Charles City High School seniors awarded $47,500 at Dollars for Scholars event

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Fifty-one area seniors received scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $2,500 Sunday evening at the annual Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars awards presentation.

A total of $47,500 was awarded to the upcoming graduates from Charles City High School, Carrie Lane High School, Floyd Gospel Lighthouse Academy and area homeschooled students, Melanie Johanningmeier explained at the ceremony.

“Local Dollars for Scholars applications are scored anonymously in the areas of academic achievement, scholastic aptitude, leadership, community service, work experience and need,” said Johanningmeier, a member of the Dollars for Scholars board of directors who acted as emcee at the presentation.

Scholarships are awarded blindly, using numbers to identify the students while following any eligibility criteria for the individual scholarships, she said.

The 2021 event marks the 25th anniversary of the group awarding scholarships, and since the group’s inception in 1996 it has awarded $638,750 to 1,215 graduating seniors, she said.

Stewart and Nina Coulson were the first guest speakers, recognized for helping found the organization.

“I’m talking about a topic I truly love,” said Stewart Coulson. “It’s been a great honor of mine to be involved in this organization.”

He said it’s “so cool” for Nina and him to be called “the founders,” but that statement requires clarification. “This was an organization that was founded on the backs of so many people,” he said.

He shared some of the history of starting the Charles City chapter, then said, “We got it going and wow, year after year — almost $50,000 this year. Is that because of our founding? No. No. It’s because we have great people. We have a great community. We have great faculty. We have people who will step up to work on the board. We have parents who are troopers.”

The other guest speaker was Rachel Page, a 2014 CCHS graduate who went on to get her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and who now teaches third grade at Washington Elementary.

Page, now also a board member of Dollars for Scholars, said she had been one of the recipients of a scholarship when she graduated.

“My husband and I are so happy to be back in the community that supported us growing up. And, now we get to be a part of supporting a future generation in the same community,” she said. “The Charles City Community will always be here to support you, root for you and encourage you throughout your life.”

Johanningmeier read the list of awards recipients while Dollars for Scholars board member Andy Hintgen handed out certificates.

The largest single award — a $2,500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship, went to Gillian Anderson. Camryn “Kiki” Connell also received $2,500, in a $1,000 Trent Smith Memorial Scholarship, $500 Cambrex Scholarship and $1,000 Logan Luft Memorial Scholarship.

Scholarship recipients were (alphabetically):

• Gillian Anderson — $2,500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Rose Marie Baldus — $1,500 Charles Theater Scholarship.

• Kaden Barry — $750 Floyd County Democrats Scholarship and $250 Stephen Davidson Memorial Scholarship.

• Quincy Bill — $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship.

• Evan Bjelica — $1,000 Victor and Phyllis Meyer Scholarship.

• Rebecca Boyd — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Adonai Brown — $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship.

• Jeremiah Chapman — $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Caden Collins — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Nicole Concepcion — $500 HyVee Food Store Scholarship.

• Camryn Connell — $1,000 Trent Smith Memorial Scholarship, $500 Cambrex Scholarship and $1,000 Logan Luft Memorial Scholarship.

• Antwone Cooper — $500 Kip and Judy Hauser Scholarship.

• Donald DeBoest — $500 Lessin Supply Co. Scholarship.

• Ivane Estaris — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Ally Faulkner — $1,000 Rich Wielinski Memorial Scholarship and $500 Zoetis Scholarship.

• Carrie Field — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Paul Field — $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship.

• Sadie Gebel — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Zachary Graeser — $500 Cambrex Scholarship and $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Morgan Haus — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Trever Heitz — $500 Cambrex Cambrex Scholarship and $500 Class of 1979 Scholarship.

• Josiah Hervert — $500 Dr. Val O. Lyons Scholarship and $250 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Justin Heyer — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Makenna Jensen — $1,000 Dorie Schmarzo Music Scholarship.

• Kayla Kellogg — $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship and $300 Family Community Credit Union Scholarship.

• Koyer Kellogg — $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Daniel Laube — $500 Olson and Pump CPAs Scholarship and $250 Charles City Press Scholarship.

• Nia Litterer — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Toni Maloy — $500 Class of 1969 Scholarship and $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Libbie McKeag — $1,000 Victor and Phyllis Meyer Scholarship and $250 Otto’s Oasis Scholarship.

• Avery Merta — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Sarah Mitchell — $1,000 Roland and Patrica “Pat” Larbarge Memorial Scholarship.

• Sofie Nettleton — $1,000 Coulson Dollars for Scholars Founders Scholarship.

• Rylie Patrie — $500 Zoetis Scholarship and $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Danielle Reetz — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Jarrett Ritter — $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship.

• Emma Roney — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Sydney Ross — $1,500 Dean Vokes Memorial Scholarship.

• Cael Ruzicka — $500 L & J Industries Inc. Scholarship and $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Sydney Spieker — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Drew Staudt — $250 Future Leadership Award Scholarship by Farm Bureau Financial Services, $250 Central Park Dentistry Scholarship and $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Carly Stevenson — $750 Vincent and Jennifer Huegel Scholarship.

• Danielle Stock — $750 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Lydia Thompson — $700 First Citizens National Bank Staff Scholarship.

• Lillian Usher — $1,500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Cole White — $500 First Citizens Bank Scholarship.

• Brittany Willadsen — $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship.

• Cade Williams — $1,500 Charles Theater Scholarship.

• William Wilson — $500 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Eliza Wolford — $1,000 Dollars for Scholars Scholarship.

• Staci Zimmerman — $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship.