Fourteen seniors from Penta Career Center have spent the entire year participating in the Students Taking a Renewed Interest in the Value of Education (STRIVE) program through a collaborative effort between the Perrysburg Rotary Club and Penta Career Center. Their reward for successfully participating in the program were scholarships and awards totaling $5,400 from the Perrysburg Rotary Club. The students were recognized in April by the Perrysburg Rotary Club.
The top scholarship recipients included: James Sniadecki (Maumee), from the Robotics & Automation program - $850 and Tim Turski (Rossford), from the Heating & Air Conditioning Technology program - $850.
Other scholarship recipients included: Dominic Bracey (Springfield), from the Welding program - $225; Jasmine Brandeberry (Northwood), from the Culinary Arts program - $350; Justin Couturier (Perrysburg), from the Automotive Technology program - $225; Makaylah Crawford (Lake), from the Medical Office Management program - $225; Kristopher Harderson- Jones (Maumee), from the Manufacturing Academy - $350; Emma Kasza (Otsego), from the Culinary Arts program - $500; Katelynn Leemaster (Elmwood), from the Small Animal Care program - $500; Nicholas McGuire (Woodmore), from the Medical Technologies Academy - $225; Maleah Myers (Oak Harbor), from the Medical Technologies Academy - $225; Hannah Ogg (Lake), from the Early Childhood Education program - $225; Joziah Smith (Northwood), from the Firefighter program - $225; and Billy Stokes (Bowling Green), from the Culinary Arts program - $225.
STRIVE is a program of Rotary International which has been adopted by the Perrysburg Rotary Club. The mission of STRIVE is to provide educational assistance and encouragement to high school students with the goal of improving their grades, attitudes and attendance during their senior year. The Penta students attended monthly meetings with Rotary Club members and participated in mentoring activities.
Since the 2001, the Perrysburg Rotary Service Foundation has awarded 373 scholarships totaling over $115,000 to Penta students through the STRIVE program. STRIVE is coordinated by Janel Haas from the Perrysburg Rotary Club through the assistance of Rachel Bernhard, assistant supervisor of Student Affairs at Penta Career Center.