The recipients were selected based upon their essay, academic merit, community involvement and financial need.

LCAOR was able to raise a total of $4,400 to present to this year's recipients.

They congratulate April Casperson of Loconoma Valley High School; Katie Falconer and Nycole Copping of Clear Lake High School; Anna Devries and Thonyoon Chao of Upper Lake High School; Emmalena Illia and Tiffany Blank of Lower Lake High School; and Nicholas Reed, Wade Holley, Karin Vandraiss and Matthew Jones of Kelseyville High School for their hard work and dedication to their future.

The scholarship presented to the students of Kelseyville High School is presented in honor of Gary Barber, an important and influential member of the Lake County real estate community, who is remembered for, among other things, his dedication and hard work to spearhead legislation of benefit to property owners here in Lake County and in the state of California.

LCAOR said its in debt to Barber for the accomplishments made during his real estate career.

The group thanked its committee members, Leonard Lea, Bob Kiesman, Irene Rivas, Shevaun Stanfill, Rob Ishihara, Leslie Kirchner and Kalyn Noble for the planning, organization and selection process that brought these scholarship awards to this year's recipients.

On Sept. 25 Buckingham Golf and Country Club will host the "Scramble Golf Tournament." All proceeds will benefit the LCAOR Scholarship Fund for 2010.

For more information contact LCAOR at 707-263-9300.

From left, Kelseyville High School graduate Maille McCallister and Upper Lake High School graduate Hannah Johnson have each received a $1,000 Elizabeth Whitehead Memorial Scholarship from the Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Garden Club. Courtesy photos.

LAKE COUNTY – Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Garden Club (CLTTGC) has awarded two $1,000 scholarships to local high graduates this year.

CLTTGC established the Elizabeth Whitehead Memorial Scholarship in 1992 with one $250 Award.

Since that humble beginning the amount and number has increased to two $1,000 scholarships.

To date, CLTTGC has awarded 29 scholarships for a total of $15,500.

This year they received eight applications and were impressed by the accomplishments and caliber of Lake County's students.

One scholarship was awarded to Upper Lake Union High School graduate Hannah Rose Johnson.

She is the daughter of Jennifer Smith of Nice and will attend the University of California, Davis.

The other scholarship was awarded to Kelseyville High School graduate Maille Elizabeth McCallister.

Shee will attend Mendocino College and plans to transfer to California Polytechnic University to continue her education. Her parents are Jeff and Donella McCallister of Kelseyville.

CLTTGC is a member of Mendo-Lake District, California Garden Club Inc., Pacific Region and National Garden Club Inc.

The Karen L. Atkinson Nursing Scholarship was presented to Amy Arrendondo (second from left) and Megan Hoover (second from right) by Atkinson's friends Doug and Joan Nelson (far left and right).

The total amount of awards represented the largest since the Foundation began its yearly awards program, says Channing Cornell, Foundation Vice President and chair of the Scholarship Committee. The Foundation’s scholarships are designed to assist the students with payment of tuition and books for a full school year, explains Cornell.

Students receiving the Mendocino College Foundation Academic Excellence Scholarships in the amount of $1,700 each included Erin Anderson, Ignacio Ayala-Aguilar, Ayari Barajas, Carrie Bishop, Whitney Briggs, Darleen Castanon, Anna Chairez, Vicente Chavez, Kayla Chesser, Seth Chew, Lauran Colvin, Kirsty Cordell, Jared Dobbs, Lezlie Elmer, Melissa Field, Luke Gardner, Linda Gibson, Tomas Gonzales, Alejandro Gonzales, Artoun Gostantian, Zachary Hedges, Emmanuel Jimenez, Meghan Kidwell,

Amber Lofton, Susan Madison, Barbara McKey, Maria Mendoza, Gabriel Ray, Melanie Rose, Jovita Ruiz, Geddy Throne, Renee Tompkins, Kathleen Wagner, and Stacey Weil-Dye.

Recipients of the Foundation’s $1,700 Evelyn R. Foote Scholarships are Alejandro Berumen, Kelly Boss, Karl Caukwell, Gloria Cornett, Justin Floyd, Orion Guerra, Emily Houghton, Sallie Jacobson, Stephanie Jensen, Joanna Johnson, Darlene Klaiber, Treanna Leher-Nelson, Jesus Macias, Claire Mansell, Penny McGahey, Amanda Mueller, Marcela Parra, Apolinar Reyes Murillo, Diana Rico, Jarin Sharma, Oliva Villa, Whitney Vonfeldt, and Hugo Zaragoza.

Additional award winners included Gonzalo Parajon Sequeira, the Thomas M. Evans Scholarship in the amount of $2,500; Wendy Brouwer, the George R. Szanik Scholarship, $2,500; Jane Khoury, the Jim Meyer Scholarship, $2,000; Kelly Stanton, the Carl J. Ehmann Scholarship, $2,000; and Kat Payne, the Mary Oosting Fine Arts Scholarship, $1,000.

For the Nursing Program, recipients included Amy Arrendondo and Megan Hoover, the Karen L. Atkinson Nursing Scholarship, $1,250 each; Anne Holloman and Marlana Navarro, the Heidi Marie Daniel Nursing Scholarship, $500 each; Kathey Goodson, Adriana Murray, and Aaron Stauffer, the Kathleen Kohn Fetzer Family Foundation Nursing Scholarship, $1,250 each.

Recipients of the Bernard Osher Foundation Scholarships, also $1,000 each, are Kymber Denevi, Scott Diebold, Jovita Ruiz, and Diana Sanchez.

Selected to receive the Directors/Trustees Annual Fund Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each, jointly presented by Trustee Wade Koeninger and Mendocino College Foundation President Tom Herman, were students Seanen Bevilacqua, Corinne Chaulk, Karla Jimenez, Amy Moss, Rebecca Richey, and Gabrielle Summers. Prior to announcing the award winners, Koeninger thanked the Foundation Board and College trustees for bringing the combined award to fruition. He said members of the boards and Superintendent/President Kathryn G. Lehner deserved credit for making it happen. Herman added his own thanks, recognizing Koeninger for his contributions. “Wade is an individual we should all admire,” Herman said.

This year’s number of awards and total award amount represents an increase of approximately 5% over last year’s totals. The Mendocino College Foundation allows for an increase in the scholarship dollars in its budget each fiscal year.

For more information about Mendocino College Foundation and ways to contribute, call the Foundation office, 707-467-1018.

Recent Clear Lake High School graduate Claire Mansell with CLHS Principal Steve Gentry.

Seth Chew, Upper Lake, with Upper Lake High School Principal Pat Iaccino.

Foundation Board member Tommy Thornhill with Gonzalo Parajon Sequeira, winner of the Thomas M. Evans Scholarship.

Wendy Brouwer (right), winner of the George R. Szanik Scholarship, with Foundation Board member and past president Donna Berry.

Executive Director Shannon Gunier Enthusiastically congratulates Marilou Montanez on her achievements. Courtesy photo.

LOWER LAKE – Marilou Montanez of Middletown, a Lower Lake High School senior, is one of only eight graduates in the state this year to receive a California Wine Grape Growers Foundation (CWGGF) scholarship.

She is one of four students chosen to receive four-year, $4,000 annual scholarships, the foundation recently announced. The foundation provides the awards to children of vineyard employees.

Presenting the prize to Montanez during Lower Lake High School’s Senior Awards Night, Lake County Winegrape Commission Executive Director Shannon Gunier represented the state foundation.

Making the presentation, Gunier said that those in the wine marketing business do not forget the people who are the “backbone” of the wine industry, “the vineyard workers and partners who grow our premium grapes.”

Gunier said it was an honor to award “such a hardworking student from hardworking parents.” Montanez’s father is a foreman with Ballard Vineyards, St. Helena.

Two other Lake County seniors are recipients of scholarships from CWGGF, according to a news release from the Foundation. They are Nicholas Reed of Hidden Valley Lake, who was also selected for a four-year award, and Kaitlyn Goff of Kelseyville, a winner of a two-year $1,000 annual scholarship.

The California Wine Grape Growers Foundation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that was “established to conduct public education programs, fund scholarships, and support research related to the California wine and winegrape industry.”

According to information on the CWGGF Web site, award selection is “based upon financial need, demonstrated scholastic ability, community involvement and leadership and/or work history, and (the student’s) determination to succeed.”

Montanez stated in her application to CWGGF that she plans to attend Sonoma State University to work toward a psychology degree. She said she hopes to work with children and their families.

The 2009 graduate was a member of Lower Lake High School’s Academic Decathlon team, earning silver medals in the Superquiz and for her interview. She was a two-year member of SERVE Academy and was honored with a plaque for her overall academic achievement. Other honors have included a “Faculty Award,” “Outstanding Science Student,” perfect attendance, and “Student of the Month” awards.

In addition, she was a member of Student Council and was involved in several school clubs, volunteered at Konocti Kids Day, worked as a summer school teacher’s assistant and as an after-school tutor, and participated in “Toys for Tots” and canned food drives.

In an essay required as part of the scholarship application, Montanez said receiving the award “would be such an honor to my family and myself” because it would help her fulfill her dream of going on to college following graduation. She said her parents “assured I will be better educated and that if I keep going to school and do as good as I have been, I could even earn a doctorate degree in the future.”

Additional information about the CWGGF’s scholarship winners, visit the foundation’s Web site at www.cwggf.org .

For information about the Lake County Winegrape Commission, see its Web site at www.lakecountywinegrape.org .