Class of 2015 President’s Dinner

By Michael Evans and Paul Hudson

This week the Gatton Academy senior class enjoyed a welcome back dinner at President Ransdell’s house where we were reminded of the unique educational opportunities at Western Kentucky University. The best of Western’s staff were in attendance along with two exemplary students who demonstrated just how beneficial a Hilltopper education could be.

The first student speaker was Will Johnson, a Gatton alumnus. Currently, Will is studying mechanical engineering and conducts applied mathematics research. Specifically, he utilized a photographic quadcopter to explore the sinkhole under Bowling Green’s Corvette museum. Will’s research demonstrated that research can be both practical and purposeful; the quadcopter allowed the sinkhole to be explored from safe distance.

Following Will’s talk, WKU student Sarah Fox shared her experiences of helping disadvantaged youth using music with us. She earned multiple scholarships while at Western Kentucky University and benefited from the supportive learning environment of WKU. Her talk helped drive home the amount of personal attention students receive during their time on the Hill.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the night was the ping pong tournament where Gatton seniors competed against Dr. Claus Ernst for the “Sierpinski” trophy. The trophy will now be handed down to a new ping pong victor each year. This year’s champion was Will Walters who won the tournament after an intense game of “around the world”.

The event ended with a bang with Dr. Ernst and President Ransdell facing each other in a final ping pong battle. Eventually, Dr. Ernst was victorious. Following the event, everyone returned back to the Academy with not only a better understanding of the opportunities offered by Western University, but also the ping pong skills of its faculty.