and that age number will match my golf score that's what I'm shooting for this year we had 20 plus applicants to Mrs Green scholarship we checked everything we are very pleased that all of you applied we're very grateful that you thought enough that you would enter your name in there to be looked at and decided upon this year and somewhat because of the way the economy is we would have liked to extend more applications more scholarship monies but the money was just not there so our committee looked at everything we had and we made the decision that our recipient this year is Miss Kerrigan Acton foreign besides an award of one thousand dollars to miss Acton her name will appear on a plaque that will be hung in the main office congratulations Kerrigan to the class of 2023 congratulations to you we wish you the best of luck foreign good morning my name is Jamie holtkamp and I am here to present the Adam holtkamp Memorial Scholarship I'm very excited to be this be here this morning as this is our first Greensburg recipient and Adam was a Greensburg graduate in the class of 2005.
guess tonight on your way out you can look at those plaque banners we have in our comments five times since 2010 this is the highest award given by the Indiana Department of Education also Bluffton High School has received the status of performance of qualified High School this award is given based upon your performance over the last four years Bluffton High School is recognized as one of the top high schools in the state of Indiana thanks to you [Applause] but just as important you consistently went out of your way to be kind to others who needed it whether it was in the cafeteria the hallways the classrooms or your giving spirit for Riley's Children Hospital you were intentional with your compassion for others and just one example this year alone you helped raise over twelve thousand dollars to Riley that will go directly to helping children who need it the most well done graduates of 2023 I want you to know it's been an honor to be your principal I am proud of each and every one of you and I want you to know that I believe in you four years ago this group of seniors met with me as they began their High School career on that day we all committed to each other that every single student who spent four years at Bluffton High School would graduate together on this day they signed the pledge that is represented on this Banner behind me graduated class of 2023 congratulations you made it thank you for honoring that commitment you know it's been said that it takes a village to raise a child well if that's true then it must take a village of Educators to prepare a student for this special day will the staff of Bluffton Harrison Elementary School please stand and remain standing will the staff of Bluffton Harrison Middle School please stand will all passed Bluffton high school graduates please stand finally will the parents of the graduating class of 2023 please stand and Bluffton High School staff please stand thank you you may be seated I want to thank each and every one of you the partners in education for your dedication hard work and commitment in helping the class of 2023 successfully complete their high school education you did make a difference thank you guests tonight if I could talk to you for a moment please the guest of twenty of the class of 2023 if I could speak to you please it has become a tradition that the commencement exercises at Bluffton High School be conducted in a manner in which both the graduates and their guests can be proud this Pride can be shown by honoring the request of the class of 2023.
What classes I'd take, who my friends would be, what I would wear to prom, all based on stories from other people, books, TV shows, and even movies. Let's face it, I think we're all wishing I was delivering Troy Bolton's commencement speech from High School Musical 3. But it didn't take long for those plans to get derailed. My classes didn't match at all what I had imagined. My friend groups changed, and when I start spontaneously singing in class, everyone just tells me to shut up instead of joining in with planned choreography. And while my high school experience isn't at all what I had imagined 4 years ago, just as I'm sure yours isn't either, there's not a single thing that I would change about it. Every stumble, slip, and downright faceplant has led us to where we are today. And I cannot be more grateful for the people who helped us get there.
Adam holtkamp was my husband and he was killed in January of 2021 while completing his routine morning chores on our farm Adam was a farmer in Decatur County his entire life his passion and versatility for all things agriculture was impressive he gained a degree in Ag Systems management from Purdue University he worked for several years as a manager at Premier Ag and he held a position as an account manager for an agriculture software company that allowed him to travel the country all while also working on his family's Farm one of his favorite jobs on the farm was hauling cattle to Nebraska in his Kenworth occasionally with his dog Brantley in the passenger seat he even coined his basement bar after this the bull hauler Saloon in 2016 Adam and his father took a leap of faith and established their own Farm together holtkamp family land in livestock in 2020 he achieved his primary career goal to work full-time on his own Farm Adam was incredibly intelligent talented and capable in many Arenas although he measured success a little differently than most his success was rarely measured in dollars he measured his success in the smiles on the faces of our daughter and nieces during their trips to the river in the semi to deliver grain he measured it in the hope and excitement he had for teaching our son all he knew and loved about farming and he measured it in working with his father building their legacy and living out their dreams together he certainly didn't have it all but by his measures his life was incredibly successful agriculture is vital to the future of this county country in the world we need knowledgeable individuals that can successfully navigate their way through volatile markets in slim margins in this ever-changing world working in agriculture takes a broad set of skills and knowledge and ability to be flexible and often think quickly in an obvious willingness to get your hands dirty this scholarship was established as a way to support youth of Decatur County pursuing a future in agriculture and to give back to a community that has given my family so much love and support I want to thank the Decatur County Community Foundation for their help and support making this scholarship possible I want to thank all of the scholarship applicants reading each and every individual's words on what agriculture means to them brought a profound joy to our hearts and helped us to remember the deep meaning and love of agriculture in Adam's life I believe in the recipient of this scholarship I believe that they can make a difference that they have a bright future and can do great and important things for the agriculture community I am happy and privileged to award the Adam holtkamp Memorial Scholarship in the amount of fifteen hundred dollars this year to Evan Graves [Applause] [Music] you so much on behalf of the Greensburg United Methodist Church congratulations class of 2023 I'm pretty sure yesterday it feels like you were in preschool so I don't know how I got here already but I'm here to present the scholarship the Roland Curtis and Rula Marie Barnes nursing scholarship in the amount of 1159 dollars to Emma wallsman [Applause] [Music] [Applause] good morning everybody and congratulations to the graduating class of 2023.
their request is that the audience refrains from making any inappropriate noises during the receiving of diplomas which will distract from the dignity and the honor of this commencement program I am asking on behalf of the graduates tonight that guests do not yell they do not make noises when the seniors are receiving their diplomas that would detract from the dignity of our program the students have agreed to this expectation and I am asking every adult here tonight to do the same we want to acknowledge each student equally for all of their accomplishments and I ask that the audience wait until all students have received their diplomas before congratulating the graduates of 2023 we will do that together I appreciate you honoring their request Dr Brad Yates board members Bruce Holland Mike Murray Angie sheets Julie Thompson and Trent white it is my pleasure to certify that the class of 2023 has completed all the requirements for graduation that's prescribed by the state of Indiana and the Bluffton Harrison Board of school trustees at this time the class of 2023 should be presented their diplomas graduates on behalf of the faculty and staff I want to congratulate all of you wish you well in your future endeavors at this time will the first row the graduating class of 2023 please rise and come forward for your diplomas [Music] Kenley Jade Thomas Mallory Elizabeth Craighead thank you Caitlin Nicole Tungate Erica Renee Hartman Caden Tucker King foreign Lucinda wybera Deacon Andrew Contreras Chancellor Wade baldoff [Music] Olivia Adele Priester Emma Marie bumgardner Lauren Claire Rife Jeremiah James schoonover Andrew James on weibu Madison Ray Bowman Conley Owen Shane Austin Jake Daniel Lewis Trevin Cade Davis Logan Edward Shearer Ella Marie Reddick Isaac suquon Gerber Annika Faye linderwell Celine Adele sonier Draven Robert Michael Dahl Lucas Matthew Grady Ethan Daniel Hunt Lily Nicole Bowman Gavin Truman yergler Riley and couch Nicole Francis ebright Logan Christopher reisteck Seth Gabriel Fister Ashton Marie guntel Isabel Marie Castro Aiden Michael King Lydia Lane Athen Levi father Khan Kanan Winslow Troyer Simon Alexander Haynes [Music] Andrew Christopher preszler [Music] Caroline Samantha Buskirk Lillian Marie schroef Max Bennett worth [Music] Alyssa Rose Williamson Jared Thomas Markham Katarina Eileen Baughman Preston Allen Dougherty [Music] Justin Wayne ellsroth Adrian michaelen Hall [Music] Cole Ryan Arnett Samuel Ryan bumgartner Kiana Jalen Coleman [Music] Reese Ronald Michael Walker Anthony Cruz Marissa Patrice Renee Bennett Lily Kim bunch Savannah Lynn Jessup [Music] Kellen Alexander Cobb Austin Michael Davis Sophia Emily Anna Marie turmail David William Pence Evie Grace schants Angel Marie zorio so Sarah Grace beader j marie Randall [Music] Bryson Lee King [Music] Josie Rayne Elizabeth Platt Timothy Ryan kernstein [Music] Paige Lynn daughtery Aiden Andrew Nunley [Music] together Carter Allen Johnson Carly Ray Brown Keegan Parker Schwartz Megan Marie patch Darren James early Nicholas Lee Morrow Kendall Lynn Crist Caitlyn Ann Byrd Evelyn Patterson Kennedy Marie Nash Mackenzie Ellen Cummins [Applause] [Music] Austin Andrew Ruppel Chase kylan Turner Alden Luke Zoll Robert Wayne Valenzuela Lira Lakota Lewis Nova Lakota Lewis [Applause] again I would just ask that all students be allowed to be have to have the same opportunity and equal representation so that they can hear the name following the name that is being called and that all students will be congratulated at the same time that is the request of the graduating class and I would ask that we all respect that thank you Jason smarley Richard Lillian Faith King Madison Mackenzie spies Blake Russell Mosher Hannah Riley gallion Sydney Corrine Vitz Kaylee Michelle Triplett Andrew Thomas ball Emma Sage Thompson Caden Wayne McConnell [Music] Olivia Sue Randall Carissa Ann tosado Samuel David Shiro somes Catherine June Miller Colin Alexander magdich Cooper Reese Wooster Nolan C poong thank you [Applause] graduates of the Year 2023 please stand [Applause] you are about to become a part of a very proud and Rich Tradition at Bluffton High School you will join approximately 331 other graduates and will become the 141st graduating class of Bluffton High School by turning your tassels from right to left you are symbolizing the completion of one phase of your lives and the start of another you may now turn your tassels [Applause] graduates of the Year 2023 may have the hindsight to know where you have been the foresight to know where you are going may you have a host of friends that never ends and may God protect you and bless you always ladies and gentlemen at this time I would like to present to you the class of 2023.
