Wimberley High School Hosts Class Of 2019 Scholarship Award Ceremony

Families, teachers, administrators, community and non-profit leaders joined to celebrate the Wimberley High School Class of 2019 at the Shoot for the Stars Scholarship Ceremony, Thursday, May 16, at the J. Gary Wyatt-Lydia Miller-Wyatt Lone Star Theatre. This year’s stellar class amassed more than $7.3 million in scholarships.  

Some highlights of the evening include a National Merit Scholarship Finalist presentation to senior Jillian Merritt, National Merit Scholarship Commended Student Benjamin McLemore and National Hispanic Recognition Program student Jillian Garcia.  

The 2019 WHS scholar-athletes are Sydney Wright and Landon Kirchner, who were appropriately missing from the ceremony as they wrapped up state competition in tennis.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Oldham-Cummings Post #6441, represented by Kerry Ridgway, Program Chairman awarded scholarships to six seniors who showed exemplary patriotism in their art and writing.

The recipients include Evan Mayhew, ninth and tenth grade $3,000 Voice of Democracy, Ethan Ellisor, a $3,000 scholarship for winning the Voice of Democracy in 11th grade; Amber Hyde, $2,000, Jillian Garcia, $1,500 and Dylan Byrne, $1,000 for their Voice of Democracy winning essays, and Alan Hernandez, $500 for his Rodeo Art Contest Winner.

“A big congratulations to all our students and an equally big thank you to our business, community and non-profit leaders who generously reward our talented and hard-working students,” said Pamela Phillips, WHS Junior-Senior Counselor. 

Dwain York, Wimberley ISD Superintendent of Schools awarded the St. David’s Kocurek Foundation Scholarship for $60,000 to Evan Mayhew. Among this and several other awards, Mayhew will attend Baylor University in the fall on a $156,000 scholarship. 

Seven students took the stage to each receive an $8,000 academic scholarship from the Wimberley Lion’s Club—Emma Fosdick, Amelia Jordan, Anna Olmedo Barraco, Evan Mayhew, Jillian Merritt, Sydney Wright and Eugenia Agobe.  

The Masonic Lodge awarded Mason Bush a $6,800 scholarship.

The Wimberley Community Civic Club also awarded several scholarships to help WHS seniors get off to a solid start in the fall. They include a $5,000 award for Anna Olmedo Barraco, $4,000 awards for Avery Biggers, Amelia Jordan and Evan Mayhew, and a $3,000 award for Sydney Wright.  

The Rotary Club of Wimberley awarded Li de Jong with $2,000 and Aspen Hamilton with $1,000.

The Wimberley Institute of Cultures honored Amber Hyde and Sydney Wright each with a $1,000 Bill Johnson Memorial Scholarship.

Also exciting, Callie Iliff, a gifted thespian and award-winning Classical/Mezzo Soprano, will attend Oberlin College and Conservatory in the fall on a $228,556 scholarship. She also is a National YoungArts Foundation Scholarship winner earning an additional $3,000.

Hannah Pickens will attend the University of Portland on a $112,000 Presidential Scholarship. Amelia Jordan is heading to Savannah College of Art and Design as a Distinguished Scholar with a $135,500 scholarship. Landon Kirchner will attend Texas A&M University on a $170,000 Brockman Foundation Scholarship.

“Congratulations to this very competitive and hard-working class. They are very deserving of these awards and will take this Texan spirit to college with them and do even greater things,” said Jason Valentine, Wimberley High School principal. 

 The Class of 2019 will graduate on May 24 at Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos.