Plymouth High School names Valedictorian and Salutatorian for Class of 2026

Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 10:00 PM

By Kathy Bottorff

Plymouth High School has announced its top two academic achievers for the Class of 2026, recognizing Rongtian "Ray" Ye as Valedictorian and Karli Grace Crum as Salutatorian.

Ray Ye, son of Huazhuo and Lan Ye, finishes his high school career with a grade point average of 4.17 on a 4.0 scale. In addition to fulfilling all local and state graduation requirements, Ye leaves Plymouth High School having earned 54 college credits. During his four years at PHS, he competed in Boys Cross Country, Swim & Dive, and Track, and was an active member of the National Honor Society. He also participated in Interact, Speech and Debate, SEED, Spanish, LEAD, and AFS Clubs.

Karli Grace Crum, daughter of Dave and Julie Crum, earned a grade point average of 4.16 on a 4.0 scale and also departs PHS with 54 college credits to her name. Crum was a member of Future Teachers of America throughout high school, serving as Officer at Large during her senior year, and was also involved in Spanish Club, Pep Club, Sunshine Society, Key Club, and National Honor Society.

Crum's academic excellence earned her numerous honors and scholarships during her time at PHS. She was nominated as a Rising Star of Indiana for the Class of 2026 and received several prestigious recognitions from College Board, including National Recognition for Student Achievement in Rural and Small Towns, National Top School Recognition, and the AP Scholar award. Among the scholarships she received are the Richard and Betty Heiser Scholarship, the Delta Theta Tau Sorority Scholarship, the Zimmer Biomet Scholarship, the Marshall County Reading Council Scholarship, the Robert E. and Helen L. Kirkley Memorial Scholarship, and multiple scholarships from Purdue University.

This fall, Crum will attend Purdue University as a First-Year Engineering student with plans to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering.