Fifteen El Dorado High School seniors, all Summa Cum Laude graduates, were presented Myrrl Houck Memorial Scholarships at a reception Wednesday, May 4, at EHS. The honorees were: Russell (Trip) Baker, Caden Burnett, Jada Chabot, Emma Doughty, Victoria George, Tyler Guthrie, Presley Johnson, Regan Lattey, Ashlyn Luna, Ethan Manke, Kara McLaren, Kinley Nielsen, Vanessa Nobert, Katie Penner, and Jaydon Sundgren.
In addition to certificates and letters of congratulations and instruction from Partners in Education, Senator Mike Fagg presented each awardee a Certificate of Tribute bearing the Kansas State Seal from the Floor of the Kansas State Senate signed by himself and the Secretary of the Senate, Corey Carnahan.
Students also received awards amounting to $500 each, producing a total of $197,090 in scholarships which have been granted to 645 students since the Houck scholarship program started in 1960.
EHS Counselor Julie Balderas opened with a tribute to the students, noting they had each one earned at least a 3.8 GPA in academically-challenging classes including four units of Honors English, Geometry, Advanced Algebra II, Trigonometry/Math Analysis, Science (3 credits that included Chemistry and Physics), and two years of the same foreign language.
EHS Principal Bruce Lolling congratulated the students and their parents, mentioning that they had taken “the road less traveled” in their educational pursuits, and wished them good luck in their future endeavors.
On behalf of the Houck Scholarship Committee, Senator Mike Fagg added his praise and presented highlights from Houck’s life, explained how the scholarships came about and how they are maintained, and introduced other members of the Myrrl Houck Committee who were in attendance: Rod Blackburn, Linda Call, Miles Erpelding, Jan Pippig, Kelsey Sundgren, and Janice Shaffer.
The Myrrl Houck Memorial Scholarship fund is a 501(c)3 organization. Managed by Partners in Education (PIE), all contributions are welcome and will help guarantee the future support of the Houck scholarship. For more information, contact PIE (through El Dorado USD 490) at 322-4800.
- Janice Shaffer
2022 Myrrl Houck Scholarship Winners pose with the popular EHS librarian’s portrait.
Front Row, starting at the left: Katie Penner, Presley Johnson, Vanessa Nobert, Ethan Manke, Ashlyn Luna, Emma Doughty, Victoria George
Back, starting left: Tyler Guthrie, Kinley Nielsen, Regan Lattey, Jada Chabot, Kara McLaren, Jaydon Sundgren, Russell "Trip" Baker, Caden Burnett
Photo Credit: Leta Kocher