About a week before they donned caps and gowns for their in-person graduation ceremony, a handful of Mercer Island High School (MIHS) seniors graced the stage to receive a major honor.
A contingent of students from the class of 2021 received the Mercer Island PTA Council Community Scholarship for $500 each during the livestreamed event on June 2 from the MIHS Performing Arts Center.
As in past years, the Mercer Island PTA Council joined forces with the MIHS PTSA, MIHS administration and the greater Mercer Island community to honor the students. Since 1976, MIHS teachers and department chairs have chosen one to three students in each department to receive the PTA Council’s scholarship. Last year, due to the pandemic, the council recognized the awardees during the MIHS drive-through graduation.
The scholarship program is funded through individual donations and the annual sale of Grad Grams to families, friends and businesses. The council is still in the process of fundraising at https://miptacouncil.org/.
At this year’s ceremony, MIHS Associate Principal Jeff Jones — who also served as scholarship selection coordinator — said the students were selected for displaying resiliency, showing a growth mindset and a passion for learning and being a positive contributor to the classroom culture. Their uplifting demeanor and encouragement were vital aspects of their leadership arsenal during the pandemic.
The MIHS teachers sung words of praise for the students as they received their awards. Before the awardees stepped into the spotlight, Amy Richter and Stephanie Parmenter, vice presidents of programs of the PTA Council, shared their thoughts on the top-notch students.
“It’s wonderful that we can do this with some of us here. Families, we miss you out here, but we know you are celebrating your students along with us,” Parmenter said.
Added Richter: “There are so many people and organizations that come together in our shared community to bring this scholarship program alive. It is a true testament to the Mercer Island School District value of putting our students as our No. 1 priority.”
MIHS Principal Walter Kelly set the stage for the scholarship presentations by noting that the students have persevered through the pandemic and kept the school “a positive place to be, even when we weren’t in the same space.” The students will carry their independence and life-management skills with them into the future.
The scholarship recipients are:
Principal’s Award: Jun Deng and Noah Hendelman; CCR (College and Career Readiness): Peter Empey, Bella Hartman and Ava Motroni; World Language, Spanish: Gian Angelo Roque; Crest: Megan Connoley and Elissa Kresek; World Language, Chinese: Katharine Gregory; World Language, French: Emily Yang; English: Katherine Francke, Nicholas Weiss and Grace Wilson.
Visual Arts: Killian Finneran and Miya Nakata; Social Studies: Christian Dang, Rio Kemmotsu and Shoko Wichman; Math: Nathanael Cadicamo, Mohamad Imran and Renee White; Science: Kevin Bai, Ryan Hsu and Annika Vanderspek; Performing Arts, Drama: Jamisen Dowdy; Performing Arts, Music: Ann Hochberg, Jared Marcus and Jessica Starnes.
In addition to the scholarship awards, the Braman Family Writing Award went to Annika Bhananker.
Parmenter told the Reporter that the ceremony was more meaningful this year because the students were able to connect with their teachers face to face while receiving their scholarship. She said it’s the only event where teachers can share the awards with the students and highlight how they’ve grown, what they’re passionate about and more.
“It’s a tradition that’s well-loved within the community. It truly is a community working together,” Parmenter said.
To view the ceremony, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB97a-VWJmo
