Gilroy High School’s annual Senior Awards Night showered dollar
signs on a promising crop of Garlic Capital youth, which nabbed an
all-time GHS high of $1.2 million in total grant monies this year.
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Gilroy High School’s annual Senior Awards Night showered dollar signs on a promising crop of Garlic Capital youth, which nabbed an all-time GHS high of $1.2 million in total scholarship and grant monies this year.
Parents, family and friends packed the house Monday night to see $221,400 of this distributed through 55 scholarships; a sizable chunk of change spread amongst grinning recipients seated onstage inside the GHS auditorium.
An impressive number of repeat standouts made multiple trips to the spotlight, including Melissa Gjerde (7), Colleen Tanaka (6), Cassidy Daley (6), Dani Hemeon (5), Alyssa Kroeger (5), Colin Shew (4), Lauren Rhodes (4), Leah Ailes (3), Rachel Smith (3), Ronald Short (3) and Joseph Leong (3) – ending the night with certificates and envelopes piled on their laps.
“Some of these students really need to get a calculator to get these totals,” observed one speaker who presented the Bill Lindsteadt Memorial award.
And then there was Kevin Lee, who could have parked a chair front and center to eliminate the nine trips he made back and forth between his seat and the podium.
Capping the night with a total $18,950 in scholarships, Lee was like Jeff Bridges at the 2010 Oscars – a noticeable top dog whose name was called so many times, several audience members began keeping tally.
Lee said he had been notified beforehand by a few of the agencies, but had no idea he’d score close to $20K.
“I’m really surprised and thankful,” he said. “My parents are paying for most of the tuition, so that will take a big load off my parents.”
His awards ran the gamut, pouring in from a picnic of praising benefactors representing the American Red Cross, Masons of California, Solorsano Middle School and Dennis DeBell, late City Councilman and community leader, to name a handful.
“Doug Stevens was the most giving person I have ever known … he truly believed that a life well lived is a life spent helping others,” said Ethan Stocks, GHS teacher and drama instructor who presented the Doug Stevens Memorial Scholarship.
Stocks continued to highlight Lee – a volunteer for the Santa Clara University Mission Church and active member of the GHS Interact Club — as a student who spent hours on end planning and executing projects to benefit the community.
“We were struck by Kevin’s kindness, open-mindedness, compassion, generosity and humility. He is an ideal recipient of an award given in Doug Steven’s name,” said Stocks.
Lee will attend the University of California, Berkeley and plans to study molecular biology.
The evening provided an opportunity to elevate people on the giving end of the spectrum as well, with multiple speakers delivering eloquent vignettes of dedicated individuals vested in funding the college dream.
Some spoke on behalf of mothers, fathers or mentors, while others honored the memory of fallen loved ones through acts of philanthropy.
“This person has attempted or will attempt to make the world a better place. This person is a strong leader, and knows the importance of teamwork,” said Lana Ailes.
Together with her husband Joel, the two presented the Jeramy A. Ailes Memorial to Connor Ross, who will be attending California State University, Fullerton in the fall.
Joel and Lana Ailes are the parents of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jeramy Ailes, the first Gilroyan to die in battle since Vietnam. The couple’s son died Nov. 15, 2004, during house-to-house fighting in a weeklong campaign to root out insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq.
As presenter after presenter waited in line for their turn to give, the show of support for Gilroy’s youth outlined an overwhelming statement of community pride and ownership.
From James Sacco, a local businessman who strove to promote education; to Rudy Melone, former president of Gavilan College and one of the founding fathers of the Gilroy Garlic Festival; to Jan Kelley, who devoted her life to inspiring young women through challenges in academics and sports – the generosity flowed from varied sources but was united in purpose.
A local women’s group dubbed “The Damegerous Minds Book Club” administered several scholarships – one of them going to Anthony Anggo, who, in a note of comedic irony, was inconspicuously reading a book in one of the back rows. Anggo was also a recipient of an award given by the Philippine American Community of Gilroy and will be attending Gavilan College next year.
“I like how the students going into the armed forces were recognized,” added GHS Academic Coordinator Julio Villalobos, who said this is the first time he has seen seniors actually sworn in during the awards ceremony.
This included Alexis Lara Martinez and Christian Salazar, who were accepted for enlistment into the U.S. Marine Corps and repeated an oath onstage in front of the audience.
The Athlete of the Year Award – the highest recognition given by the GHS Athletic Department, was given to Eric Vegas and Dani Hemeon.
Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2011 will take place at 6 p.m. Friday at GHS.
