CFHS seniors awarded over $340K

CLARK FORK — This year’s Clark Fork High School seniors have big plans for the future.

To help carry out those plans, the 17 seniors received more than $340,000 in scholarships this year, many of which were awarded during the school’s annual scholarship banquet last Thursday.

“This is an incredible group of kids,” CFHS counselor Leslie Brady told the crowd that gathered at the banquet.

It was a bittersweet moment not only for the school staff and family members, but for some of the groups who awarded scholarships to the high school’s seniors. The Filling Station, for example, awarded their $1,000 scholarship to a student who “more or less” grew up in the youth center.

“The competition was tough, but our board did come out with one that stood out on top,” said Joyce Hatcher with the Filling Station, announcing Ellie Lambert as the scholarship’s recipient.

Hatcher said Lambert was part of nearly every Filling Station event that took place over the years, including participating in Operation Christmas Child, where Clark Fork teens give back by sending Christmas gifts to children around the world. As with many of the groups that presented throughout the evening, Hatcher said the youth center had more applicants than in previous years.

About 40 different groups awarded scholarships to the students throughout the night, several local to Clark Fork, such as the Filling Station, Clark Fork Boosters, Clark Fork Homemakers, the Hope Memorial Community Center and the Hope Church, among others. A number of other community organizations from Sandpoint and across the county presented scholarships to the CFHS seniors last week as well. While most of the scholarship recipients are chosen through the application process for a set amount by the organization or group, one student was surprised by Bonner County Commissioner Dan McDonald, who was at the banquet representing the Idaho Association of Counties.

“I am so impressed by your achievements, I am going to personally give you $1,000 as well,” McDonald told CFHS senior Grace Shelton, who received the IAC award.

Another scholarship awarded solely to CFHS students each year is the Hoyt and Edith Schuyler scholarship. CFHS principal Phil Kemink said when a young lady walked into his office one day and said she wanted to donate some money, he didn’t think too much of it. After all, people do donate to the school on occasion.

“Who would have ever guessed that would have been in the amount of $500,000,” Kemink said. “The sweet thing about this is we have been able to invest it ... It brings back a pretty good return every year, so we have been able to live off the interest — it is one of those scholarships that will last forever.”

Nine of the seniors were awarded anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 from the Hoyt and Edith Schuyler scholarship fund.

The CFHS class of 2019 includes Riley Engelhart, Lucy Selph, Tessa Sutton, Ali Sutton, Lily Simko, Ellie Lambert, Toben Pincher, Michael Myers, Jordan Dick, Niko Holborn, Brooke Stevens, Grace Shelton, Theo Icardo, Doshia Beltran, Dakota West, Hailey Bristol, Nick Miller.

“I love each and every one of you, and I am so proud, not only of your academic achievements, but who you have become as people,” Brady said as the banquet came to a close.

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