Warren Central High School saw 228 students join the ranks of fellow Viking alumni at Friday evening’s commencement ceremony at Viking Stadium.

Among those Vikings receiving diplomas and turning their tassels were valedictorian Madison Kendall and salutatorian Matthew Register.

Kendall, the daughter of Susan and Tom Kendall, has attended schools in the Vicksburg Warren School District since kindergarten, and she said for a student to be top in his or her class, it is important to put first things first.

“You have to make sure to get school work done before everything else, and you have to study,” she said. “It’s basically just prioritizing school as being number one over all your other activities.”

At Warren Central Kendall served as Mu Alpha Theta president and district governor and the National Honor Society vice president. She is a former member of the band and a two-year member of the tennis team.

Kendall attends Crawford Street United Methodist Church, and she participates in the Service Over Self philanthropy project each year. She has been a Red Cord participant all four years of high school, which requires students to complete 50 service hours per year.

Kendall said she’ll miss seeing her friends every day.

“I’ve been in class with some of these people since kindergarten,” she said.

In the fall, Kendall will major in computer science at Mississippi State University, where she is eligible for a $6,000 scholarship for being Warren Central’s STAR student.

“I’m looking forward to finding all the opportunities available and meeting new people,” she said.

Register, the son of Penny and Bryan Register, was born and raised in Vicksburg, and he attributes some of his success to focusing on time management.

“Get to know your teachers well,” he said. “Learn to study and work harder than you think you need to.”

Register serves as secretary for Mu Alpha Theta and parliamentarian for National Honor Society. He is also in Rho Kappa, plays tennis and runs cross country. Register is a former member of the baseball and soccer teams and the band.

“I’m going to miss the pep rallies. I like the Friday night football games. It’s a good atmosphere,” he said. “I’m going to miss a lot of the guys on the tennis team. We got really close this year, and it’s going to be tough to leave them.”

Register attends First Presbyterian Church where he plays the bass guitar in the youth band. He participates in Red Cord, completing 50 service hours each year. Register works at the tennis courts teaching lessons to local youth.

Register will attend Mississippi State University where he plans to study biomedical engineering.

“Both of my parents went to Mississippi State, so I’m looking forward to keeping the family tradition,” he said. “We’re going to have a good baseball and basketball team next year, so sports wise, it’ll be fun. I’m just looking forward to the challenge of college curriculum and studying hard to keep a good GPA.”

With his high school career officially over Register said he wanted to thank his youth director Thomas Callen, his tennis coach Jeff Pilgrim and the Turner family.