The San Saba Rotary Club proudly recognized groups of exceptional students during its annual Honor Student banquet held on Thursday, May 15th. Each year, the Rotary Club shines a spotlight on students from local schools who demonstrate academic excellence, strong character, and a commitment to their communities.
San Saba Rotary President Marcus Wood welcomed honor students from San Saba, Cherokee, and Richland Springs high schools. This is the 43rd year that the Rotary Club of San Saba has not only honored these students and their parents but also awarded excellence by giving scholarships to high achieving seniors.
In addition to honoring those students who were ranked in the top 20% of their respective classes, the Rotary Club awarded $ 1,250 individual Rotarian scholarships totaling $18,750.
Students receiving the scholarships were:
From San Saba:
1. Stetson Allison
2. Evelyn Davila
3. Esperanza Baez-Garcia
4. David Acey Mask
5. Anna Millican
6. Rihanna Morgan
7. Jessica Nguyen
8. Aaliyah Patino
9. Haley Price
10. Gracen Shahan
11. Cinzlea Stanton
12. Carol Cazares Tagle
13. Haleigh Ware
From Richland Springs:
14. Hudson Tharp
From Cherokee:
15. Joel Valdez
The banquet not only honored our local students but also individuals in the community whose actions reflect the ideals of Rotary which is “Service Above Self.” The recipient of the award this year was Cissy Williams.
The Rotary Club also recognized a club member who is steadfastly committed to encouraging youth development and academic excellence. The Rotarian of the Year was awarded to Jerry Blankenship for his continued support of the Rotary Student of the Month program as well as the Rotary Youth Leadership Conference.
This year’s speaker was Pastor Judy Swarts. She serves as the Senior Pastor at First Methodist Church of San Saba and has previously led congregations in Menard and throughout the surrounding area.
Judy congratulated the students on their academic excellence. She emphasized that every endeavor brings unexpected challenges, but it’s the challenges that fashion the necessary skills for success.
As always, the San Saba Rotary Club remains committed to supporting education and youth development, believing that investing in our students is an investment in the future of our community.
In closing, we thank the San Saba Community for support of our annual golf tournament held in September that supported this banquet.