwater community. Calhoon is part of the Excellence in Service Award earned in 2023 and has participated in ringing bells for the Salvation Army, handing out water and Gatorade at Run-the-Line, cleaning the highway through Adopt-a-Highway, and painting faces at the Redwater Fall Carnival in 2023. She is a four-year member of the Redwater Cheerleading Team, where she has served as captain for the past two years, leading her team to place in the top 10 teams across the state of Texas all four years. She also received the Academic All-State, UCA All-American, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Cheerleader awards. Calhoon is also a four-year member of the Redwater Lady Dragons Softball Team, where she plays left field. She was awarded Second Team Outfielder her junior year, Honorable Mention her sophomore year, and was named MVP last year. Calhoon was a two-year member of the Redwater Varsity Volleyball Team, where she earned Academic All-District honors her senior year. Aside from school, Calhoon serves at Northern Hills Baptist Church, where she volunteers in the nursery and serves on the leadership and worship teams for the youth. Calhoon is the recipient of the Soaring Eagle Scholarship and plans to attend Texas A&M University–Texarkana in the fall, where she will pursue a degree in pre-therapy and kinesiology. Calhoon hopes to later pursue a career in pediatric occupational therapy.
Avery June Barron
Avery Barron is the daughter of Heather and Jeremy Barron. She is graduating with a 3.87 GPA, has earned 40 college credit hours, and is tenth in her class at Redwater High School.
Barron is a four-year member of the Redwater Cheerleading Team, where she has served as captain for the past two years, leading her team to place in the top 10 teams across the state of Texas all four years. She also received the Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Cheerleader award. She is also a four-year member of the Redwater Lady Dragons Volleyball Team, where she received Honorable Mention and Academic All-District honors the past two years. She is also a member of the Redwater Lady Dragons Softball Team, where she received Academic All-District honors all four years and Honorable Mention and First Team All-District Outfielder honors her junior year. Barron is a member of HOSA, the Spanish National Honor Society, Key Club, and the Redwater Chapter of the National Honor Society, where she served as secretary and accumulated more than 100 community service hours. Barron has participated in Alex's Lemonade Stand, raising money for leukemia, and the annual Redwater Color Run, raising money for the Redwater community. Additionally, she has participated in ringing bells for the Salvation Army, cleaning the highway through Adopt-a-Highway, handing out water and Gatorade at Run-the-Line, and cleaning Dragon Stadium. She has helped raise $4,700 for the Redwater community through NHS. She is also the Lieutenant Governor of the senior class for STUCO and a leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is an active member of Northern Hills Baptist Church, where she serves on the leadership and worship teams. Barron plans to attend Texas A&M University–Texarkana, where she received the Soaring Eagle Scholarship, and pursue a BSN and a CRNA.
