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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Top students honored


Lewis and Clark High School student Elliot Eaton received $4,000 grants for fine arts and English from the Spokane Scholars Foundation. 
 (Lisa Leinberger / The Spokesman-Review)

Students from every high school in Spokane County were honored for their academic achievements at a banquet last Thursday.

The 24 schools each named one scholar in six disciplines – science, mathematics, world languages, fine arts, English and social studies.

Four students in each discipline were awarded grants of $4,000, $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000.

The students, their families and teachers attended the banquet in the ballroom of the Spokane Convention Center.

Louis Rukavina, president of the Spokane Scholars Foundation, spoke before awards were given to every student.

“All of you are gifted, creative, talented young men and women,” he said.

Rukavina read a list of former scholars, including Ivy League students, doctors, lawyers, playwrights and researchers.

“You will stand on the shoulders of giants,” he told the students.

The scholars were chosen for their academic merit. Their extracurricular activities were mentioned by the schools in their letters to the foundation, but the scholars were selected based on their grade-point averages and test scores.

“It’s purely an academic beauty contest,” Rukavina said.

Elliot Eaton of Lewis and Clark walked away with two top awards, one for English and one for fine arts.

“Clearly, he is one of the top five of any of the students that I have ever had the privilege to work with,” Greg Pschirrer, a theater arts teacher at Lewis and Clark, wrote in a letter to the foundation.

Eaton is an actor and a musician who plays the piano and brass instruments.

All the students received a medallion and a certificate signed by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, R-Wash.

The Spokane Scholars Foundation was begun in 1992 when two junior high football coaches, Rukavina and Eric Johnson, recognized that student athletes frequently are honored for their achievements, but more often than not, students who have excelled academically don’t receive a lot of attention.

That first year, the foundation raised $18,000 and awarded six students $3,000 each in the six disciplines.

The awards program has expanded over the years, with more than $500,000 having been awarded to students for their excellent academic work.

Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, the University of Washington, Whitman College, Whitworth College and Community Colleges of Spokane all offer matching funds to the grant winners, so over the years, students have received more than $1 million.

This year, the foundation awarded $60,000 to the scholars – money donated by local businesses, foundations and individuals.