Petoskey Rotary awards scholarships, Teacher of the Year

Contributed
| The Petoskey News Review

PETOSKEY – At the end of the school year, the Rotary Club awards Petoskey scholarships to recognize high school students’ achievements. That month, the club also presented the 29th Annual Teacher of the Year award to a Petoskey teacher.

That year, the club awarded nearly $ 7,000 in scholarships to local students. They were awarded to graduates from schools in the area, including Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Concord, Pellston, and Alanson Schools. This year the Strive and Service Above Club awarded self-grants to 10 students. Both the Strive and Service-above-Self Scholarships are annual awards.

The Strive Scholarship winners and laureates are students from Petoskey High School who participated in the 2020-2021 STRIVE (Students Taking Renewed Interest in the Value of Education) program.

“STRIVE is a mentoring program designed to support students at this challenging time in their lives,” said Georgia Abbott, co-chair of STRIVE and member of the Petoskey Rotary Club, who meets at lunchtime. “Our dedicated group of volunteer community leaders are passionate about youth development and believe that all students should have the opportunity to learn, grow, and prosper.”

This year, the Rotary Club of Petoskey announced the following senior citizen scholarships to help them improve their grade point average from year two to final:

• Hannah Haas First Place Scholarship, one-year full tuition and fees for North Central Michigan College, provided by the NCMC Foundation
• Runner-up Scholarship to Shadain Pink, $ 750 scholarship for post-secondary studies provided by the Petoskey Rotary Club
• Third Place Scholarship to Elizabeth McCutcheon, $ 300 scholarship for post-secondary studies provided by the Petoskey Rotary Club

Many other STRIVE students received cash prizes for perfect participation in STRIVE events and recruitment prizes for positive, resilient characteristics throughout the year. These winners include Sam Arthur, Nemkii Naganashe, Andrew Hansen, Shylee Worthington, Hannah Haas, Taise McKenzie, Elizabeth McCutcheon, Shadain Pink, Madison Gage, and Julia Franks.

“We’ve been giving scholarships for years,” said Terry Newton, club secretary. “The Service Above Self Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, their goals, and the way they put service above themselves in their community. (The grants) have been the same for a while, $ 1,000 each. “

This year, four Service Above Self grants were awarded to college graduates in Alanson, Harbor Springs, Pellston and Petoskey.

The Rotary Club of Petoskey is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The club has been awarding scholarships for at least 51 years.

“We believe youth is our future,” Newton said. “We know that graduates are likely to return to the community after college, and we believe we are investing in that future.”

The club also surprised a teacher from Petoskey Middle School with the Teacher of the Year award.

Heather Giammalva was surprised with an impromptu awards ceremony in middle school on May 14 because the club didn’t meet in person this year. In a typical year, the club celebrated over lunch.

The Teacher of the Year award recognizes a teacher for having a lifelong positive impact on students. This year marks the 29th year the club has recognized an outstanding Petoskey teacher as part of their commitment to education.

As part of the Teacher of the Year award, Giammalva received a check for $ 750 from the Petoskey Rotary Club.

source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/petoskey-rotary-awards-scholarships-teacher-of-the-year/