Seniors garner $178,000 in awards

SANDPOINT — More than 50 community members and organizations awarded Sandpoint High School seniors a total of $178,764 on Tuesday.

During the school's annual Scholarship Night, 73 students received 207 awards from the individuals and groups offering scholarships this year.

"This group of seniors is spectacular," said SHS postsecondary counselor Jeralyn Mire. "They are going on and doing phenomenal things, and it has been our pleasure to serve them."

College and Career mentor Kendall Stratton has been working with the seniors this year to help prepare them for the next chapter of their life, including implementation of a scholarship club to help them with what can be a daunting process for many students. 

"This class has been an absolute pleasure to work with all year," Stratton said. "So many of them were so determined, had great questions, and very on top of the ball all the time. With Scholarship Club and our Scholarship Work Day, students really utilized to the best of their abilities the time set aside for them to solely work on scholarships. I think that these opportunities were great for students to focus on one thing and complete them right then and there.

"Also, a huge shout out and show of gratitude to our incredible community. Opportunities like the numerous ones our community provides to our students makes me incredibly thankful and proud of the community we live in."

While many of the individuals and organizations return each year to offer money to the students, and Mire said she is excited that four new groups joined the local scholarship program this year, including the Marine Corps Detachment 1100 William E. Barber Memorial, Juneau Family, Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club and John Porter Memorial scholarships.

"The generosity of our community is astounding and so appreciated," Mire said. "It is also exciting that many of the groups are now offering scholarships to students in college. Financial hardship is one of the main factors for students not completing college or a tech program. The fact that our community is willing to help these students out with scholarships is incredible."

The group that awarded the most scholarships of the night was the Rotary Club of Ponderay, distributing $16,000 to 29 students. Community Assistance League wasn't far behind, awarding 21 scholarships to SHS seniors from their 89 applicants. CAL also distributed the largest amount from one organization, awarding a total of $30,000.

A special honor was presented to SHS senior Dutt Rogers during this year's event. With 16,500 applicants from across the country, Rogers was one of 1,200 students who received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy for the class of 2022, said Maj. Walter Finney of Priest River, who presented Rogers with his certificate of appointment on behalf of the superintendent of the academy. 

"Appointment to the United States Naval Academy is equivalent to a full four-year scholarship, including all tuition, room and board, medical and dental benefits and monthly midshipman stipend, so while some of you are paying to go to school, he will be getting paid to go school," Finney said.

In all, Finney said the schooling and training is valued at approximately $350,000.

"Sandpoint should be very proud of Dutt's achievements," Finney said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@Bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.