To the parents and faculty here today, we would not be sitting in these seats if it wasn't for your guidance. And to our principal, Mr. Newell, thank you for always putting your students first and making each and every one of us feel special and heard. And you're while we're all sad to see you go and leave this year, we understand that you felt it was the only option as there will never be another graduating class as amazing as the class of 2023. It has been an honor to get to know everyone here, and I hope you're all as proud of yourselves as I am. And as we go on with the rest of our lives, I hope with every stumble you face, you are reminded of your time here at East, and are able to get right back up and keep going. Because if there's anything we've learned in these past 4 years, it's to keep going.
uh my name is Ethan Eldridge and I'm very excited to be here today on behalf of the Krista Nabi Eldridge Memorial Scholarship Foundation to be awarding one of our annual scholarships to a graduating senior here today for those of you who don't know my mom Krista Navi Eldridge was actually a a student at North Decatur High School just down the road during her time at North Decatur she was very dedicated to her her academics her Athletics in volleyball softball and women's basketball and she was also very dedicated to her community into her her local 4-H club um after graduating from North cater High School her and my dad who actually went to Greensburg High School go go pirates both went to Purdue University together and my mom got her her bachelor's degree in social work from Purdue and then went on to get her her master's degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh and hope to one day move back to to Greensburg to be a family therapist and to Coach women's sports at North Decatur High School um unfortunately before we could all move back as a family to Greensburg and a day before her 33rd birthday my mom actually passed away from a very brief and hard-fought battle with cancer in August of 2004.
Congratulations, class of 2023. To the faculty, staff, teachers, family, friends, platform guests, and the class of 2023, good morning and welcome. At the ripe age of nine, I entered my first show at the 4-H Fair. I fought tooth and nail to make my goat named Splash look her very best for the judges. At the end of our dance around the arena, I was handed the highest honor a little wrangler could receive, a participation award. You could say that success looked a little different back then. But today we're here to celebrate a huge milestone and I'm extremely grateful to be sharing that success with each of you. If you would have asked me four years as four years ago as a freshman what my definition of success was, I would probably paint a picture similar to the one you're witnessing right now. But since then that definition has shifted drastically.
and uh a short time thereafter a few of our family friends some of those who are here today actually started this Scholarship Foundation to honor her memory by recognizing two seniors one from Greensburg high school and one from North Decatur High School each year that have a similar dedication to their schools and to their communities my mom loved the community of Greensburg and as a social worker and a family therapist she had a an especially strong dedication to supporting the young people of Greensburg who are the future of this community and so I know that you know if she hadn't passed away she would be here today coaching volleyball or basketball and and supporting the young people of the community and would likely be up here instead of me giving a scholarship for something or another um to to one of you here today so it is with great pleasure that I announced the winner of this year's Chris Nabi Eldridge Memorial Scholarship to a dedicated student a proud member of the Greensburg community and a name that I've heard a few times already here on stage today and that is Macy Smith congratulations [Music] thank you good morning and congratulations class of 2023 we are Larry and Amy Bray we're here to present the very first scholarship and memory of our daughter Colleen Bray Colleen was at 2019 graduate of Greensburg High School many of you may not remember her but you may remember her little brother Evan who graduated just a couple years ago last year we lost Colleen in a car accident when she was on her way to work she was only 21 years old but she had already built herself a very successful business and was planning her upcoming wedding to her fiance Kyle everything was falling in place for her and we couldn't have been more proud when Colleen was little she was always very passionate about animals she loved all of them we had nearly every pet you could imagine dogs cats rabbits guinea pigs Ducks Turtles frogs everything She always told us that she wanted to grow up and be a vet because she wanted to help animals until she got into high school she realized that discovered that she didn't really much care for school at that point and after graduation she was introduced to dog grooming and by that fall she was enrolled in a dog grooming School a technical school to kind of hone her skill she loved it and she was good at it she won several creative grooming competitions where she transformed poodles into everything from giraffes zebras the Star-Spangled Banner and even The Little Mermaid to someone on the outside it looked like dog grooming was a hard job long hours wrestling dogs in and out of the bathtub lifting them on and off the grooming tables soothing their anxieties when she just needed to finish the cut Colleen didn't see it like that she once told me Mom can you believe I get paid to play with dogs all day I knew then that she had found what we all strive for she was happy and as a parent that's all you want for your children after her passing her lifelong friends decided to the best way to honor her was to start a scholarship that would forever carry on her Legacy of helping animals and they did just that and while there are many deserving students in here receiving awards for their academic achievements we're very thankful for this tribute because this scholarship's a little bit different than most it does not include any academic standards to qualify because we believe that like Colleen Talent passion work ethic and potential don't always translate the same on a report card however this scholarship is open to anyone anyone willing to use their god-given talents to help animals in some way that shares Colleen's genuine and Unconditional Love of Animals whether you're using your academic success to pursue a doctorate in veterinary medicine or you use your impeccable work ethic to pursue trade school certification and dog grooming or vet tech or maybe you just want to use your entrepreneurial instincts to start your own business with this scholarship we hope to honor Colleen by celebrating anyone who fiercely chases their dreams in the pursuit of Animal Wellness so with that it is our pleasure that we are able to present this inaugural award to the recipient who shares Colleen's Love of Animals in pursuing his dreams we're very proud to present this one thousand dollar scholarship to Evan Graves [Applause] foreign good morning my name is Jennifer mcelvin and I'm here with my mom Pam mcalvin today and we are presenting The Glenn and Joanne Moore scholarship um Glenn and Joanne Moore moved to Greensburg in 1955 where they purchased their first retail store they raised four children Larry Pam Jeff and Melanie who attended the Greensburg schools and went on for post-secondary Education Pam then returned to teach in the Greensburg school system for 30 years they were prominent Merchants from 1955 to 2013 and they displayed business savvy in their stores Moore's True Value Hardware and minier's department stores it is with great pleasure today that we award this scholarship in their memory for a thousand dollars to Selena Perez [Applause] now we're going to present the Ted and Marion Stout scholarship this scholarship is in the amount of 830 and this year's recipient is Mr Bryce Stringer congratulations Bryce [Music] morning everybody my name is Alex Sefton and I have the honor of serving as the president of our Greensburg Rotary Club here in town it's my honor today to be able to present the service above self award to an outstanding young woman who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving our community she exemplifies rotary's motto which is service above self this award is given annually to students whose lives exemplify this High Calling this year we had three recipients two from South Decatur and one from here at Greensburg Community High School this individual has made a significant impact on her school and Community through her selfless acts of kindness and dedication to others her efforts have not gotten a notice and we're excited to be able to present her with a 500 scholarship that she can use to further her education so ladies and Gentlemen please join me in congratulating Miss Bailey ebbing [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you good morning and congratulations Greensburg High School seniors my name is Spencer burkert and I'm here from the Greensburg Optimist Club presenting the William H grivey scholarship this one year this year one student at Greensburg high school was selected to be awarded with a 2500 scholarship William grivey was a long time member of the Greensburg Optimist Club he lives his entire life according to the Optimus Creed his scholarship was created many years ago by his wife Betty and his brother Dan grivey a portion of this scholarship is funded by the Greensburg Optimist Club flag program were hundreds of U.S flags are placed throughout Decatur County on several national holidays during the year this year's applicants were asked to write an essay on how the Optimus Creed applies to their lives the recipient here at Greensburg wrote an outstanding essay and fits the true criteria of an optimist the 2023 William gravey scholarship recipient from Greensburg is Bryce Stringer thank you [Music] good morning I'm Bill Curry and I represent the Decatur County Community Foundation and as you can see I got a big stack to give away here so it's going to be a fun period for me for those of you who don't know the uh Decatur County Community Foundation has approximately 25 million dollars that we hold in trust to give away as scholarships and grants to throughout the community and this year we've get we have 75 scholarships to the three schools for a total of 335 thousand dollars and I just want to take a quick second before I give away the scholarships to tell you about our mission our mission is to inspire generosity of our community to create a lasting impact and the thing it's hard to think about is today this is about the the graduates and the money that you guys are going to receive but think about all the families who donated in the generosity that that made this day possible so I just want to say that real quick and then get to the the scholarship so the first scholarship is for the Decatur County Community Foundation Lily endowment and that goes to Christina Fogg that scholarship is a is a full tuition plus a 900 a year stipend the next scholarship is the Decatur County Community Foundation mystery donorship trade scholarship and that goes to Camden Caden Tressler [Applause] they should all be in order well hello yes sorry about that the next scholarship is the Rhodes DeMoss family vocational scholarship and that goes to William Kathy foreign scholarships are for the Youth philanthropy Council scholarship and that's Macy Smith and Chloe Wilcox [Applause] [Music] the next three scholarships are for the Addie Austin Memorial Scholarship and it's 1435 each to each student is Austin Adams William Kathy and Evan Graves [Applause] the next scholarship is the Joanne Bostick Memorial pirate Spirit award and that goes to Kennedy Lowe for 410 dollars [Applause] uh the next scholarship is for the Arnold duquesne's MD scholarship for six hundred dollars is Courtney Michael [Applause] Theon Ingalls Wing scholarship for 3125 goes to Sarah Stapp [Applause] the Steve Hunter Memorial Scholarship for eighteen hundred and twenty dollars each is goes to Austin Adams and William Kathy [Applause] the Martha Frost Art scholarship for 425 dollars goes to Kagome wo check [Applause] the Del Mar Jeanette Janet connect family Memorial Scholarship of 1650 or excuse me 615 dollars goes to Michaela Hageman [Applause] the Knights of Columbus scholarships of 200 each goes to Abigail hoeing and Abe Debbie [Applause] the Meyer and Wilmer Schreiber family scholarship of eleven hundred ninety dollars goes to Jenna Foster [Applause] the Decatur County Community trade technical scholarship of a thousand dollars goes to Caden Tressler [Applause] the class of 1941 and 1942 scholarship goes to Evan Graves [Applause] uh the First Federal good citizenship Awards goes to four individuals 2500 each is Abigail hoeing Josie Nabi Gibson Rawls and Phoenix Skelton [Applause] there are five Bernie and Lucy Lehman scholarships the first one of thirty five hundred and fifty dollars a year for two years goes to Evan Graves the next four or five thousand dollars a year for four years goes to Tyler benninger and Kai Dyer Emily ernstis and Clayton Feldman [Applause] is one we didn't do yeah okay for the class of 1961 scholarship in the amount of 456 dollars we have orianna schlitter congratulations orianna congratulations now going to move