54 Charles City area high school seniors share $47,850 in scholarships

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Fifty-four upcoming area high school graduates shared in $47,850 in scholarships awarded Wednesday evening at the annual Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Award Presentation.

Scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,000 were awarded to high school seniors from Charles City High School, Carrie Lane High School, Floyd Gospel Lighthouse Academy and to homeschooled students.

Melanie Johanningmeier, the vice president of the Charles City Area Dollars For Scholars Board and the emcee for the evening, said the scholarship applicants are scored anonymously in the areas of academic achievement, leadership, community service, work experience and need.

Additional guidelines may be considered for specific scholarships awarded as part of the event.

Since the organization began in 1996 it has given out $731,300 in scholarships to 1,317 students, Johanningmeier said.

Individual scholarship recipient photos by Sincerely, Rachel Photography can be seen at www.facebook.com/ccdollarsforscholars.

Guest speaker for the evening was Pete Kloberdanz, a 2005 graduate of Charles City High School and a 2009 graduate of Loras College.

He told the students that although the scholarships may feel like free money, “there is no such thing as a free lunch,” and parents, grandparents, mentors and others worked to help them get where they are today. He said they should always remember the help they had along the way and “pay it forward” to somebody else.

Kloberdanz also encouraged the upcoming graduates to “get out of Charles City.”

“Move out. Get away. Travel the country, travel the state, travel overseas. Experience what the rest of the world has to offer. Don’t forget about Charles City. Charles City’s a wonderful town and an amazing community. Some of you might come back, and we’d love it if you did,” he said.

Kloberdanz said the two best decisions he ever made were moving away, and moving back. “Now I call this place home.”

Scholarship recipients, in the order handed out Wednesday evening, are:

• $500 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarships – Jamie Tuttle, Joel Villagomez, Drew Martin, Logan Carey, Janila Toney and Nakila Toney.
• $500 L & J Industries Inc. Scholarship – Phillip Ackley.
• $500 Jadon Wulff Memorial Scholarship – Bailey Schweiger.
• $300 Family Community Credit Union Scholarship and $200 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Sydney Hinz.
• $500 Trent Smith Memorial Scholarship – Cloey Usher.
• $500 Kip and Judy Hauser Scholarship – Paris Armstrong.
• $500 Floyd Endowment Scholarships – Matthew Asqui, Patrick Field, Jared Cook and Chase Low.
• $750 Floyd Endowment Scholarship – Tawny Ebel.
• $250 Stephen Davidson Memorial Scholarship and $500 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Kayden Blunt.
• $750 Sisson and Associates Inc. Scholarships – Brennan Schmidt and Christopher Tull.
• $750 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Sydney Otto.
• $500 Lessin Supply Company Scholarship and $250 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Zachary Chambers.
• $500 First Citizens Bank Scholarship – Lincoln Joslin.
• $600 First Citizens Bank Staff Scholarship and $400 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Morgan Maloy.
• $750 Cambrex Charles City Scholarship – Priscila Benitez Andujar.
• $750 Cambrex Charles City Scholarship and $250 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Nathan Lopez.
• $1,000 Dorothy Hook Memorial Scholarship – Brooklynn Mitchell.
• $1,000 Logan Luft Memorial Scholarship – Reign Vallebo.
• $1,000 Rich Wielinski Memorial Scholarship – Nora Hruska.
• $1,000 Victor and Phyllis Meyer Scholarships – Abrianna Tynan and Katelyn Miller.
• $500 Central Park Dentistry Scholarship and $500 Class of 1969 Scholarship – Ava Ellis.
• $250 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship, $250 Otto’s Oasis Scholarship and $500 Farm Bureau Financial Services Future Leadership Scholarship – Delaney Ruzicka.
• $500 Steve Shankland Memorial Scholarships and $500 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarships – Emily Usher and Katherine Prichard.
• $500 Charles City Theatre Scholarships and $500 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarships – Elise White and Teagan Prigge.
• $1,000 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarships – Polina Philippova, Anna Herbrechtsmeyer, Eboni Patterson, Hailey Kowolski, Natalie White and Sophia Jensen.
• $1,000 Vincent and Jennifer Huegel Scholarship – Claire Eckenrod.
• $500 Dorie Schmarzo Memorial Scholarship and $500 HyVee Scholarship – Harper McInroy.
• $1,000 Roland and Pat LaBarge Memorial Scholarship – Jillian Mutch.
• $1,000 Class of 1971 and 1972 Scholarships – Trevor Peterson and Quinzey Praska.
• $1,000 Class of 1971 and 1972 Scholarship and $500 Allan Manning Memorial Scholarship – Reed Peters.
• $500 Zoetis Scholarship and $500 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Hannah DeVore.
• $500 Zoetis Scholarship, $500 State Farm Insurance Scholarship and $500 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Blake Wilson.
• $500 State Farm Insurance Scholarship and $1,000 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Maya Bruening.
• $1,500 Dean Vokes Memorial Scholarship – Kassey Kakac.
• $500 Dr. Val O. Lyons Scholarship and $1,000 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Scholarship – Lilly Luft.
• $2,000 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars Founders Scholarship – Elizabeth Oleson.
• Abrianna Tynan also won the random drawing for a door prize of an additional $100 Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars scholarship.

Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars is a locally supported, nonprofit, tax-deductible scholarship foundation operated by an all-volunteer board of directors. Its purpose is to expand access to educational opportunities and encourage educational achievement.

Scholarships are awarded from donations made to the organization, and through individual scholarships set up by families, businesses, organizations and by previous high school classes.

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa partners with Dollars for Scholars to streamline the application and selection process for the scholarships. Charles City Area Dollars for Scholars has established an endowment fund with the foundation to provide ongoing support for the program and for Charles City area students.

The members of the volunteer board of directors are Kathy Herrick, president; Melanie Johanningmeier, vice president; Kim Wendel, secretary; Charlie Newman and Andy Hintgen, co-treasurers; Ammie Joslin; Julie DeBower; Rachel Page; Eric Mayhew; Caysie Erickson and student representatives Nick Williams, Zadie Pittman and Katie Prichard.