KHSD to honor top scholars with Superintendent's "First In Class" Award

Seniors who achieved the highest grade point average (GPA) in their graduating class will be honored during the Kern High School District Superintendent's First In Class Awards Ceremony to be held on Thursday evening, June 23.

A total of 56 First In Class Award recipients from the KHSD's 18 comprehensive campuses will be honored during the ceremony to be conducted at the Doubletree Hotel starting at 6:30 p.m. There are more First In Class Award recipients than there are schools in the KHSD because of ties for the highest GPA at some schools.

"This accomplishment is one of the most remarkable any student can achieve," said KHSD Superintendent Dr. Don Carter. "The competition for this award is extremely intense and demands excellence throughout a four-year gauntlet of increasingly rigorous mental, physical and emotional challenges," Carter said.

Thousands begin this competition," Carter noted. "The few who prevail have demonstrated rarified character and a fierce commitment to excellence. It is my privilege to present this award."

Each of the students will receive a scholarship of an as yet undetermined amount. All of the funding for the scholarships was donated by private individuals, companies or organizations including Chevron, Well Fargo Bank, American Business Machines, and Kern Schools Federal Credit Union. Among others donating to the First In Class Award Scholarship Fund were Aera Energy LLC, the Ben H. & Gladys Arkelian Foundation, the Jim Burke Education Foundation, the Law Offices of Jennifer Floyd, Jones Hall, a Professional Law Corp., Ordiz Melby Architects, Benjamin & Colleen Reyes, Dale Scott & Co., Inc., the Harry & Ethel West Foundation, and the Wheeler Foundation.

The scholarships will be helpful to the First In Class Award honorees who typically attend some of the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities in, and out of, California. Schools to which this year's First In Class Award recipients are committed include Duke U., Standford U., USC, Brigham Young Univ., University of Pennsylvania, the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and numerous University of California campuses including Berkeley, Davis, Irvine and UCLA.

Each First In Class Award winner also receives a plaque as do the parents of each First In Class Award recipient. Parents and family members have been invited. Media representatives are welcomed to attend this recognition of a remarkable achievement. For additional information, contact Becky Shipley at the KHSD Superintendent's Office, 827-3154.

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