On April 14, the Salisbury High School PTSA held its 50th annual Honors Awards Assembly, where Senior PTSA Scholars were announced along with the recipients of the 30th annual APPLE Scholarship Fund Awards.
APPLE stands for Appreciating People who Promote Positive Learning Experiences. The SHS PTSA is the only PTSA in the county that sponsors a scholarship program like this where $3,100 in scholarships are awarded to outstanding seniors.
Each year the APPLE Fund Committee awards the designation of PTSA Scholar to qualifying seniors, along with four PTSA Scholarships.
Forty-five students were chosen as PTSA Scholars. All of earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher, were members of the SHS PTSA and returned a completed application to the guidance department providing information on their school and community activities as well as their hopes and plans for their education.
The 2009 SHS PTSA Scholars are Jackie Denise Allison, Oscar Leby Bonilla, Daman Ray Bowman, Forrest Dalton Buchanan, Steven Matthew Burgess, Thomas Michael Coggin, Emily Elizabeth Dean, Suncica Dragas, Casiann Marie Etters, Bryce Andrew Evans, Amanda Michelle Fazia, Kimber Bradshaw Fink, Hunter Alexander Fisher, Ronald Ray Foust, Andrew Lawson Friedrich, Lindsay Ann Gallagher, Marshall Perry Graham, Katelyn Denise Horning, Alexander Hayden Hunter, Elizabeth Brooke Johnson, Stanford Miles Jordan, Tyler John Kennedy, Rachel Crockett Kirby, Symone Deon Knox, Allison Jane Lee, Laurel Anne Loeblein, Ryne Patrick Maddox, William Emory Mason, Jesse Quinn Mayorga, Maxwell Cain Messenger, Kirsten Dru Meyerhoeffer, Russell Andrew Michalec, Hayley Bryn Mikkelson, Christina Carmela Miller, Remi Shay Moore, Seth Alexander Morris, Michelle Man Nguyen, Shradda Mukeshchandra Patel, Kia Sharaine Rice, Alexander Douglas Rizeakos, Samuel Mark Shores, Garrison Nicole Stevens, Dzenita Sukurica, Deveraux Howell Swaim, Carrie Ann Teeter.
The $500 Salisbury Endowment Scholarship was awarded to Rachel Crockett Kirby. She has been active in various clubs at Salisbury High, including the National Honor Society. She has participated on the varsity swimming, volleyball and softball teams and been a scholar athlete throughout that time. She has contributed more than 150 hours of community service and been active in her church youth group while also working part time.
The SHS PTSA Scholarship I, in the amount of $800, was awarded to Suncica Dragas. She was also active in various clubs including Junior Civitan, student government and the National Honor Society. She earned numerous academic awards and honors and currently shares the No. 1 class rank. She was an active member of the SHS State Champion Girls Tennis Team, is a first chair oboe player with the Salisbury Youth Orchestra and also works part-time. This recipient accomplished all of this after arriving in this country as a war refugee from Serbia and learning English as a second language.
The recipient of the SHS PTSA Scholarship II, also $800, was Kirsten Dru Meyerhoeffer. She has earned numerous academic awards and honors and been elected to leadership positions within the student government and National Honor Society. She is active with the Salisbury Youth Orchestra, Young Life, Teens with a Mission and the State Champion Girls Tennis Team where she and her partner were the state doubles champions.
The final scholarship is the Apple Fund Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 and was awarded to Laurel Anne Loeblein. She has also been extremely active throughout her high school career, participating in many clubs at SHS as well as being a scholar athlete on the cross country, soccer and JV basketball teams. She also shares the No. 1 class ranking and has held numerous leadership offices as well as attending Tar Heel Girls State and Summer Ventures in Science and Math.