on to the Craig Allen Roberts Memorial scholarships we have two recipients for this and it's in the amount of 500 each Bryant Merritt and Emma walsman congratulations [Applause] thank you for the DAR good Citizenship Award in the amount of 150 dollars this year's recipient is Jenna Foster thank you we hosted the annual Optimus essay contest and there's a scholarship associated with that contest in this year's winner is Macy Smith [Applause] there was also a welding contest in connection with the FFA and there's a scholarship associated with that and our winner this year and the amount of fifteen hundred dollars is Austin Adams [Applause] okay the Indiana state school bus drivers Association scholarship for 750 goes to Samantha Smith [Applause] positions the Delta faucet scholarship for one thousand dollars renewable goes to William Kathy [Applause] [Music] the PSI Iota zai sorority scholarship for one thousand dollars is awarded to Elijah Willard [Applause] we have two recipients for the daughter of Isabella scholarship for five hundred dollars each Bryant Merritt and Emma walsman [Applause] [Music] the Decatur County pork producers scholarship for one thousand dollars is awarded to Olivia wechter foreign America Foundation scholarship for one thousand dollars is awarded to Austin Adams [Applause] [Music] the Next Generation Hoosier education scholarships is awarded to four of our students for ten thousand dollars renewable Autumn Anderson Kylie Simpson Samantha Smith and Elijah Willard [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you these Starbucks College achievement plan award for full tuition and fees for four years is awarded to Kiera Richardson [Applause] [Music] we have four students receiving the Mitch Daniels early graduation scholarship for four thousand dollars Emily Hamm Rylan Mccalla Veronica Parks and Elena robolero [Applause] [Music] we have 18 students receiving the 21st century Scholars award this award equals state tuition in Indiana for four years please hold while I announce all 18 students Leslie bachover Seth Brown Ashlyn Corbin Kai Dyer Emma Evans Clayton Feldman Tristan Hamer Caden Hauck Samantha Johnson bright and Kelso Macy Lewis Jolena Moore Sophia Perry Abigail rage Adriana Stewart Von verzo Olivia wechter NK gomezek [Applause] [Music] issues nope congratulations you might need the microphone we have a number of awards that our senior class of the class of 2023 has received from post-secondary education and we'd like to take a few minutes to recognize those Awards we have three individuals that will be traveling to Anderson University Leslie bachover will be receiving the Indiana University Edwards merit scholarship Grant the merit scholarship is 23 000 renewable and the grant is over twelve thousand dollars renewable Samantha Johnson will be receiving the Reardon scholarship of 14 000 renewable and a grant of over three thousand dollars and Chloe Wilcox will be receiving the Raven merit scholarship of eight thousand dollars renewable foreign [Music] we have four individuals that are receiving awards from Ball State first one is a Ball State Scholars award to Bryce Stringer second Granger Maxwell is receiving a Ball State University scholarship Bryce's scholarship is four thousand dollars Granger's is over one thousand dollars they are both renewable Elijah Willard will be receiving a scholarship award of 4 000 renewable a music scholarship of one thousand renewable and a grant of over 1800 renewable and Kagome warchek is receiving number of Grants from Ball State University that total over eight thousand dollars renewable [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Tyler bidinger will be traveling to DePaul University he is receiving a distinguished scholarship of thirty thousand dollars renewable a grant of four thousand renewable and a DePaul Award of over ten thousand dollars renewable two young ladies will be making Fairmont State University their home for the next few years Bailey ebbing will be receiving an out-of-state neighbor scholarship a 4 000 renewable a William white athletic scholarship of one thousand renewable which will increase each year a soar Scholars Award of 500 and a general scholarship amount to be determined Josie knobby will be attending Fairmont State University and is receiving an out-of-state neighbor scholarship of six thousand dollars renewable and an athletic scholarship starting for the first two years of eighty five hundred dollars and the second or the third and fourth year the amount will increase to 000 each year [Applause] Ella Chapman is going to the Florida Gulf Coast University she's receiving a president scholarship of ten thousand dollar renewable and a full athletic scholarship of over 39 000 renewable Noah Burr he will be attending Fordham University he is receiving a scholarship of over two ten thousand dollars renewable and a tuition ward of over eight thousand dollars renewable Franklin College will be the home for Kai Dyer he is receiving an academic scholarship of over fifteen thousand dollars renewable [Applause] Jeter Edwards will be attending Goshen College he is receiving an academic and athletic scholarship totaling over nineteen thousand dollars and it is renewable [Applause] two individuals will be attending IUPUI both receiving excellent scholar Awards Brock Adams of one thousand dollars renewable and Abigail hoeing three thousand dollars renewable [Applause] we have eight individuals so we'll be attending Indiana University and receiving various awards first one is an athletic scholarship of a full ride to Sam West a 21st century Covenant award to two individuals Seth Brown and Clayton Feldman an Indiana University Provost scholarship of 5 000 and a Hatton honors college award of one thousand both renewable Jenna Foster Haley deerstock will be receiving a Provost scholarship of 4 000 renewable Kylie Simpson a Provost a scholarship of five thousand dollars renewable Samantha Smith a school of Education Direct admit of one thousand and a Provost scholarship of five thousand dollars renewable and Sarah Stapp she will be receiving the Scott Holland back scholarship of 1500 renewable and a Provost scholarship of four thousand dollars renewable foreign balzer will be attending Kansas Westland University she is receiving the trustee Scholars Award of 14 000 renewable a softball discretionary Award of 7 500 renewable and the power of and award for twenty five hundred dollars renewable we have two individuals that will be increasing their talents of Hands-On at Lincoln Tech the first one is Chad Fraser receiving a 500 high school scholarship and the second young man is Austin Adams he will be receiving a high school scholarship of one thousand dollars Plus Austin is also receiving the technical and maintenance