Click on the above image for more photos from Scholarship Night.

May 23, 2022 — Mound Westonka High School hosted the annual Scholarship Awards Night on May 19, when 78 scholarships worth over a staggering $392,000 in scholarship money from 44 different donors were awarded to 64 members of the 2022 graduating class. Students and their families gathered in the Westonka Performing Arts Center to accept their scholarships, which came from both the local community and from donors across the country.

MWHS Principal Mark McIlmoyle called the event a “special evening” for scholarship winners, their families and the donors. “You have raised some outstanding young people,” he said to the parents. “We’ve watched them grow from eighth graders into some amazing adults ready to take on life’s challenges, and we’re privileged to have shared their path.”

Scholarships were awarded as follows:

Cheryl (Woolley) and John Dale Scholarship – Manuel Jordan; Westonka District 277 Foundation Col. Brown Scholarship – Mason Brakemeier, Annabelle Hommer, Elizabeth McCue and Ella Walters; Yost/Haddorff/Leopold Scholarship – Hannah Drill and Tyler Von Bank; Warren Stickney Memorial Scholarship – Max Swanson; Westonka District 277 Foundation Scholarships – Caleb Abernethy, Kathryn Butler, Kathryn Collins, Hannah Hall, Quinn Jenson, Henry Kluever, Gabrielle LaFortune, Meagan Mattson, Allison Soule, Ann Springer, Seth Worden and Nicolleta Zucaro; Northwest Tonka Lions Scholarship – Nicholas Doepnerhove; Spring Creek Scholarship for Arts & Humanities – Lindsey Gunderson; Thomas and Phyllis O’Malley Scholarship – Ingrid Aufderheide; District 277 Foundation – Bill Gillespie Memorial Scholarship – Maximilian Epsky, Jake Dallman, Hannah Drill, Manuel Jordan, Leah Maslowski, Christina Shanley and Joseph Zachow; Val Chabot Memorial Scholarship – Madeline LaJoy; Ridgeview Foundation Health Care Scholarship – Annabelle Hommer;

Westonka Jaycees Scholarship – Collette Sir and Lauren Hildahl; Northwest Tonka Lions Irv Stevenson Scholarship – Ryan Headman; Al and Alma’s Leadership Scholarship – Ryan Van Offeren; James J. Jackson Memorial Scholarship – Henry Kluever; Mound Westonka Rotary Scholarship – Gabrielle LaFortune and Ann Springer; Mound Westonka Rotary Interact Scholarship – Hannah Drill, Hannah Hall and Jacob Peterson; Mary Esther Corl Memorial Scholarship – Grace Goralczyk; John Rasmussen Memorial Scholarship – Jacob Peterson; Brian Chase Memorial Scholarship – Roman Wilson; Mound Masonic Lodge #320 Scholarship – Nicoletta Zucaro; Larry Exel Basketball Memorial Scholarship – Megan Wanner and Jake Gaylord; Kyle D. Simonson Memorial Scholarship – Blake Lee;

Tyler Russell Hill Sunshine Scholarships - Science: Haakon Erdahl, History: Stephanie Anderson, Foreign Language: Juliet O’Flanagan, DECA: Anna Reier, Football: Jake Gaylord, Hockey/Soccer: Michael Doshan; Crime Prevention Fund – Peter Borg and Greta Ness; WEM Teachers’ Union Scholarship – Lauren Nash; American Legion Auxiliary Unit #398 Scholarship – Medical: Morgan Bullock, 2-Year/Technical – Wesley Peltz; Justin Morris Memorial Scholarship – Ellerie Anderson; Sue Riley Memorial Scholarship – Juliet O’Flanagan; Orono-Westonka Soccer Club Scholarship – Grace Dahm; Mound Fire Department Auxiliary Scholarship – Lawrence Nemecek; Long Lake Fire Department Scholarship – Blake Lee; Tonka Built  Scholarship – Grace Goralczyk;

MWHS National Honor Society Scholarship – Montana Courneya and Sara Olson; Westonka Administrators Scholarship – Joel Howarth; Blaine Bailey Memorial Scholarship – Jack Pfeiffer; MWHS Student Senate Scholarship – Hallie Dierbeck; Robert Photography Scholarship – Simone Buescher; Minnesota Lakes Bank Scholarship – Ava Bolles; Wiser Insurance Agency Scholarship – Tyler Marshall; Fred “Coach” Hanley Memorial Scholarship – Ryan Butler; Nick Manty Scholarship – Anida Naovaraj; Marty Gilbertson Educational Office Employees Scholarship – Griffin Meisel; Jon Scherven Memorial Scholarship – Wyatt Carlson.

McIlmoyle congratulated the seniors and thanked the scholarship committee for their hard work, before turning his attention to the generosity of the scholarship donors. “Thank you for your generosity,” he said. “Your contributions will have a profound impact on the lives of many young people.”