PHS seniors awarded $157,000 in scholarships

For 80 seniors at Pittsburg High School, their goal of earning a college degree has been made a bit easier thanks to $157,000 in scholarships awarded Sunday at the Pitzer Family Scholarship Recognition, organized each spring by the USD 250 Foundation.

The event was named for George and Billie Pitzer. In 2000, the couple had a vision to create a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the students and staff of the Pittsburg school district and the Foundation was born.

Each year since, scholarship recipients have been chosen based on academic, athletic, artistic, or extracurricular achievement; community involvement or volunteer service; and career aspirations.

Sunday’s event brought seniors together with donors who gave scholarships in their own names, gave memorial scholarships as a tribute to friends or family members, or gave scholarships as representatives of a school class or a business. 

To 36 of the seniors, the Foundation awarded academic scholarships of its own, including Medallion Scholarships, Technical Scholarships, and the Night of Dragons Scholarship. Those scholarships were funded by the Foundation’s annual fundraiser.

“These scholarships honor what these students have already accomplished and encourage them to continue pursuing their dreams,” said Foundation President Jon Bartlow. “We are especially proud of the meaningful, in‑person connections between donors and recipients, which have a lasting impact on everyone involved.”

Scholarship recipients included:

• Makayla Addison-Boyd: Class of 1967 Scholarship

• Norlan Aguilar: Roy Davis Memorial Scholarship, Greg Shaw Memorial Scholarship

• Jace Akins: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Allie Allison: Friends of PHS Performing Arts Scholarship, Pepsi-Cola of Pittsburg Scholarship

• Connor Ashmore: Fred J. & Lorraine E. Galvani Scholarship

• Stephanie Bonilla: Class of 1968 Scholarship

• Ania Brown: Class of 1978 Scholarship, Ron’s Supermarket Scholarship

• Kadence Burns: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Dave Turnbull Athletic Memorial Scholarship

• Perla Canales: Fred J. and Lorraine E. Galvani Scholarship

• Elizabeth Carper: McQuade Family Scholarship, Timmons Scholarship

• Makenzie Carrier: Fred J. and Lorraine E. Galvani Scholarship

• T.J. Casper: Fred J. and Lorraine E. Galvani Scholarship

• Maddox Clark: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Aurora Parker Collins: Class of 1978, Brandon Leroy Smith Leadership Scholarship

• Marlon Cos-Gomez: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Lauren Crawford: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Kaleb Cronister: Foundation Technical Scholarship

• Eddie Darling: Foundation Gold Medallion Scholarship, Fine Arts Summer Camp Scholarship

• Makayla DeLuna: Class of 1978 Scholarship, Brandon Leroy Smith Leadership Scholarship

• Andrew Deierling: Fred J. and Lorraine E. Galvani Scholarship

• Mason Deringer: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Class of 1974 Scholarship, Derek Brumbaugh Memorial Scholarship, Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship, and Coach Larry Garman Legacy Scholarship

• Liam Diamond: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Class of 1974 Scholarship

• Kayanna Emery: Webb Family Scholarship

• Herminia Escobar-Calderon: Dragon Mentorship Scholarship

• Makayla Everly: Dragon Mentorship Scholarship

• Sydney Ewing: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Ava Freimiller: Class of 1943 Scholarship

• Kya Galindo: Joan E. and Steve Lewis Memorial Scholarship

• Zoe Ellen Goode: Foundation Gold Medallion Scholarship

• Charles Hall: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Amanuel Harrigan: Roy Davis Memorial Scholarship, Kaleb Konek Memorial Scholarship

• Austina Hawkins: Foundation Technical Scholarship

• Cole Hayden: Caiden Barber Memorial Scholarship

• Katie Lynn Henderson: Foundation Technical Scholarship, Marilyn F. Noble Memorial Scholarship

• Audrey Hertrich: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Sophia Hertrich: Foundation Gold Medallion Scholarship, Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship

• Noah Hodge: Babs and Susie Tims Scholarship, Timmons Scholarship

• Lena Hopper: Class of 1968 Scholarship

• Weston Howard: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Wayne B. Yarcho Memorial Scholarship

• Onna Jorge: Night of Dragons Scholarship, Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship

• Edin Juarez-Perez: Foundation Technical Scholarship, CDL Scholarship

• Faith Kimzey: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Class of 1943 Scholarship, Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship, and Caiden Barber Memorial Scholarship

• Melody Kuehn: Jake Steven Fincher Memorial Scholarship, Fine Arts Summer Camp Scholarship

• McKenzi Lee: Megan Mallat Leadership Scholarship, McQuade Family Scholarship

• Cannon Loughmiller: Foundation Gold Medallion Scholarship, Marilyn F. Noble Memorial Scholarship

• Michelle Lucas: Timmons Scholarship

• Isaac Mack: Foundation Technical Scholarship

• Kalin Manuel: Timmons Scholarship, Webb Family Scholarship

• Malakai Meadows: Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship, Brandon Leroy Smith Leadership Scholarship, Webb Family Scholarship

• Avinelle Mikrut: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Peyton Morey: Elliott Family Scholarship

• Angie Morgan: Foundation Gold Medallion Scholarship, Brandon Leroy Smith Leadership Scholarship

• Kadin Navaratnam: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship

• Leo Norman: Foundation Gold Medallion Scholarship, Fine Arts Summer Camp Scholarship

• Molli O’Ferrell: Class of 1978 Scholarship

• Jocelyn Ouellette: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Fine Arts Summer Camp Scholarship, Susan Laushman Music Scholarship

• Anna Ozbun: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Derek Brumbaugh Memorial Scholarship, Friends of PHS Performing Arts Scholarship, Patrick Family Scholarship

• De’Marus Partee: Joan E. and Steve Lewis Memorial Scholarship, Chad W. Oehme Memorial Scholarship, and Adam Newbery Memorial Scholarship

• Christian Patrick: Foundation Medallion Scholarship, Class of 1974 Scholarship, Steve Ward Community Service Scholarship

• Jaycee Patterson: Brandon Leroy Smith Leadership Scholarship, Class of 1956 Scholarship

• Parker Pinamonti: Class of 1956, Caiden Barber Memorial Scholarship, Collinson Family Scholarship, Marilyn F. Noble Education Scholarship, Coach Larry Garman Legacy Scholarship

• Kaitlyn Popejoy: Webb Family Scholarship

• Adessah Reed: Foundation Gold Medallion Scholarship, Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship

• Malcolm Riley: Altricia Misse Scholarship, Foundation Raffle Scholarship

• Grace Rogers: Dragon Mentorship Scholarship, Altricia Misse Memorial Scholarship

• Isaiah Rosenberg: Webb Family Scholarship

• Korey Ross: Kaleb Konek Memorial Scholarship, Brandon Leroy Smith Leadership Scholarship

• Alexa Salas: Class of 1943 Scholarship

• Savannah Shires: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Emily Shriver: Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship, Pepsi-Cola of Pittsburg Scholarship

• Isabella Silva: Night of Dragons Scholarship, Lee Nelson Memorial Scholarship

• Jonathan Sipaque deLeon: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Jerzi Stevens: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Lacey Strode: Timmons Scholarship

• Maren Stumo: Webb Family Scholarship

• Desdemona Swepston: Elliott Family Scholarship

• Mirna Tebalan-Gomez: Class of 1956 Scholarship

• Ivery Watts: Class of 1978 Scholarship

• Liam White: Foundation Medallion Scholarship

• Savana Wisdom: Foundation Medallion Scholarship