On Wednesday, May 24th, 2017, this year’s seniors had their last day of high school.  It was also the day that they held their Senior Awards Banquet.  At this banquet, the seniors were honored for their achievements and were awarded scholarships that they had received.  Over $32,000 in scholarship money was given out to the extremely grateful seniors.  The generosity of those awarding scholarships has allowed them to have just one less thing to worry about as they transition into adult life.   The event began with dinner and was soon followed by the awarding of the scholarships.  The first scholarship to be awarded was the Academic Excellence scholarship.  Roger Branham received this scholarship.  Next up was a scholarship given out by the American Legion to Shauna Kavajecz, Rachael Teeter, Roger Branham, and Emma Ostrenga. Bayfield Electric awarded their scholarship to Shauna Kavajecz.  Roger Branham received a scholarship from the Bayfield County 4-H Leader’s Association for his time spent in the 4-H program.  The Beeksma Memorial Scholarship went to Crystal Stewart and Shauna Kavajecz.  Hayden Suo received the Bechtel Scholarship, which is awarded to a student who will be attending a university in the UW system. The Bernie Gustafson-Klobucher Memorial Scholarship, given in memory of Bernie Gustafson-Klobucher, who passed away from breast cancer, was awarded to Hayden Suo and Shauna Kavajecz.

Next, the Community Caring Group of Port Wing took a moment to hand out the quilts they had made for the seniors.  Last year, the senior were asked to choose one or two colors for their quilts.  The ladies of the Community Caring Group spent all year working on meeting those requests and making the quilts for the seniors.  Each senior received their own personal quilt.  The seniors were honored by the generosity of the Community Caring Group.  The scholarship awarding picked up again with the Erica Hoagland-Simpson Memorial Scholarship.  This scholarship is given out in honor of Erica Hoagland-Simpson, who tragically passed away in 2008 while flying a plane.  The scholarship is awarded to a South Shore graduate who shares Erica’s passion for life.  This scholarship was received by Emma Ostrenga.  The Herbster Community Club then awarded scholarships to Emma Ostrenga and Shauna Kavajecz.  Hayden Suo received a scholarship from the Iron River Area Foundation.  He also received a scholarship from the Iron River Co-Op.  The Julia Sauvola Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Hayden Suo.  The Monday Evening Club awarded scholarships to Shauna Kavajecz and Emma Ostrenga.  Norvado awarded Rachael Teeter with a scholarship.  Shauna Kavajecz and Emma Ostrenga both received a scholarship from the Port Wing Fish Boil for their time spent volunteering at the event. The Ruel Flemming Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Emma Ostrenga.  The Rozz Wilcox Memorial Scholarship, given in honor of the late Rozz Wilcox, who taught music here at South Shore, was awarded to Hayden Suo.  The South Shore Alumni gave out scholarships to Hayden Suo, Shauna Kavajecz, Rachael Teeter, Emma Ostrenga, and Roger Branham.  The South Shore Letter Club awarded scholarships to Emma Ostrenga, Shauna Kavajecz, and Hayden Suo based on their outstanding volunteerism as members of the Letter Club.  The South Shore Music Department awarded Hayden Suo and Shauna Kavajecz with scholarships for their time spent with the program.  The Susie Jahn Memorial Scholarship was awarded in honor of Susie Jahn, and was given out to a graduate who displays outstanding citizenship.  This scholarship was received by Hayden Suo.  The Town of Tripp awarded scholarships to Crystal Stewart, Nick Botosh, and Rachael Teeter.  Emma Ostrenga received a scholarship from Whitetails Unlimited.  The final scholarship to be awarded was the Willard and Jeri Ogren Scholar Athlete scholarship.  This scholarship is awarded to a girl and a boy who show excellence in both academics and athletics.  Shauna Kavajecz and Hayden Suo had the honor of receiving this scholarship.

The banquet ended with the seniors all taking a picture with their new quilts.  Having received their scholarships (and quilts), the Class of 2017 is all ready to graduate.  They will be doing so on Saturday, May 27th, at 1 P.M.  They invite all those who wish to join them to come and celebrate this day of commencement.  The seniors, along with everyone else here at South Shore, would like to thank everyone who awarded a scholarship.  Your generosity is greatly appreciated!