Council Lincoln Tech nadc diesel truck technician scholarship of over seventeen thousand dollars [Applause] Cadence Gates will be attending Manchester university dean's scholarship at the amount of ten thousand dollars renewable and also receiving College Tour Award of five hundred dollars [Applause] we have three individuals receiving awards from Purdue University first two Christina Fogg is presidential scholarship of four thousand and Kennedy low four thousand and both of those young ladies those awards are renewable also a Teddy will be attending Purdue he is receiving the presidential scholarship for four thousand dollars renewable and a school of Agriculture scholarship four thousand dollars possible renewal Rose Holman Institute of Technology will be the home for Tate Turner he is receiving a grant a technology Grant of fourteen thousand dollars renewable and a merit scholar Award of over twenty thousand dollars renewable okay two individuals will be making trying a university their home Michaela hogerman is receiving a Dean scholarship of fifteen thousand dollars renewable and Tristan Smith is receiving a Project Lead the Way tuition Award of a thousand dollars renewable tuition incentive Grant a 500 renewable Dean scholarship of 15 000 renewable opportunity Award of close to 19 000 renewable and other grants totaling almost six thousand dollars renewable University of Cincinnati three young ladies will be attending there they will be each be receiving twenty five hundred dollars renewable in the Cincinnatus Century scholar award these young ladies are Emily ernstis Natalie Kalinowski and Macy Smith [Applause] foreign folks will be attending University of Indianapolis Emma Evans is receiving the Richard Luger scholarship of eighteen thousand dollars renewable and Gibson rails is receiving an academic scholarship of the eighteen thousand dollars renewable and a music scholarship of ten thousand dollars renewable thank you four young ladies will be traveling to the University of Southern Indiana to make that their home for a few years as they earn their degree Macy Lewis is receiving an academic Award of fifteen hundred dollars renewable Courtney Michael is receiving an Indiana merit scholarship of three thousand dollars renewable Autumn Anderson is receiving a Dave rice scholarship of two thousand renewable and Emma wallsman is also receiving a David Rice scholarship of three thousand dollars renewable foreign right now we are aware of two students in this class who will be receiving United States excuse me veterans educational benefits one is Kerrigan actin which will pay full tuition for four years to Purdue the other individual is Elijah Willard who will be attending Ball State for four years [Applause] Xavier University will be the home of brene drivers she's receiving the leadership merit award of 21 000 renewable a grant of 3 000 a Magus Award of two thousand both renewable a housing Grant of 2 000 renewable event Grant of one thousand and an early filer Grant of 500.
For me, success has been able to graduate early and spend time planning my next steps. For you, success might have been being an officer for your favorite student club, getting an A in calculus, or having perfect attendance, which is something I unfortunately cannot say. The main point is this, success looks different for everyone. Moving beyond the expected, doing what's best for you whether it be academically, socially, or emotionally is the very best thing you can do for yourself. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. It doesn't matter what they want you to be. It doesn't matter who they want you to be. By defining your own success, you'll be sure to create it. In life, there will inevitably be those people who criticize you for the the decisions you make or how you choose to live. And while those individuals will claim to know what's best for you, you're the only one who truly understands what you need to succeed.
for this year's Awards our first award is our Paul Dwayne Collins track scholarship this is a four hundred dollar scholarship and this year's recipient is Tyler benninger [Applause] our next awards are our Royal Club award this award is given to athletes who have lettered in eight Varsity Sports in their four-year career this is a tremendous accomplishment for our student athletes to achieve the athletes are awarded a plaque with their name on it as I mention your name if you could please come pick up your plaque for Mr Peters this year's recipients are Ella Chapman Emily ernstas Jenna Foster Josie knobby Kylie Simpson Macy Smith Sarah Stapp Bryant Merritt Eli Moore and Abe Tabby please give them a big round of applause [Applause] [Music] this is the quickest we've seen Mr Peters move for a while our next award is the class of 1921 scholar athlete this award is voted on by our head coaches and takes academics and Athletics into consideration we also have plaques for this award this year's female scholar athlete is Jenna Foster and male scholar athlete is Abe Tabby congratulations [Applause] and our last award is our top female and male athlete this award is also voted on by the head coaches and takes into consideration an athlete's four-year career this year's top female athlete is Josie knobby and Top Male athlete is Kai Dyer congratulations [Applause] [Music] mixtures thank you and good luck to our graduates [Applause] good morning my name is Jane really and I'm here to award Scholarships in memory of my husband Randy congratulations class of 2023 what a job well done my husband Randy was a caring and hard-working person he was a 1979 graduate of Batesville High School he did not go to college however he participated in the school to work program when he was in high school working in the grocery business he continued to work in the retail business his entire life he worked his way up through the business from a cashier stock person to managing over six convenience stores and eventually owning his own convenience store he also had a love for the outdoors he eventually opened up R J Bait and Tackle which included servicing over 25 stores with Bait and Tackle I continue that to help fund his scholarship his most recent Endeavor was co-owning really fresh meat and Dally and Osgood with his brother even with his busy schedule he found the time to coach softball and Mentor young people in our communities Randy was also the primary caregiver of my father who had had Alzheimer's for five years he was all about giving of his time to help others and encouraging young people to do their best Randy would often tell our children and the people that worked for us it doesn't matter what you do in life be proud of your work be honest and respectful Randy lost his battle with melanoma cancer on July 16 2020.
