By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
They waited anxiously on the stage in the Performing Arts Center at Rim of the World High School – 85 seniors who were notified they were receiving an award of some type at the community scholarship awards night.
“These remarkable young men and women are receiving recognition for their hard work through 13 years of education,” Principal Brian Willemse told the gathered families and friends. “We are blessed to have so many community organizations in constant support of our students.”
Karla Kellems presented the Sierra Club awards to Ali Holtzen and Shelby Gross.
The Rim of the World Communities Scholarship Council was awarding 52 scholarships totaling $43,200. An additional 120 awards totaling $111,250 were made by associations from across the mountain.
For those who didn’t want to do the math, Willemse told them that was 172 scholarships totaling $154,450.
Cindy Gardner, representing the Scholarship Council, said they had had 52 applicants, all of whom received an award. “This is like Christmas,” she said. “We are giving them presents.”
The first awards of the evening were the memorial scholarships. As Gardner called the students’ names, Roberta Rindenow and a representative from Assemblyman Tom Lackey’s office congratulated them and handed them their certificates.
As the students received their awards, Willemse urged them to “give your parents 10 seconds (for a photo). They worked hard for 13 years – hold up your award and smile.”
As the evening went on, some presenters shared information on the students and their plans for the future. Others shared the criteria used in selecting the awardees.
In presenting Aiden Flores with the Rim Men of Courage award, Dave Otey read from Aiden’s essay: “Courage is more than just facing fears. It is standing up for what is right even when it is difficult – doing what is right even when no one is watching. Courage is not a one-time action but a way of life.”
Representing the Mountain Art Network, Dave Ficke presented three scholarships to Andrea Huidor-Rivas, Keegan Lyons and Audrey Siples in honor of the late artist Helga Batman-Koplin “who was loved by everyone.”
Four awards focusing on the environment were presented by the Rim of the World Interpretive Association (ROWIA) and the Mountain Group of the Sierra Club. Shelby Gross and Collin Johnstone received awards from ROWIA, said presenter Anne Marie Van Hulle, for “protecting and conserving natural resources for future generations to enjoy.” Quoting Margaret Mead, Karla Kellems said that “we won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.” She presented the Sierra Club awards to Shelby Gross and Ali Holtzen.
After asking the veterans in the audience to stand, representatives of American Legion Post 360 awarded eight scholarships to students who had participating in one of their programs, including Boys State and Girls State.
The Geoff and Lauralea Hopper awards went to Collin Johnstone, who will major in geological engineering at the University of Nevada-Reno; Ava Holtzen, who will major in mechanical engineering at Cal Poly Pomona; and Hailey Vargas, who will major in astrophysics at UC Berkeley. The awards were presented by Deborah Fancett and Lauralea Hopper.
Since the early 1990s, Rudy Haro explained, the UCLA Mountain Bruins have been supporting local students who attend UCLA – $1,500 a year for four years. Three Rim seniors applied to UCLA, were accepted and plan to attend: Hailey Vargas, Shelby Gross and Perla Garcia.
Dr. Patrick Rains presented awards to the four students who will be attending Cal State San Bernardino: Aiden Flores, Autumn Vento, Kimberly Smith and Alexia Chavez. In 20 years, he said, the local committee has awarded more than $650,000 to 250 students.
As Jaime Stiansen presented the Rim High PTSA award to Collin Johnstone, she told him that “your community believes in you and where you are going. Wherever your path takes you, I hope you will serve the community you land in.”
Speaking for the Mountain Bears Democratic Club, Holiday Heller said they were “excited by the number of quality applicants but one stood out. She worked at Operation Provider and she founded the club La Casa de Rim – bridging the gap and fostering acceptance of other cultures.” The Glen Thompson Community Service Award went to Odaliz Victorio.
The Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead has a tradition of awarding $100 to students with a GPA of 4.0 and above; this year 34 students received that award. They also gave citizenship, fine arts, financial assistance, vocational and Interact awards.
The Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club gave awards for leadership, ceramics, band, choir, drama, perseverance, studio art, automotive technology, medical technology, fire science, photographic art, graphic design and service above self.
The new Ken McKay memorial scholarship, awarded by the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club, went to two students who plan to pursue journalism and writing: Reilly Simons, who plans to write the stories of those who have yet to be heard; and Autumn Davis, who has already written and self-published a children’s book.
The final awards of the night were presented by Cindy Gardner on behalf of the Rim of the World Communities Scholarship Council.
“Our kids are inspiring,” she said. “The future is in the hands of our kids – we are not to be worried. A big shoutout to the parents for doing a great job raising these wonderful kids.”
Principal Brian Willemse had the last word: “Stay out of trouble until your graduation – there’s cake in the lobby.”
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