"You validate what I do."
That was the opening remark from Mrs. Nancy Hill to 57 honors and high honors Pea Ridge High School graduates at a luncheon for the honors students Thursday.
"You are the cream of the crop. You gave me most of those gratifying moments," Hill said. Hill is retiring after teaching 39 years, 28 of which were in Pea Ridge.
"Here we are -- you and I both -- at the beginning of the next phase of life. You're on the brink of that ... I'm on the brink of stepping out of a 39-year-career. We both need to be finding something we're passionate about... we need to have some reward.
"You don't just earn a living. There has to some intrinsic reward in the job you choose to give yo upleasure at the end of the day, to keep you interested in your work and make you want to grow and invest. I vcould not have endured a 39-year career if it hadn't been rewarding, challenging other than the weekly paycheck."
"Embrace change!" Hill advised the seniors.
"We're very proud of you all," Roxanne Enix, teacher and senior class sponsor, said.
LaDonna Penner, scholarship director, said this class received more than $51,000 in scholarships from the community and a total of around $2.9 million for four years from universities, the Arkansas Scholarship Challenge, and other sources.
"Thank you for working hard," Penner said, tearfully. "I love you all!"
Scholarships
ESA Beta Alpha $100 Abbye Coan
Community Blood Center of the Ozarks $500 Abbye Coan
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Abbye Coan
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $250 Alex Schaffer
ESA Beta Alpha $100 Ashley Thielemier
Alpha & Omega Sports & Physical Therapy $200 Ashley Thielemier
FCCLA Scholarship $500 Beth Onions
Alpha & Omega Sports & Physical Therapy $200 Blake Sheppard
ARVEST Bank - Pea Ridge $1,000 Blake Sheppard
Wal-Mart - Cato Service Award $1,000 Bradrick Brown
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Casey Tidwell
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Christian Meador
Kevin & Sheri Trevathan Scholar $500 Ckristan Gamez
White Oak Station $500 Ckristan Gamez
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Colby Duplap
Bright Futures Scholars $1,250 Courtney Ford
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Courtney Loewe
Cheokee Nations $4,000 Dakota Canady
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Dakota Winn
American Legion $1,000 Disney Humphrey
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $1,000 Disney Humphrey
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $250 Dylan Roughton
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $250 Elizabeth Roman
PRMBA $500 Emily Austin
Brown & Van Dyke Scholarship $1,000 Emma Pitts
Paryzek Scholars $300 Garrett Easterling
Van Dyke Family Scholarship $500 Garrett Easterling
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Gloria Vargas
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $1,000 Jared Woollard
Blackhawk Scholar $1,500 Jarin Parezek
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $1,000 Jessica Chase
Community First Bank $500 Jessica Manuel
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Johnathan Cotton
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $250 Joshua Estes
Verna Dodd Honorary Scholarship $100 Joy Davis
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $250 Joy Davis
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Justiss Tartaglia
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Kameron Jennings
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $250 Kealy Skaggs
Dye Hards Community Scholarship $500 Kyera Anderson
CEI Engineering $500 Lance Buttry
DCA, John Dye, CPA $500 Lance Buttry
John & Kim Brown Scholarship $100 Laney Beauchamp
Van Dyke Family Scholarship $500 Laney Beauchamp
Shelter Insurance Scholar $2,000 Laney Beauchamp
Rick & Susan Johnson Scholar $750 Lauran Ivy
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Lauran Ivy
Carroll Electric $500 Lindsey Bush
Dr. Karen Sherman - Oakview Animal Clinic $500 Lindsey Hyndman
Charles and Alice Crabtree $100 Makayla Ricketts
NW Utility Services, Inc. - Robert & Sandy Button $100 Makayla Ricketts
The Perfect Choice $100 Makayla Ricketts
Class of '76 - Friends of Billy Henson $150 Makayla Ricketts
Achievement Scholarship $50 Mathew Van Houden
Hamilton Family Argicultural Scholarship $250 Mathew Van Houden
Wendell Reynolds Memorial $500 Mathew Van Houden
Jack & Freida Crabtree $150 Mikayla Kelly
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Mikayla Kelly
Webb Family Memorial - Hugh Webb Jr. $200 Mikhaela Cochran
Alpha & Omega Sports & Physical Therapy $200 Mikhayla Cochran
ESA Beta Alpha $100 Miles Hamilton
Benton County 4-H Scholarship $250 Miles Hamilton
Beaver Farms Agricultural Scholar $500 Miles Hamilton
Paryzek Scholars $300 Nick Hardy
Pea Ridge Optimist Club $150 Rebel Platt
McDonald's ~ Pea Ridge $250 Rebel Platt
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Rylee Patrick
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Sandra Gonzalas
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Seth Brumley
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Shirah Wright
Andrew and Cheryl Tillman Scholar $100 Stephanie Wood
Alpha & Omega Sports & Physical Therapy $200 Stephanie Wood
Helping Hands Scholarship $1,000 Stephanie Wood
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Stephanie Wood
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Stormy Johnson
Bob and Carolyn Jines $100 Summer Littrell
Earle & Billie Jines Memorial $100 Summer Littrell
Alpha & Omega Sports & Physical Therapy $200 Summer Littrell
Pyatt School Reunion Scholarship $250 Summer Littrell
Patsy McAllister Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Summer Littrell
Andrew and Cheryl Tillman Scholar $100 Taylor Winn
ESA Beta Alpha $100 Taylor Winn
Beckhart $1000 Taylor Winn
Achievement Scholarship $75 Tonya Bradshaw
Alpha & Omega Sports & Physical Therapy $200 Tonya Bradshaw
Bright Futures Scholars $1,250 Tonya Bradshaw
Paryzek Scholars $300 Tristan Cagle-Trundle
Kevin & Sheri Trevathan Scholar $500 Tristan Cagle-Trundle
Paryzek Scholars $300 Tyler Harris
Randi Jo Kelso Memoral Scholarship $1,000 Tyler Harris
Andrew and Cheryl Tillman Scholar $100 Whitney Minnie
Pea Ridge Alumni Scholar $1,000 Wyatt Garrett
Paryzek Scholars $300 Zach Davis
Pea Ridge Community Scholars $500 Zach Davis
Total in community scholarships awarded - $51,625
Community on 05/20/2015