The Tyrone Area High School recognized its academic and athletic award winners and deserving students who received scholarships and awards from various community groups, private organizations, and local businesses at Senior Excellence Night on Tuesday, June 2.

The total amount of scholarship money awarded to the Tyrone High School Class of 2015 was over $112,000.

Among the highlights of the night was the announcement of Mark Lewis as the class valedictorian and Katie Burket as the class salutatorian. The top senior female athletic honor was awarded to Lindsey Kemp and the top male athletic award was given to Nick Getz.

Over fifty groups and/or individuals presented scholarships and awards to the graduating seniors.  A complete list of all the awards recognized on Senior Excellence Night and their recipients is as follows:

THE ACADEMIC HONOR GROUP

Cum Laude

The following students have maintained a grade average of 90% to 93%.

Cameron Bakhsheshe, Andrew Bartos, Andrew Bell-Bigelow, Ivy Bowser, Blake Brooks, Dakota Cowfer, Michaela Diehl, Nicholas Getz, Lyndsay Greene, Shelby Harris, Garrett Hunter, Lindsey Kemp, Courtney Kurtz, Davina Lee, Jacob Makdad, Madalyn Miller, Sierra Morrison, Kyle Seeger, Byron Conner Stroud, and Brianne Wood.

Magna Cum Laude

The following students have maintained an average of 94% to 97%.

Christopher Bonsell, Alesia Daly, Olivia Dickson, Shannon Gearhart, Jordyn Greene, Mikayla Harris, Samantha Johnson, Karah Kaltenbaugh, Molly Fessler LaPorte, Samantha McClucas, Grace McKernan, Amber Reese, Caroline Vance, Naomi Walk, Miranda Walsh, and Hope Wilson.

Summa Cum Laude

The following students have maintained an average grade of 98% or higher.

Kathryn Burket, Megann Koegler, Mark Lewis, and Arianna Scheidell.

SALUTATORIAN AND VALEDICTORIAN

The Tyrone Area High School Class of 2015 Salutatorian: Kathryn Burket.

The Tyrone Area High School Class of 2015 Valedictorian:  Mark Lewis.

SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

Jacob Makdad, Andrew Bartos, Shannon Gearhart, Samantha McClucas, Caroline Vance, Kathryn Burket, Mark Lewis, Hope Wilson, Courtney Kurtz, Sierra Morrison, Jordyn Greene, Michaela Diehl, Madalyn Miller, Molly La Porte, and Olivia Dickson.

The National Honor Society $500 scholarship goes to:  Mark Lewis.

SCHOLASHIPS AND AWARDS:

1. TYRONE KIWANIS CLUB SCHOLARSHIP

The recipients of the 2015 KIWANIS CLUB OF NORTHERN BLAIR COUNTY SCHOLARSHIPS are:

Bob Maser Community Service Award is a $500.00 scholarship awarded to: Grace McKernan.

Morris Levine Health Services Award is a $500.00 scholarship awarded to: Sierra Morrison.

Cindy DelGrosso Gardella Vocational Scholarship is a $500.00 award given to: Rhett Walls.

2. AMERICAN LEGION POST 281: CHARLES A. BRESSLER AWARD

The American Legion Post 281 is pleased to present a scholarship in the amount of $500.00 to Lyndsay Greene.

3. DAVID AND JANET HILEMAN SCHOLARSHIPS

The following senior members of the band each are awarded a $500 scholarship: Samantha Aungst, Caroline Vance, Conner Stroud, and Molly LaPorte.

Awards of $500 each were given this year to ten senior football players:  Cameron Bakhsheshe, Mark Lewis, Elijah Sleeth, Aleic Hunter, Noah Tepsic, Joseph Steinbugl, Andrew Hockenberry, Nick Getz, Andrew Bartos, and Jake Makdad.

Boys basketball, $500 awards: Mark Lewis, Nathaniel Soellner, and Blake Brooks.

Wrestling, $500 award: Nick Getz.

Girls basketball, $500.00 award: Amber Reese.

Awards for $500 were given to four members of the Tyrone FFA: Shaye Loose, Karah Kaltenbaugh, Kaitland Lynch, and Heidi Walls.

Three members of the FFA will be awarded $500 for earning their Keystone Farmer Degree: Shaye Loose, Kaitland Lynch, and Heidi Walls.

4. CHALLENGE PROGRAM AWARDS

$250.00 Challenge Program awards in the following categories:

Attendance Award goes to David Daugherty.

Academic Improvement goes to Nicole Cox.

Academic Excellence goes to Mark Lewis.

STEM Award goes to Kathryn Burket.

Community Service goes to Olivia Dickson.

5. BPO ELKS

This $500 scholarship is awarded to the senior son or daughter of a BPO Elks member: Caroline Vance.