How your life feels to you is far more important than how it looks to someone on the outside. It's easy to get caught up in life and follow a path that has been formed in our minds by nothing but the expectations of other people. That's why it's better to fill your life with all of the people and all of the things that make you genuinely happy instead of the things that seem to validate your life to people that don't necessarily care about you. At the end End the day, I promise you will look back and realize the moments made up of the little things that made you genuinely happy are the moments that filled your life with the most genuine joy, meaning, and purpose. You're going to realize it someday that happiness was never about your job, degree, or being in a relationship. Happiness was never about following in the footsteps of those who came before you.
through the generous support of many friends families and community members we were able to establish the Randy really Memorial Scholarship fund the scholarship is open to area seniors no matter whether their future plans are to go to college trade school enlist in the military or directly go into the workforce this year we are awarding five two hundred dollar scholarships two which are here at Greensburg we hope the scholarships will help the recipients obtain some of the Necessities needed to launch into a new adventure this year's recipients at Greensburg are Haley deerstock and Austin Adams [Applause] [Music] it's my privilege to give this next award this is given by the chapel family Mr Chapel was a principal like Greensburg high school for I think at least 15 years before Mr Peters took over and Mr Chapel was a great mentor to a lot of students along the way as well as to the staff the field Chapel FFA and agricultural scholarship is given to Olivia wechter for five hundred dollars next two Awards go to two young ladies who have really beat the bushes this school year with the guidance of Mrs cummer to be able to obtain their Child Development Associate credential in order to do that they in this school year they had to log over 480 hours put together a portfolio and present that portfolio and then take a credentialing test proud to announce that both of those ladies who pursued that were very successful and I'd like them to come forward for a small token for Mrs cummer please those students are Autumn Anderson and Samantha Smith [Applause] good morning congratulations graduates my name is Lisa Swank and I am the coach of the Greensburg Community High School academic team this year's recipient of our scholarship in the amount of two thousand dollars is Ivy Wagner [Applause] [Music] [Applause] good morning class of 2023 congratulations on all of your accomplishments this year as superintendent Greensburg schools it's my honor to announce these scholarship winners first we have the Shriver Memorial Scholarship it is a 500 scholarship it goes to Bryce Stringer [Applause] next we have the Sarah kinker scholarship it is also a 500 scholarship and it goes to Kylie Simpson foreign Gene Childress scholarship it is a thousand dollar scholarship and it goes to Gibson rails [Applause] next is the Lillian Knox education scholarship it is a 500 scholarship and it goes to Granger Maxwell [Applause] we have three class of 1977 scholarships there are for 500 each they go to Emily Coy Selena Perez and Kylie Simpson [Applause] the Charles and Catherine Remy scholarship is a one thousand dollar renewable scholarship and it goes to Abigail hoeing [Applause] the Daniel Salee music scholarship is a 2500 renewable scholarship and it goes to Elijah Willard [Applause] The Goddard associate degree scholarship is a fifteen hundred dollar scholarship and it goes to William Kathy [Applause] The Goddard Business Degree scholarship is also a fifteen hundred dollar scholarship it goes to Olivia wechter [Applause] The Goddard technical degree scholarship is fifteen hundred dollars and it goes to Austin Adams [Applause] and The Goddard vocational degree scholarship is also fifteen hundred dollars and it goes to Bryant Merritt [Applause] to Goddard Purdue DePaul scholarship is a fifteen hundred dollar renewable scholarship and it goes to Kennedy Lowe and Tyler bidinger [Applause] we have 11 Bobby Berger scholarships they're all fifteen hundred dollar renewable scholarships and these scholarships go to Autumn Anderson Haley dearstock Natalie kolonowski Brayton Kelso Granger Maxwell oriannis leader Phoenix Skelton Macy Smith Tristan Smith Kaden Tressler and Emma wallsman thank you [Applause] and the last scholarship I have to present is the Indiana University Oscar Ewing scholarship that is a ten thousand dollar renewable scholarship and that goes to Jenna Foster [Applause] we are now acknowledging those individuals that received the Indiana college Corps that is provided through our partnership with Ivy Tech this distinction represents two years of college completed and also provides tuition savings to the families we're proud to offer that as part of an early college high school here at Greensburg these recipients will be called to the stage there's 34 of them this year they'll be receiving green and white cords hence they're holding the green and white cords we will give those out now we'll have a nice round of applause after all 30 34 names of red Carrigan Acton Autumn Anderson Lydia balser Tyler bidinger Seth Brown Ella Chapman Emily coy Abigail hoeing Natalie Kalinowski Brayton Kelso Lauren Krieger Kennedy Lowe Courtney Michael Josie knobby Gibson rails Kylie Simpson Samantha Smith Macy Smith Sarah Stapp Bryce Stringer Abe tabby Tate Turner Olivia wechter Emma wallsman and Elijah Willard congratulations to the recipients of the Indiana college Corps [Applause] we are now going to recognize those that have earned an academic diploma they are going to be receiving gold cords and I'm going to bring them up on stage we have a list of seven Jenna ankney Emily coy Jeter Edwards Lauren Krieger Kylie Simpson Olivia wechter and Elijah Willard congratulations academic honors diploma recipients [Applause] [Music] now we have a list of those earning a Technical Honors diploma we have a list of eight individuals Austin Adams Brock Adams William Kathy Gabriel Gregory Michaela Hageman Gabriel Jones Matthew Reynolds and Caden Tressler congratulations technical honor diploma recipients this next list of 42 names will be those that have earned both an academic and a Technical Honors diploma they are also receiving gold cords we will get through this Kerrigan Acton Autumn Anderson Casey ball Lydia balser Tyler benninger Noah Burr Ella Chapman brene driver Haley dewerstock Bailey ebbing Emily ernstas Emma Evans William everroad Clayton Feldman Christina Fogg Jenna Foster Cadence Gates Evan Graves Abigail hoeing Elizabeth Hall Isaiah Jones Natalie Kalinowski Brayton Kelso Kennedy Lowe Granger Maxwell Bryant Merritt Courtney Michael Josie knobby Gibson rails Calvin Robbins Phoenix Skelton Macy Smith Samantha Smith Tristan Smith Sarah Stapp Clayton Stevens Bryce Stringer Adriana Stewart Abe tabby Tate Turner Taylor Underwood and Emma wallsman congratulations individual receiving both an academic and Technical Honors diploma it is always impressive to read through these names I know it takes a lot of time but everyone deserves the recognition and it's also a testament to the accomplishments of the class of 2023 job well done job well done it's now time to honor the salutatorian for the class of 2023 we have a trophy and a certificate this individual finished her High School career with a 3.989 GPA and our salutatorian this year is Miss Josie knobby we have five individuals that have achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA we're going to call these individuals and give them their own Round of Applause and I'd like for them to stay on the stage after their name is read for everyone to be acknowledged at the end first off Ella Chapman [Applause] our next valedictorian also with a perfect 4.0 GPA is Christina Fogg [Applause] y our third valedictorian Miss Jenna Foster [Applause] next also valedictorian Kennedy low [Applause] foreign just as valuable but the last name to be read Macy Smith [Applause] Round of Applause for our valedictorians for the class of 2023.
