Newport High School senior Haley Nordwick, a Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program member, has been honored as a Harold H. “Hal” Smith Scholar.
The Hal Smith Award is named in honor of Harold R. Smith, a Newport native and Newport High School graduate, and is given each year to a student who graduates from a high school in Northern Kentucky’s river cities. Nordwick is believed to be the first Newport student to win the award, according to Newport Independent Schools Superintendent Tony Watts.
Nordwick was a 2023 governor’s scholar who studied Spanish at Morehead State University last summer. The Governor’s Scholars Program is a five-week summer experience for outstanding high school students in Kentucky who have completed their junior year and are rising seniors.
“We are always excited when our kids excel,” Watts said. “Haley represents the Newport schools extremely well, and we look forward to her doing big things as she continues her education at NKU.”
Upon graduation from Newport High School, Nordwick plans to continue pursuing a nursing degree at Northern Kentucky University, where she is already attending classes through the Young Scholars Academy Program at NKU.