St. Ignatius graduates 25 seniors with more than $1 million in scholarships
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ST. IGNATIUS — With every seat taken and several standing at the back, the St. Ignatius High School auditorium was packed to the brim Saturday afternoon with friends, family and staff all happily wishing the class of 2013 a fond farewell.
After a salutatory address by Sara Nerby, a pair of valedictorians, Loren Erickson and Nick Johnson, thanked their parents, teachers and those who’d worked so hard and helped so much during the past four years.
The last speaker before awards were passed out, school employee Ben Corral gave a graduation address before singing and drumming the honor song. As his speech ended, students gave him the only standing ovation seen during the event.
Corral said he’d watched most of the graduates grow up in Mission’s school halls. He’s seen them play pranks on each other and laugh with each other, but said he was most proud of them because they held together through the years — as a group.
“They come, they struggle, and they know that they have to do,” he said. “They’ve felt and experienced a lot of things and have seen a lot of things already. Some of them have even had to experience death in their time, but they keep going each time. One thing that a lot of them never thought they would do is that they gave each other a chance. When they gave themselves a chance, (the other students) took it in their heart that (everyone) would give (everyone else) a chance in life.
“They are the step, they are the door. The world is in their hands, it is only them who can drop it. If you drop the ball, you shoot again. There’s always a chance.”
St. Ignatius Graduating Class of 2013
• Nikko Tristin Alexander
CSKT Higher Education Scholarship $20,000
Blackfoot Telecommunications Scholarship $500
Montana GEAR UP Pathways Scholarship $22,540
Native American Tuition Fee Waiver $4,800
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
MSU-Northern Football Scholarship $4,000
St. Ignatius High School Honors Scholar Scholarship $125
Fayler Family Memorial Scholarship $100
George and Faye Harris Scholarship $2,200
Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
• Paden Elliot Alexander
Montana GEAR UP Pathways Scholarship $22,540
Montana Gear UP Achievement Grant $1,500
Blackfoot Telecommunications Scholarship $500
The University of Great Falls Catholic Parish $1,000
CSKT Higher Education Scholarship $20,000
University of Great Falls Academic / Athletic Scholarship $75,210
Argonaut Full Scholarship $4,000
University of Montana Merit Scholarship $44,000
Carroll College Merit Scholarship $44,000
Rocky Mountain College Merit Scholarship $42,000
Unity College Merit Scholarship $28,000
St. Ignatius High School Honors Scholarship $125
Fayler Family Memorial Scholarship $100
George and Faye Harris Scholarship $2,200
Sid Allard Memorial Scholarship $300
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
Mission Valley Scholarship $500
• Robert T. Blood, Jr.
• Troy David Bontrager
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
Colorado School of Mines Merit Scholarship $36,000
University of Notre Dame Merit Scholarship $120,000
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
St. Ignatius Catholic Parish Scholarship $150
• Sahriha Marie Camacho
• Christopher Alec Camel
The U of M, Montana Resident Scholarship $8,000
Montana State University Premier Scholarship $2,500
The U of M, Montana Bright Future Award $4,000
Montana Gear UP Achievement Grant $1,500
MVP’s Employee Student Scholarship $750
Boy Scouts of America Trails End Scholarship $250
St. Ignatius High School Honor’s Scholarship $250
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
St. Ignatius Catholic Parish Scholarship $500
Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
• Brandon Eugene Conko
Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
• Loren Michelle Erickson
St. Ignatius Merchants and Individual Donors Scholarship $100
St. Ignatius High School honors Scholar scholarship $500
Faylter Family Memorial Scholarship $100
Muralt Family Foundation Scholarship $1,000
Verne and Amelia Harris Scholarship $250
Rocky Mountain College Academic Scholarship $15,000
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
University of Great Falls Athletic Scholarship $54,000
University of Great Falls Gift Scholarship $2,800
St. Ignatius Catholic Parish Scholarship $750
• Dylan Patrick Evans
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
Fayler Family Memorial Scholarship $100
Sid Allard Memorial Scholarship $200
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
Youth Serve Montana Scholarship $1,000
The U of M, Montana Bright Future Award $4,000
• Emyli Breean Gillingham
Hawaii Pacific University Merit Scholarship $40,000
Montana Gear Up Achievement Grant $1,500
Ken Rohrenbach Job Service Scholarship $1,000
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
St. Ignatius High School Honors Scholar Scholarship $125
• Joseph Frank Hawkins
• Brianda Mae Jackman
Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Friends of MCAD Scholarship $32,000
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
American Indian Tuition Fee Waiver Scholarship $12,142
The U of M, Montana Resident Scholarship $2,000
Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
Ninneapolis College of Art and Design Laptop Scholarship $1,700
• Nicholas Taylor Johnson
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
Montana University System Honor Scholarship $24,000
Montana State University Premier Scholarship $10,000
Montana Tech Marcus Daly Gold Scholarship $24,376
Colorado School of Mines Merit Scholarship $48,000
Montana Tech Chancellor’s Scholarship $1,000
Montana Tech Robert Wylie Memorial Scholarship $1,250
St. Ignatius High School Honors Scholar Scholarship $500
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
• Stephanie Dee Nichole Lewandowski
Central Wyoming University Basketball Scholarship $30,000
Dakota College Basketball Scholarship $14,000
University of Great Falls Track Scholarship $52,000
Carrol College Merit Scholarship $50,000
Carroll Minor Scholarship $7,000
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
St. Ignatius High School Honoros Scholar Scholarship $125
Sid Allard Memorial Scholarship $500
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
St. Ignatius Catholic Parish Scholarship $200
• Emily Rose McCrea
Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
• Nita Michelle McLoughlin
• Justina Amaris Mitchell
• Dominique Larose Morning Owl
Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
• Sara Maureen Nerby
Montana State University Premier Scholarship $4,000
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
David and Cecilia Lee Empower Scholarship $2,500
Mission Valley Power Scholarship $250
Blackfoot Telecommunications Scholarship $1,000
Governor’s Best and Brightest HS Merit Scholarship $8,000
The University of Montana Merit Scholarship $8,000
The U of M, Montana Bright Future Award $4,000
The U of Colorado, Boulder First Nation Scholarship $40,000
Masonic Lodge Scholarship $1,000
Montana GEAR UP Pathways Scholarship $22,500
The U of Colorado Boulder, Bold Center Native American Participation Scholarship $16,000
St. Ignatius High School Honors Scholar Scholarship $250
Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
Fayler Family Memorial Scholarship $100
• Braydin Lyn Polinsky
- Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
• Barret Baker Sargent
Montana GEAR UP Achievement Grant $1,500
Montana GEAR UP Pathways Scholarship $22,540
The U of M-Western Football Scholarship $1,800
Youth Serve Montana Scholarship $1,000
• Davin Austyn Sorrell
- Montana Gear Up Achievement Grant $1,500
- U of M Governor’s Best and Brightest Future Scholarship $4,000
- Francis and Florence Jones Greaves Native American Scholarship $1,900
- Native American Tuition Fee Waiver Scholarship $5,500
- Merchants and Individual Donor’s Scholarship $100
- Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
• Jocelyn Marie Caroline Stevens
Salish Kootenai College Tuition Waiver $3,000
• Matthew Eugene Robert Westenberg
• Katlyn Atticus Yelsa
The University of Montana Brighter Future Award $4,000
Montana Gear Up Achievement Grant $1,500
St. Ignatius High School Graduates Scholarships and Grants Total:
$1,138,598.00