6. LAMOINE ZIMMERMAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The Elks Lodge is proud to present scholarships of $250 to a graduating senior in memory of Lamoine Zimmerman.  The recipient is Jordyn Greene.

7.  CHORAL BOOSTERS SCHOLARSHIP

The Tyrone Choral Boosters scholarship in the amount of $250 is awarded to a graduating senior involved in the Choral Program.  This involvement can be in Concert Choir or Pops Extension, as well as participation in TAHS Musicals and PMEA Choral Festivals.  The recipient is Hope Wilson.

8.  TYRONE AREA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION AWARD

The Tyrone Area Education Association is an award presented by the faculty of our school district given to an outstanding senior who plans to pursue a career in teaching. This year’s $250.00 award goes to Nathaniel Soellner.

9. ELLENBERGER AWARD

The Ellenberger award is in honor of Bill Ellenberger, a long-time trainer for Tyrone who possessed qualities that we felt should be honored each year.  The criteria includes being accepted by your college, along with participation in extra-curricular activities, personality and sportsmanship and academics.  The 2015 $500 award goes to Aleic Hunter.

10.  CLASS OF ’81 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Each year, the Class of 1981 presents a scholarship in honor of our deceased class members.  The criteria is based on a number of parameters, including GPA and extra-curricular activities.  The $250 scholarship goes to Arianna Scheidell.

11. EUGENE AND CLAIR IRVIN SCHOLARSHIP

Cameron Bakhsheshe, Courtney Kurtz, Morgan Wineland, Jacob Barr, Molly LaPorte, Karah Kaltenbaugh, Andrew Bartos, Samantha McClucas, Kaitland Lynch, Andrew Bell-Bigelow, Grace McKernan, Kathryn Burket, Christopher Bonsell, Madalyn Miller, Megann Koegler, Ivy Bowser, Sierra Morrison, Mark Lewis, Blake Brooks, Lauren Patterson, Heidi Walls, Alesia Daly, Amber Reese, Hope Wilson, Michaela Diehl, Emily Romano, Shannon Gearhart, Arianna Scheidell, Jordyn Greene, Kyle Seeger, Lyndsay Greene, Nathaniel Soellner, Mary Gunter, Noah Tepsic, Mikayla Harris, Caroline Vance, Aleic Hunter, Naomi Walk, Samantha Johnson, and Rhett Walls.

12. FRANCIS A. BLOOM SCHOLARSHIP

The Francis A. Bloom Scholarship in honor of former TAHS Math teacher Fran Bloom. The $1,000 award goes to a young woman seeking an Engineering degree at Juniata, Katie Burket.

13.  TYRONE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS AWARD

An award of $500.00 is given to a member of the Tyrone Area High School Class of 2015 who is planning to continue his or her education in a business-related major.  This award goes to Mikayla Harris.

14.  VOCAL MUSIC AWARD

The Tyrone Women’s Club is awarding $300 for the “Betty F. Simpson” Vocal Music Award for outstanding musical talent which has been used for the betterment of vocal music in the high school and the community: Molly LaPorte.

15.  TRIANGLE TECH RHVAC SCHOLARSHIP

Triangle Tech Refrigeration, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning scholarship worth $8,108.00.  The recipient is Ty Snyder.

16.  ROTARY CLUB OF TYRONE

The Rotary Club of Tyrone is proud to give two $1,000 scholarships to two students.  As a service organization, Rotary’s motto of “Service above Self” guides us as we review and determine our scholarship winners.  This year, our recipients not only had excellent academic records but also gave many volunteer hours of service to their school and community.  The awards go to Ivy Bowser and Molly LaPorte.

17. COWFERS CUSTOM DESIGN ECONOMICS SCHOLARSHIP

Each year students taking Economics also participate in the Junior Achievement Student Run Business program.  The $100 scholarship award sponsored by Cowfer’s Custom Design is goes to Aleic Hunter.

18. NAACP 2015 NELSON MANDELLA SCHOLARSHIP

The Blair County Chapter of the NAACP Nelson Mandella Scholarship for his academic and athletic achievements: Duane Boone.

19. SOUTH HILLS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY AWARD

South Hills School of Business & Technology $250.00 scholarship for academics and community service: Caroline Vance.

20.  OFFICER CHRIS AMERINE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The $500 Officer Chris Amerine Memorial Scholarship is for a student entering the criminal justice field: Jordyn Greene.

21. TYRONE RENAISSANCE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION SCHOLORSHIPS

The Tyrone Renaissance Education Association awards four scholarships, two representing technical education and two representing academic pursuits, each student receiving $750 scholarship.

The technical education recipients are Blake Brooks and Andrew Bell-Bigelow.

The academic recipients are Davina Lee and Shannon Gearhart.

