Awarding Hard Work
photo by mattox williams
Standing proud, senior student-athletes Isabella Bacolor, Eleah Hedstrom, Samantha Ebbert, Joron Brown, and Matthew Lanier hold their plaques after receiving special recognition at the 2023 Senior Athletic Awards.
A night filled with scholarships and awards, Monday, May 15, marked the 2023 Senior Academic and Athletic Awards Night held in the John and Dede Howard Auditorium from 6-8 pm.
The Athletic Awards started off the night. During this ceremony, senior athletes were commended for their athletic achievements throughout their four years of high school, such as District and State Championships. Student-athletes who maintained a GPA higher than 3.5 were also awarded, and so were athletes who were 4-year varsity players.
Closing the night off, seniors Joron Brown, Samantha Ebbert, Matthew Lanier, Eleah Hedstrom, and Isabella Bacolor, received special SJHS awards–three have traditionally been given out for more than 50 years.
The recipient of the Leon “Bus” Burgoyne Award was Isabella Bacolor. This award, which is accompanied by a $500 scholarship, was established in 2009 and is given to an athlete who demonstrates high academic standards, good character and shows promise as a writer. “It was really exciting to be recognized for my writing because it’s been something I’ve always been passionate about,” Bella said. “It’s nice to receive recognition for it.”
As the Athletic Awards came to a close, the Academic Awards began. After Principal Greg Blomgren gave his welcoming speech, the ceremony started off by awarding 27 community scholarships to 39 seniors.
Among them, Kiley Hayden, 12 received the Dave Leonard “Difference Maker” Scholarship. Kiley was beyond ecstatic when she learned she had received the scholarship. “You know that scene from The Grinch where his heart is pounding out of his chest? That’s how I felt,” Kiley said. “I was shocked, I was crying, it was amazing.”
As the night went on, scholarships were awarded to 52* students who will be attending 32 different schools. According to Mrs. Allison Koch and the rest of the guidance department, a total of $2.6 million was awarded to the Class of 2023 in scholarships.
*number may not be accurate as not all students reached out to the guidance department to inform them of the school they will be attending.