Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Scholarships topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lincoln High hands out 260 scholarships totaling $374,000 to 96 students
Summary
Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids held its annual scholarship awards program, where donors, foundations and community organizations presented 260 awards worth $374,000 to 96 graduating seniors, school leaders said.
Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids presented 260 scholarships totaling $374,000 to 96 graduating seniors at a school awards program, Principal Rod Watson said.
Watson, who opened the program, thanked donors and volunteers and introduced presenters from local clubs, foundations and businesses who handed out awards across academic, technical and community-service categories. “In giving out these awards and recognizing all the students for the excellent work they’ve done, we just gave away 260 awards to 96 students for $374,000,” Watson said.
The program grouped awards by type and sponsor. The school recognized students earning “highest honors” — those with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher — and named recipients of district- and state-level awards such as Academic Excellence scholarships (Lincoln receives three awards based on enrollment), Technical Excellence scholarships tied to Wisconsin technical colleges, and National Merit scholarships supported by the Mead Witter Foundation. Examples announced during the program included Academic Excellence recipients Allison Johns, Haley Jensen and Payton Lacombe; Technical Excellence recipients Koren Belke, Corinne Belke (presented as Corinne Belke/Corinne Belkke in remarks), Riley Look and Cash Runsteadler; and Mead Witter National Merit scholarship recipients Haley Jensen and Austin Tisland.
Community organizations and donor groups presented many named scholarships and cited specific selection criteria. Donna Anderson, board secretary for the Encourage Community Foundation, outlined that Encourage has awarded thousands of scholarships in the region and that award amounts presented at the event ranged from $500 to $6,500; she said individual award amounts were provided in envelopes to recipients rather than announced publicly. Other sponsors represented during the program included Lions and Rotary clubs, the Wisconsin Lions Camp, Mid-State Technical College Foundation, Aspirus Riverview Foundation, the Mead Witter Foundation, local Masonic organizations, and numerous family memorial funds.
Several scholarships were designated for particular fields or qualifications: the Technical Excellence scholarships were for students planning to attend Wisconsin technical colleges; the Foundation for Rural Service award supported students from rural communities; and employer- or industry-sponsored scholarships targeted students entering STEM, trades, or healthcare fields. The Waterworks and Lighting Commission scholarship was described as renewable for up to four years for a student whose studies align with utility careers. Presenters also noted some awards were renewable and some were one-time grants; the Encourage Community Foundation representative said recipients must follow enclosed instructions in their award envelopes to accept funds.
School and district leaders framed the program as a community effort. Ron Rasmussen, superintendent of Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools, thanked donors and volunteers and noted Rotary’s local initiatives in addition to its scholarship support. Presenters repeatedly acknowledged volunteer reviewers who selected recipients from applicant pools and noted competitive application processes for some awards: the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Foundation said it received 123 applications statewide and awarded 20 scholarships; the Foundation for Rural Service said it received more than 2,000 applications nationally and awarded 50 scholarships.
Organizers read names for many dozens of named awards across athletics, arts, vocational, and memorial scholarship funds and asked recipients to hold applause until lists were complete when multiple awards were read in sequence. Presenters and school staff also recognized the performing arts students and technicians who supported the event.
Watson closed by congratulating the class and noting this ceremony was one of the final large gatherings before commencement: he reminded seniors of an upcoming ceremony “next Sunday” and invited attendees to receive refreshments in the lobby.
