Decatur seniors receive $500,000 in scholarships

Photo by Mike Eckels Orlando Aquierre-Martinez (right) receives certificate from Nancy Cotter, Decatur high school councilor, for a full scholarship from the University of Arkansas during the May 13 Awards Night at Peterson Gym.
Photo by Mike Eckels Orlando Aquierre-Martinez (right) receives certificate from Nancy Cotter, Decatur high school councilor, for a full scholarship from the University of Arkansas during the May 13 Awards Night at Peterson Gym.

DECATUR -- For the Decatur High School Class of 2014, May 13 was a night to recognize them for their countless hours of sacrifice in the pursuit of a promising future.

The Decatur High School Scholarship and Awards program was hosted by high school principal Deborah Coffer in Peterson Gym.

A total of $523,432 worth of scholarships was awarded to the 2014 seniors, including a full University of Arkansas scholarship, the first for a Decatur senior. The Class of 2013 was awarded just over $400,000 worth of scholarships.

Valedictorian Orlando Aquirre-Martinez was awarded an $82,000 scholarship by the Engineering Career Awareness Department of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, with an additional $20,000 from Silas Hunt.

The Navy presented an $180,000 scholarship to Timothy Clements, while the Army National Guard awarded $51,032 worth of scholarships to Private Trey Kell.

The following is a breakdown of the total amount each recipient was awarded:

Timothy Clements - $194,000, Orlando Aquirre-Martinez - $117,400, Trey Kell - $65,032, Lynlee Witcher - $27,150, Cordelle Bell - $15,250, Amanda Davies - $14,500, Brittany Frost - $14,350, Randy Wright - $2,950, Feng Xiong - $1,300, Julie Nault - $750, Matt Lee - $500, Eduardo Hinojosa - $250.

In addition, Megan Anderson, Skye Glosser, Brittanie Libberton, Hannah Ramsey and Arlei Soto each were awarded $14,000 from the Arkansas Academic Challenge program.

In addition to the scholarships, students from grades 9-12 were also recognized for their hard work and dedication in achieving excellence in education.

General News on 05/28/2014