Des Moines, Iowa — Seventeen students from our four-county area have been selected for the 2020 Governor’s Scholar Program.
Iowa’s top academic students have been chosen for the program. The Governor’s Office, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and its title sponsor, the Iowa Farm Bureau, are presenting this recognition which began in 2003.
424 seniors in the state are being honored. They were selected by their high schools as the highest academic achievers. All students will receive a recognition plaque and certificate to commemorate their achievement. In addition, each student’s most influential teacher will also receive a certificate of appreciation.
The in-person ceremony for this year was canceled due to COVID-19 and the ongoing guidelines concerning public gatherings. With that in mind, the student honorees are being announced via social media and the IHSAA website.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s executive director Tom Keating says that the principles learned through academic success, like those learned from participation in school activities, help develop outstanding young leaders. He says that the partnership between his organization and the Iowa Farm Bureau, along with, “the great cooperation of the Governor’s Office has made this prestigious program possible for many years.”
In addition to being recognized as the state’s brightest students, more than 99 percent of the group participates in school activities. More than 60 percent plan to pursue their post-secondary education in Iowa.
Here are the students receiving the award from our area:
Boyden-Hull: Sydney Damstra
Central Lyon, Rock Rapids: Joseph Tilstra
Gehlen Catholic, LeMars: Josie Kolbeck
George-Little Rock: Matthew Haken
Harris-Lake Park: McKenzie Heikens
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn: Joseph Ahlers
MOC-Floyd Valley: Tessa Burg
Rock Valley: Kaylee Vande Hoef
Sheldon: Hannah Uhl
Sibley-Ocheyedan: Claire Hoppe
Sioux Center: Brooklyn Vander Velde
South O’Brien, Paullina: Shelby Enger
Trinity Christian High School: Ellie Regnerus
Unity Christian, Orange City: Jocelyn Zonnefeld
West Lyon, Inwood: Jordan DeSmet
West Sioux, Hawarden: Shayden Blankenship
Western Christian, Hull: Cassie Van Otterloo
