Mat-Su Schools Foundation, Menard scholarship winners named

MAT-SU — Members of the Mat-Su Schools Foundation board met April 15 and selected five winners for this year’s First Student Scholarship from a pool of 21 submissions. Funded by First Student Inc., each award is $2,000 and is directed toward post-high school education.

The 2015 winners are:

• Kaitlin Daly, Susitna Valley High School — she has not chosen a college yet, but is committed to pursuing a nursing degree.

• Kiana Verplancke, Wasilla High School — she plans to major in neuroscience at Middlebury College, in Vermont.

• Katelyn Foster, Colony High School — she plans to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in animation.

• Desmond Pavitt, Burchell High School — he has not selected a college yet, but wants to explore scientific fields, including nuclear engineering and marine biology.

• Joshua Smith, Colony High School — he plans to combine his interests in music and computer science through studies at the Simon School of Business and the Eastman School of Music.

Linda Menard also selected two $500 winners from a pool of 17 applicants for the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Scholarship.

The winners are:

• Carson Dodd, Wasilla High School — he plans to attend Boise State University and major in engineering.

• Abigail Goyette, Colony High School — she plans to pursue an education degree in secondary mathematics at Boise State University.

The Mat-Su Schools Foundation is committed to supporting innovation in the classroom and sustained education beyond high school.

Paul Morley is a teacher at Burchell High School and vice president of the Mat-Su Schools Foundation.