Friday, May 26, 2017. John and Brenda attended LTHS scholarship presentation today. Today we recognize five KJO Memorial Scholars.
Each receives a $2,000 annual scholarship renewable for four years, a total value of up to $8,000. Here’s a little about each of the recipients.
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Madisyn Burk 
Spent many summers at Camp Tecumseh and was actually there the same week as Kelli one summer, even though they didn’t know each other. She was involved with the Leadershop for volunteering. She learned compassion when her younger sister was born with five life-threatening heart defects resulting in three open heart surgeries. Because of this, my family spent a lot of our time in the hospital while my sister was recovering. I will never forget how the doctors were so reassuring and comforting during this scary time in our lives.;nn;
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Michelle Dinh 
Michelle’s essay was about a friend in need and how she struggled to help her friend. Quoting from her essay “It was difficult for me to accept that expressing care was not enough. Helping to redirect my friend’s attention towards helping others was the most valuable action I could take. I am thankful she has taught me how to be more compassionate”. Michelle was a gymnast and a track and field athlete.;nn;
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Benjamin Ezsias
Ben was a four-year swimmer and water polo player. He was one of 4 underclassmen selected for the State Champion team in 2015. Regarding sports (and life), a quote that spoke to us: “I work hard each and every day to get just a little bit better”. Ben also valued volunteering, spending almost 400 hours dedicated to his church and the boy scouts.;nn;
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Avery Herndon
Avery is a cross country runner and track and field athlete. Her essay spoke to us about the cross country team and how she made the team feel smaller and more connected. Here’s a quote “Whether it is a volunteer opportunity or a small deed, I am always happy to improve people’s day, even if it’s just to make them laugh. I believe that being compassionate and caring for others will make me a more positive person and will improve my well being”.;nn;
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Lauren Hoffman
Here’s a quote from Lauren’s track coach that provides a great perspective on our recipient. “Lauren has been a 4-year member of the track team. She is always attending practice, and always pushing herself to improve. With a team as large as ours, it is nice to know we can count on her to be there every day. Considering how involved she is in other activities, I think it would be easy for her to miss a day but she never takes a day off and that’s a tribute to her organizational skills. Lauren is involved in Student Council, the Astronomy Club, she is a Freshman Experience day leader, a Parent university volunteer, Holiday write night volunteer, National Honor Society, Spanish Honors society, Math Honors society and helps elderly neighbors in the community with household tasks, such as gardening, cleaning Etc. She is probably one of the most involved girls in school activities we have on the team, but she is always at practice ready to go to work.”;nn;
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