The Palmetto Senior High School Alumni Association handed out $1,500 scholarships to two of the school’s exemplary 2014 graduating seniors. The Class of 1961 Honorary Scholarships were presented to Jessica Roth of Pinecrest and Carlos Rafael Suhr of Palmetto Bay at Palmetto’s Senior Awards Night last month at the Dadeland Marriott Hotel. Roth and Suhr also received lifetime memberships in the Alumni Association.
This was the first year the alumni group offered a scholarship program, which was made possible by the generosity of the class of 1961, Palmetto’s first graduating class. There were 18 applicants for the scholarships.
Roth is member of the Palmetto High varsity swim team and the founder of A Bridge to English, a language tutoring program for students at Pinecrest Elementary. She will attend Duke University in the fall.
“I applied for this award about a month ago, and was not expecting to hear the results the night of my Senior Awards ceremony,” she said. “I was excited and honored to receive this award. Palmetto has been my home for the past four years. I’ve developed friendships that I know will last me a lifetime and broadened my academic horizons to the point where I am now ready for college.”
Suhr has been an active member of the National Honor Society.
“To win the first Palmetto Senior High Alumni Scholarship is quite the accomplishment,” he said. “I am grateful for the opportunities that Palmetto has given me to excel academically and help serve the community. This scholarship will allow me to continue my education at the University of Florida.”
The Alumni Association was established with the mission of advancing the interests of Palmetto High, its students and faculty, as well as promoting fellowship among alumni, developing and assisting in fundraising activities to provide financial support to the school and its students for educational purposes through academic programs and extracurricular activities.
Village Mayor Cindy Lerner is a board member and founder of the association. Members of this year’s scholarship committee included Pam Garrison, Anita Shuffield, Tom Brown, Susan Admire Harris, Village Councilmember Jeff Cutler and Karyn Cunningham.
Graduating Palmetto High seniors are entitled to a one-year complimentary membership in the Alumni Association. For more information, go to <www.palmettohigh alumni.org> or email <palmettoalums@ gmail.com>.