It was never about being like the others. One day, you're going to see that happiness was always about the discovery, the hope, the listening to your heart and following following it wherever it chose to go. Happiness was always about being kinder to yourself, embracing the person you were becoming. One day, you'll understand that happiness was always about learning to live with yourself, that your happiness was never in the hands of others. It was always about you. It was always in your hands. I implore you to have the courage to choose choose yourself over and over. I hope you have the courage to move forward, not backwards, to choose growth over comfort, possibility over the past. I hope you know how worthy you are of every good thing in life, even if an unkind heart has led you to believe otherwise. I hope you wake up every single day feeling hopeful and encouraged, knowing that you are so capable of every single thing you want to do, big and small.
good job guys I have some closing comments and some individuals to recognize here as we finish up the ceremony first I'm going to acknowledge the retirees there's a lot of special people here that I'm going to just acknowledge real quick and in a school setting it truly takes a village I know that's a cliche but there's a lot of different roles and value and responsibilities that people take on to make a school run and it ranges from school lunch to teaching to teacher aides to secretaries and they all add up to hopefully making a great place here at gchs first I'd like to acknowledge Mr Gary Bailey social studies teacher here he has taught here for 16 years congratulations Mr Bailey on your retirement Mrs Melinda Hager has been our treasurer for the ECA accounts Mrs Hager served in the in this capacity for a total of 24 years and 12 of those here at gchs congratulations Melinda on your retirement Jenny Wamsley has served as our cafeteria manager and has worked with our schools for the past 19 years Jenny good career congratulations on your retirement Mr Copple school resource officer for Greensburg Community Schools he has helped all three schools throughout the years and he's been doing this for 27 years with our school system congratulations Bruce we you we will miss you Miss Offenburg director of School counseling 44 years 11 years is teaching 33 years as a school counselor coach for 26 years thank you sue [Applause] [Music] as I get myself together here Sue thanks for everything you've done and and for all our retirees job well done appreciate all that you do for kids all right as we dry it up here Awards earned by the class of 2023 I want to thank some Community Partners and I'm going to give you some statistics here as I do every year and when I read these numbers it's really really staggering and I know as each person comes up and presents there's a lot of generous donations and I want to share these numbers with you from Awards and scholarships from local community organizations and from trust funds established within the school corporation we awarded 374 482 dollars this year to the class of 2023.
I hope you remember to think beyond your comfort zone from time to time and never forget the importance of growth. I hope you remember that progression isn't always easy and sometimes the things that scare you will actually get you closer to where you want to be. I hope you make the most of each day and know that you are worthy of success and deserve all the triumphs you've worked so hard for and all the beautiful things coming your way. I'd like each and every one of you to take a second to think about every single high, every single low, all the good days and bad that led you to be sitting here at this graduation. All of the days you thought you'd never get through, but here you are despite it all. Pretty crazy, right? Think about how proud your younger self would be. I'd also like to take a moment to remember our classmates from each Columbus high school who aren't here with us today.
thank you to those Community Partners let's give a round of applause and then from Awards grants and scholarships from post-secondary education institutions the class of 2023 earned 3 million 346 910 from those sources congratulations class of 2023. those amounts total over 3.7 million dollars earned by the class of 2023 another round of applause great job this stretch that we're in is a celebration and it will culminate with your commencement a week from Saturday week from tomorrow and one last congratulations to the class of 2023 you guys have been impressive since you started and you finished on a high note great job thank you to parents family members community support and the entire community of Greensburg this is a special place and go pirates thank you
Illness, accidents, and tragedy took the lives of individuals we loved and cared for deeply. Please join me in a moment of silence as a memorial to those kids and their families. As we say goodbye to what is past, it is my hope for that we have joy for what's coming. I am so proud of every single one of us and so extremely grateful to every person, whether it be family, friends, mentors, or teachers who got us to this point. It is my biggest wish that each one of us never fails to find the courage to move beyond the expected. To the class of 2023, congratulations. Take care and carry on, those. Wow. Thank you, Anna and Caitlin. Two very good speeches there. Outstanding. Um Before Andrew's class, Dr. Roberts, I'd like to make a few comments. First, community. Like I said earlier, we're all working together to support each student that has graduated today.