22.  NOCTI AWARDS

This year, the following students were awarded the Pennsylvania Skills Certificate in recognition of their achievements on this test.

In the area of Manufacturing Technology: Jacob Barr, Christopher Bonsell, Hunter Dugan, Connor Harper, Andrew Hockenberry, Zachary Killion, Dillon Lego, Brett Loudenslager, Ronald Myers, Kyle Seeger, and Thomas Williams.

In the area of Carpentry: Drew Albright, Gabriel Barraza, Andrew Bell-Bigelow, John Brown, Eric Hull, Randy Miller, Zachary Myers, Kyle Oldro, Joshua Rorabaugh, Dakota Walk, and Benjamin Wolfe.

In the area of Production Agriculture: Shaye Loose, Kaitland Lynch, Mitchell Myers, and Heidi Walls.

In the area of Nursing Assistant:Ivy Bowser, Stephen Garman, Lyndsay Greene, Lindsey Kemp, Israel McCaulley, Damon Morgan, Sierra Morrison, Lauren Patterson, and Morgan Wineland.

In the area of Workplace Readiness: Tanner Adams, Dakota Cowfer, Michaela Diehl, and Lena Walk.

In the area of Accounting: Alicia Couch, Olivia Dickson, Shannon Gearhart, Tyler Goddard, Abbey Gunter, Mark Lewis, Taylor Matley, and Jasigha Morrisey.

23.  VOCATIONAL HOUSE PROJECT SCHOLARSHIP

A $500 scholarship is being awarded to graduating Tyrone Area High School Vocational/Technical students who was a member of the House Project crew.  The recipient is Andrew Bell-Bigelow.

24.  D. THOMAS MOORE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

A scholarship, in memory of D. Thomas Moore, is presented each year by his family to an outstanding Vocational Student.  The $500 award goes to Andrew Bell-Bigelow.

Ace Hardware of Tyrone and Lezzer Lumber donate gift certificates totaling $200 to be presented to a senior continuing their education in the construction field to help purchase tools for their education: Andrew Bell-Bigelow.

25.  TYRONE REGIONAL MEDICAL STAFF SCHOLARSHIP

Three Health Tech students were are presented with a $500.00 scholarship from the Medical Staff at Tyrone Hospital: Lauren Patterson, Morgan Wineland, and Sierra Morrison.

26. GREATER ALTOONA CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY AWARD

The following Greater Altoona Career & Technology students in receiving their Pennsylvania Skills Certificates:

Culinary Arts: Jordyn Brower.

Computer Technology: Rhett Walls.

Multimedia/Web Design: Cody Shultz.

Cabinet Making/Fine Carpentry: Tristen Walters.

HVAC/Plumbing: Ty Snyder.

Cosmetology: Sabrina Borgess and Shelby Harris.

Auto/Diesel: Cody Cassler.

$500 award from the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center for being senior of the Year & for receiving his PA Skills Certificate in the course of Computer Technology: Rhett Walls.

27. E. CHARLES MAKDAD AWARD & S. RODGER WALTERS AWARD

The E. Charles Makdad award is a $500.00 award given to the top student in the HVAC/R program at the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center. The award of $500.00 given annually to the top student in the HVAC/R program at the Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center who is going on to further their education in the HVAC/R field: Ty Snyder.

28. CHEF ROCK SCHOLARSHIP

The Chef Rock Scholarship is awarded to a student entering a post-secondary program. The $100.00 scholarship goes to Arianna Scheidell.

29. TYRONE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB SCHOLARSHIP

The Tyrone Business and Professional Womens’ Club awards a $150 scholarship to a deserving senior to be used at the school of their choice.  The award goes to Lyndsay Greene.

30.  TYRONE AREA COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION SCHOLARSHIPS

The Tyrone Area Community Organization, or TACO, is presenting two $500 scholarships from the John Eschbach Memorial.  These recipients are: Kyle Seeger and Alesia Daly.

31. BESSIE Q LEVINE MEMORIAL NURSING SCHOLARSHIP

The Bessie Q Levine Memorial Nursing Scholarship is a $250.00 scholarship awarded to a deserving senior: Ivy Bowser.

32. ROBERT A SHILDT, JR. SCHOLARSHIP

The Robert A. Shildt Jr. Scholarship is in memory and honor of Robert A. Shildt, Jr. who was born in Tyrone in November 1924 and died in April of 2012. The recipient of the $2,000.00 scholarship is Nick Getz.

33.  ALBEMARLE SCHOLARSHIPS

Albemarle Corporation scholarship program to graduating seniors who are looking to further their education, preferably in the areas of engineering, science related, or business related fields. The three $1,000 scholarships go to Andrew Hockenberry, Mikayla Harris, and Joe Steinbugl.

