MOUNT VERNON – Beckett Pechon-Elkins, a senior already enrolled at Yale University, is the Knox Educational Service Center’s selection for the 35th annual Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Awards Program.
“I was super excited to learn that I had been chosen, but I never thought of myself as being selected from the entire county,” Beckett said. “I’m still trying to take it all in.”
Beckett ranks first academically in his class of 287.
The awards program is named in honor of Walter, Ohio’s 31st State Superintendent of Public Instruction. It was established in 1989 by the Ohio Educational Service Centers Association to promote and recognize outstanding student leaders for their academic achievement and service to their schools and communities.
Each public school district served by Knox ESC – Centerburg, Clear Fork, Danville, East Knox, Fredericktown and Mount Vernon – submitted a senior nominee. A Knox ESC committee scored the nominees on the basis of the statewide criteria, which included an essay by each of the seniors.
Knox ESC Superintendent Dr. Timm Mackley praised all of the county nominees.
“Each of the seniors nominated by our client districts has an outstanding record of achievement,” Mackley said. “I believe all of them will be successful in post-secondary education and in their respective career paths.”
Beckett, who will study French and global affairs at Yale, has always had an interest in languages because “true fluency comes from pursuing the underlying meanings that unite us all.
“That’s who I want to be: someone who strives to connect the world with language and understanding,” he said. “I still can’t pinpoint the exact words that will define my future career – maybe diplomacy, perhaps international law. I want to have the opportunity to travel and meet people who don’t necessarily agree with me.”
Beckett has been teaching himself the Russian language daily for a year, a process that he describes as “a little frustrating at times but always interesting.”
“I enjoy trying new things,” he said.
That doesn’t surprise Jackie Wihl, chair of the guidance department at MVHS.
“I see Beckett as being very intellectually curious,” Wihl said. “I believe that is evident in the courses that he has taken in high school and ones he has pursed on the (Kenyon) college campus.”
Beckett’s high school career has included student body president, student council, French Club, National Honor Society, music and tennis.
Last summer, he was an intern in the Knox County Clerk of Courts office, where he worked to integrate court records into the computer system while training new interns. He has served as a coach for the United States Tennis Association, teaching fundamentals to 5- and 6-year-olds, and has worked in the restaurant at the Kenyon Inn.
He is quick to give credit to his parents, Katherine Elkins and Jon Chun.
“I have very supportive parents, definitely,” Beckett said. “They have never pushed me, but if I wanted to do something, they have always been there supporting me, cheering me on. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
While Beckett has exceptional academic and intellectual talents, Whil points to his character.
“Beckett is a very kind person,” she said. “Some kids with his talents can be very snooty. Not Beckett. He wants to involve others and listen to what they say. His attitude is a real strength.”
Accompanied by MVHS Principal Cory Caughlan, Mackley and his parents, Beckett attended the Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Awards Program on May 3 at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in the Lewis Center. The event, which recognized nominees from all 51 state ESCs, will be live-streamed on the OESCA YouTube channel.
