Pilot Club, Hester’s award scholarships at annual dinner

 

A total of $11,000 in scholarships were awarded in the name of the Pilot Club of St. Augustine April 25, during the club’s annual awards dinner at Le Pavillon.

Scott Kophamer introduced Hester scholarship recipients Grant Cioffi and Jordan Hayes, both of whom received $4,000 awards. Jordan, a student at Hayes Home School, will be attending Florida State University to obtain a B.S. in nursing. Grant, a student at Bartram Trails High School, plans to attend the University of Florida and major in mechanical engineering. Plans for the third grant from Hester’s, $1,000 will be announced at a later date.

The $1,000 Donnie Heymen Scholarship for carpentry students was awarded to the Pedro Menendez High School students who left April 29 to compete in the state Skills  USA Competition in Pensacola. Representing the six students at the dinner were Ileish Smith and Kaylee Folckemer, both of whom have been enrolled in the Menendez masonry program for four years. They were accompanied by Christine Danner, career program specialist at Menendez.

Also representing the school in Pensacola were Eric Macy, Justin Guerra, Hannah Hodge and Laurence Gosselin.

Pilot Club treasurer Melanie Morrison presented a $500 St. Johns River Community College scholarship to Alison Knowles, a single mother who raised two children and who has a degree in teaching. She will use the award to resume a teaching career. The other $500 SJRCC grant was awarded to Jennifer Cahan, who could not attend the dinner as she was taking exams.

4-H’ers Myra DeRenzo and Carson Banks were speakers for the banquet. Myra traced the making of material from cotton to the finished product, and Carson presented his award-winning essay on Martin Luther King Jr. , which earned the top honors in the middle school competition in St. Johns County.