34. ARMY RESERVE NATIONAL SCHOLAR/ATHLETE AWARDS

U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete Award is awarded to two of this school’s finest scholar athletes: Mark Lewis and Naomi Walk.

35. WARRIORS MARK-FRANKLIN ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

The alumni of the former Warriors Mark-Franklin High School presents a $1,000 scholarship to a senior student at Tyrone Area High School from the Warriors Mark-Franklin jointure.  The scholarship must be used for advanced training in a two-year associate degree or four year baccalaureate degree program at an institution of higher learning.  The recipient is Kyle Seeger.

36.  THEDA S. NEWLIN FOREIGN LANGUAGE AWARD

An award of $500 each has been given on behalf of the Theda S. Newlin Foreign Language Scholarship Fund to Alesia Daly.

37. MARY BIGELOW-SLEEK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

An award of $400.00 is given to a member of the Tyrone Area High School Class of 2015 who is planning to continue his or her education in a Nursing program. The award goes to Samantha McClucas.

38.  TAHS STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP

The Student Assistance Program Foundation $500 scholarship goes to a senior planning to pursue a career in counseling/helping profession: Samantha McClucas.

39.  MCELDOWNEY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

The McEldowney Academic Scholarship Fund was created to honor the memory of the late Dick McEldowney through support for our youth in their dreams of higher education.  The McEldowney Scholarship recipients of $1000 each are Molly LaPorte and Blake Brooks.

40. BLAIR COUNTY SCHOLARSHIPS

The Zack Hinish Foundation Scholarship for Nursing in the amount of $500.00 was awarded to Lauren Patterson.

The $5000 Donna Sheehan Nursing Scholarship recipient: Lyndsay Greene.

The winner of the $500.00 Scott Douglas Sparks Memorial Scholarship is Jacob Makdad

Three students from Blair County were awarded $500 each from the Blair County Bar Association Scholarship Fund.  This year, one of those winners were from Tyrone: Mark Lewis.

41. ADAM FINK MEMORIAL BASEBALL SCHOLARSHIP

The Adam Fink Memorial Baseball Scholarship award is a $500 dollar scholarship that is given yearly by the Team Adam committee in memory of Adam Fink and his courageous spirit. This award will be awarded yearly to a Tyrone Senior Baseball player who demonstrates 100% effort on the field: Nathaniel Soellner.

42. TOM TEMPLETON OUTSTANDING ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIP

The Tom Templeton Outstanding Athlete Scholarship award is based on outstanding achievement in sports, academics and need. The award in the amount of $300.00 goes to Nathaniel Soellner.

43. STEVE MICHAELS HEART AND SPIRIT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

The Steve Michaels Heart & Spirit Award honors an athlete who doesn’t always get to play, but was very supportive of their team. This year’s recipient of the $250 scholarship is Ty Snyder.

44. GORDON NORRIS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The Gordon L. Norris Memorial Scholarship is presented to an outstanding senior student who has excelled both athletically as well as academically, with a special emphasis in the field of mathematics. The Gordon L. Norris Memorial Scholarship Winner of $1,000.00 is Mark Lewis.

45. ANDERSON AWARDS

The James (Bud) Anderson Award is presented to a male & female senior student for outstanding but unrecognized contributions to the TAHS Athletic Program. Tonight we recognize two such students: Grace McKernan and Nathaniel Soellner.

46. GEORGE CURRY UNSUNG HERO AWARD

The George Curry Unsung Hero award, sponsored by the Monogram Club, is presented to a female or male athlete who exemplifies the attributes of George Curry, nominated, and voted by our head coaches. The criteria for the award are: Attitude, Dedication, Team Contribution, Respect. This year’s recipient is Jacob Makdad.

47. CLASS OF 1957 BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP

The class of 1957 Basketball Scholarship is awarded to a senior male and female basketball player for their achievements in both basketball and athletics. The scholarship in the amount of $100.00 each goes to Lindsey Kemp and Nathaniel Soellner.

48. LEVINE AWARD

The Levine Award is presented annually to the senior female athlete who has demonstrated outstanding abilities in athletics, as well as leadership qualities and good academic achievements. The recipient is nominated and voted by our head coaches and athletic director. This year’s winner is Lindsey Kemp.

49. WILSON AWARD

The George “Bud” Wilson Award is presented annually to the senior male athlete, who has demonstrated outstanding abilities in athletics, as well as leadership qualities and good academic achievement. This year’s winner is Nick Getz.

50. WILLIAM H. BAKER TRI-ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIP

The William H. Baker Tri-Athlete Scholarship is established in the amount of $1,000 as an annual scholarship for a male or female student who participated in three varsity sports in the same year while attending Tyrone Area High School and who will be pursing post-secondary education or training. This year’s recipient participated in football, wrestling, and track. This year’s winner: Nick Getz.