EPHRAIM–The hard work involved in achieving a successful high school career culminated in an evening of recognition for outstanding high school seniors in the region during the 50th Annual Sterling Scholars of Central Utah awards ceremony Monday night at the Snow College Eccles Center.
Five Sanpete County students were named winners in their respected categories: Simeon Kimball, Athena Degroff, Emily Wheeler and Carson Hadley of North Sanpete High School, and Sarah Liddiard of Gunnison Valley High School.
The Sterling Scholar program is designed to recognize the 116 high school students for achievement in 14 subject areas plus a student from all 12 schools participating in the category of general scholarship.
Along with strong academic performance and proven proficiency in their categories, Sterling Scholars must also demonstrate leadership qualities and provide service to their communities.
Competitors create impressive portfolios, detailing their high school achievements that the judges look over for ten days prior to the interviews that were completed Monday afternoon.
Simeon, son of Abraham and Serenity Kimball of Indianola, is the winner in the music category.
Simeon has been playing the trombone for six years and has performed at high levels and in countless music performances and festivals. He has been selected as a leader in concert choir, marching band, and jazz band at North Sanpete High School.
He has been involved in the school tech programs as an IT for two years and has earned several academic awards. He maintains a 3.9 GPA and received a 26 on the ACT.
Sarah, the daughter of Steven and Alisa Liddiard of Mayfield is the winner in the family and consumer sciences category.
She loves to serve and thrives on volunteering. She started a youth town council and has written several grants for her community and used those grants to start a sewing and service group.
Sarah has helped with worldwide service projects, community-based projects and has helped to combat bullying and substance abuse at Gunnison Valley High School.
She has designed her own clothing including a prom dress that she was wearing during the awards ceremony. She has entered several of her pieces into design contests. She designed and created the costumes for the school play and helped create a program to teach refugee children English.
Sarah is a part of the school’s FCCLA program and is a member of the National Honor Society and maintains a 4.0 GPA.
Athena, daughter of Robert and Jane DeGroff of Spring City is the winner in the English and literature category.
She is a very determined and prospective individual and truly cares about others and is highly involved in community service. She is currently the editor and chief of the North Sanpete school newspaper as well as book club president.
For over two years she has been a writer for an education company based in Ireland. She is a member of the National Honors Society and the Hope Squad and is a student ambassador for the Utah Period Project where she works to get free menstrual supplies put into Utah public school bathrooms because a fourth of girls don’t have access to these products.
She has won many awards at the school and state levels for her work in journalism and English. She has played the clarinet for 6 years and is currently writing several children’s books.
Following graduation, she plans to attend Snow College.
Emily, daughter of Amber Wheeler of Fountain Green is the winner in the category of speech and drama.
Emily has served as drama club president, secretary, and public relations representative. For three years she has been the head costume designer at her North Sanpete High School.
She has had success at The Utah Shakespeare Festival with a third-place monologue and the Larry Lott award for best actor in an ensemble scene. Her favorite role has been Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She was recognized by the Utah High School Musical Theater Awards and was a finalist for best student costume design and was nominated to be a finalist for the best lead actress competition in the spring.
She is the debate club president and placed second in public forum at a debate tournament.
Emily not only maintains a 4.0 GPA, but she is ranked number one in her class. After high school she will be attending SUU and pursuing a BFA in Musical Theater.
Carson, son of Fred and Cheryl Hadley of Mt. Pleasant is the general scholar winner, and the first student to ever win that category from North Sanpete.
He has sold newspaper ads to local businesses for three years to raise money for the school newspaper. He has designed graphics, posters, signs, passes, awards, and other documents for region 14 athletics.
Carson has received several awards for his work in school in a variety of different classes and subjects. He is a member of the National Honors Society; he is also Student Body president at North Sanpete.
Several students were also named as runner-up in the competition.
North Sanpete students were Casey Mitchel in business and marketing education, Marlee Jo Cozier in computer and information technology, Rachael Jones in science, Bradley Power in social science, Kasey Curtis in trade and technical education, Paige Ison in visual arts and Jason Sanchez in world languages.
Students from Manti were Sara Everitt in general scholarship, Dyson Winsor in mathematics, Mathew Olsen in science, Nathan Allen in trade and technical education, and Kristen DeSantis in visual arts.
From Gunnison Caleb Mathews in world languages.
“We are excited to partner with Snow College in this amazing competition,” Lynsey Cuff co-chair of the event. “The venue is amazing, the judges were well qualified, and of course, the scholars themselves were so impressive.”
