Sandpoint Elks recognize region's top students
Sandpoint Elks Lodge No. 1376 has recognized the region’s top students of the month.
To be selected as an Elk’s student of the month, students must meet guidelines for character, citizenship, service, scholarship and leadership.
The Elks actively seek to reward youth through many different programs including scholarship awards, Hoop Shoot tournaments, dictionary donations to third graders, drug awareness programs and many other activities and programs.
Sandpoint Elks Lodge award thousands of dollars in scholarships and local students also received an additional money in state and national Elk scholarships. The Elks are the third largest awarder of scholarships in the county and several students have received large scholarships from the state and national level of Elks.
At Sandpoint High School, students of the month are: Owen Stebbins, April; Mackenzie Packer, May; Erik Jerome Suhr, May; Robert Lloyd Stevens, May; and Caden Gatlin, May.
Below are the biographies submitted by the students.
- Owen Stebbins, Sandpoint High School — Owen Stebbins was selected as a student of the month for April.
Owen Stebbins, son of Brooke and Josh Stebbins, is a senior at Sandpoint High School whose interests include hunting and fishing.
Owen is the president of the Welding Club and was a captain of the wrestling team as well as a finalist at the state championships. Owen plans to attend Montana State University and major in chemical engineering.?
- Mackenzie Packer, Sandpoint High School — The daughter of Glen Balison and Sheila Balison, Mac-kenzie Packer was named a student of the month for May.
She is the editor-in-chief of the San-dpoint High School’s yearbook, and is also one of the photo editors for the student newspaper, the Cedar Post. a national award-winning newspaper. She spends a lot of my time at school events photographing the sports and student life that goes on. She will be graduating with high honors, and I am a top Idaho scholar.
She has an unweighted GPA of 3.96, 19th of 201 students; and a weighted GPA of 4.073, 26th of 201.
- Erik Jerome Suhr, Sandpoint High School — The son of Stacey and Jackie Rucker, and David Suhr, Erik Suhr is ranked eighth in his class with a 4.314 GPA.
He is a member of the track and field and football members, as well as the school’s Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, and Pep Band. He received the 2016 SHS Varsity Football Scholar-Athlete Award, being a member of the varsity football team that placed second at state in 2015 and recently getting all first place trophies with the Jazz and Symphonic Bands in the World Strides Heritage Festival in San Francisco.
- Robert Lloyd Stevens, Sandpoint High School — The son of Gina (and Nathan) Hall and David (and Laurie) Stevens, Robert Stevens was named a student of the month for May.
A senior at SHS, he is highly involved in the SHS Men’s Choir and Mime and Masque, serving as the secretary- treaurer of both groups. He has participated in the Idaho All-State Honor Choir for two years, and the All-Northwest Honor Jazz Choir. He has placed third in Musical Theatre at Drama State Competition and placing first two years in a row in vocal bass at district solo and ensemble. He is ranked 32nd in his class and has a GPA of 4.0
- Caden Gatlin, Sandpoint High School — The son of Paul and Sarah Wilmot, Caden Gatlin was named a student of the month for May.
In his spare time, he loves to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors by hiking, fishing, hunting, frisbee golfing, swimming, and other similar activities. When he isn’t in school, Caden work on a horse ranch in Cocolalla, where he is the operations manager of the wide variety of tasks they encounter.
In his high school career, he has earned achievements which include being a part of Idaho’s Top Scholars Program: Top 10% of Juniors in Idaho, as well as earning the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists Award of Excellence.
He is ranked 25th in his class for weighted GPA with a 4.083 GPA, and 17th for unweighted GPA with a GPA of 3.981.