‘Spokane Scholars now and forever’: Area’s brightest students awarded scholarships at annual banquet

On Monday, 171 high school students took the stage at the Spokane Convention Center to be recognized by the Spokane Scholars Foundation for their academic excellence in a night where 4.0 grade -point averages and perfect Advance Placement test scores were the norm.

The Spokane Scholars Foundation handed out $90,000 in college scholarships to the top 30 high-achieving high school students in six academic categories during the organization’s 33rd annual banquet Monday.

The Spokane Scholars Foundation has been funding the academic dreams of local high school students since 1993. Since it was created, the foundation has given out scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 to 626 students, distributing more than $1.6 million.

Each year, participating high schools select a Spokane scholar in each of the six categories: English, fine arts, math, science, social studies and world languages. Students can only be nominated in one category. The high schools include public, private, traditional and alternative models. This year, the 33rd high school, Mead Learning Options, was added to the list.

Students dressed up for their big night, sitting at tables full of friends and family members. Before the event began, students nervously chatted with fellow students and their families. Taran McGinn, an English scholar from Ferris High School, said it was nice to be recognized for a subject she enjoys.

“I just feel like it comes naturally to me,” she said. “Because of that, I enjoy it a lot more.”

Devin Conlin, a world language scholar from Ferris, has been studying French. It all began because his favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, he said.

“I decided I wanted to read it in the original French,” he said. “The rest is history.”

Conlin said he’d like to go to school in France and perhaps even live and work there. Conlin was awarded a $1,000 scholarship before the night was over.

Sammie Palpant, a math scholar from the Oaks, said she was surprised when her school nominated her.

“The faculty of our school voted on the six of us,” she said. “I figured there were a lot of other people smarter than me in this section.”

Math is one of her loves, Palpant said.

“Math is just very unique in how you can see it out in the world,” she said. “There’s just a beauty to it.”

Each Spokane Scholar was introduced during the annual banquet and received a personalized medallion and certificate of achievement. The top five scholars in each category received scholarships. This year, the foundation added $5,000 scholarships in each category, increasing the number of annual scholarship recipients from 24 to 30.

Foundation board President Billy Etter said sponsors and donors covered the additional scholarships.

“The board made it a mission this last year to increase our fundraising,” he said.

Each student who was nominated by their school was required to fill out an application. It’s no ordinary application, said board Vice President Justin Boteje, requiring transcripts, portfolios of work and letters of recommendation. The students are judged only on their academic merit, nothing else.

“These applications are rigorous and a lot of work,” he said. “Each of you have achieved something remarkable. You are Spokane Scholars now and forever.”

Former Spokane Riverkeeper Jerry White Jr. spoke to the students about his work as an advocate and an ambassador for the Spokane River.

“The river is magic,” he said. “I believe the river has many, many lessons to teach all of us.”

White urged the gathered students to use their future power to help others.

“There’s going to be days when you’re going to have the microphone, when you have the pulpit,” he said. “It’s critical that we use our own powers in a way that we’re able to let that power run through us and lift someone else up.”