Romeo HS Grads take home two Scholarships

Two Romeo High School 2023 graduates were awarded scholarships by Rock and Cheryl at the RHS Honors night, held May 15th. Olivia Encisco received the first publicly announced Sandbox Foundation Scholarship for 2023 HS graduates. Olivia is receiving one of two Wayne Scholarships to be awarded this year. She is headed to New York, NY to study Music Theater next fall.

Andrea Esqueda received this year’s Kuchenmeister Family Scholarship. Andrea is headed to Wayne State to begin her college studies this fall. By receiving the Kuchenmeister Family Scholarship, Andrea has qualified to reapply in January for a Sandbox Continuing Scholarship. Three Continuing Scholarships were awarded to returning collage students for 2023 earlier in May.

2023 Continuing Scholarships Announced

Advisors of the Sandbox Foundation proudly announce 2023 Continuing Scholarships.

Quinton Schurig (Almont HS, attending Macomb Community College),

Sarah Spitz (Romeo HS, attending Saginaw Valley), and

Sean Sellars (Romeo HS, attending Oakland University).

Each of the 2023 Continuing Scholarship recipients were a 2022 High School graduate and receive either a Sandbox Foundation scholarship or the Kuchenmeister Family scholarship. These (now) college students applied earlier this year. They were among less than a dozen Continuing Scholarship applicants. Foundation Advisors congratulated each of them with an email announcement earlier this month. We look forward to hearing an update from them, as they complete a first year in college this spring.

RHS Graduates Win Big with the Sandbox Foundation

Rock, Gabriella, Chloe and Sarah

Romeo High School Graduates scored big with the Sandbox Foundation. Four 2022 graduates took home scholarships during the RHS Honors and Scholarship night, held May 16th. Gabriella Kirsh received an Inspiration Scholarship. Chloe Anderson took home a Wayne Scholarship. Sarah Spitz was awarded a Kuchenmeister Family Scholarship, celebrating the grant’s 25th year. Senior Sean Sellars also earned a Wayne Scholarship from the Sandbox Foundation.

Sean Sellars receives his scholarship from Rock Kuchenmeister


That night, four RHS students took home scholarships presented by Rock. Two other Sandbox Foundation scholarships were presented at other local schools. L’Anse Creuse North (LCN) senior Grant Kovacs received a Barbara Faye scholarship during his school’s Honors Convocation held May 25th. Rock also presented a second Barbara Faye scholarship to Quinton Schurig during Almont High School’s Senior Academic Awards ceremony. Almont HS held their ceremony on May 18th and this was the first year an Almont senior received a Sandbox Foundation scholarship.

The Sandbox Foundation also awarded two Continuing Scholarships to past recipients Brooke Bennett of RHS and Avery Brown of LCN. In all, the foundation awarded seven scholarships, in addition to the Kuchenmeister Family Scholarship first established by Rock and Cheryl Kuchenmeister in 1997.

Foundation advisors include Rock and Cheryl, their daughter in-law Marie Kuchenmeister and Pastor Jeff Draeger of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (Washington Twp, Michigan).

Brooke Bennett, 1st Scholarship of 2022

Brooke Bennett has received the first Continuing Scholarship awarded by the Sandbox Foundation for 2022. Brooke is a student at Hope College and continues to reflect the Inspiration, Work Ethic and Principles sought by foundation advisors. Below is a short update received from Brooke.

Since starting my second year of college I have made a ton of progress toward discerning what I want to do for my future career. With the support of the many resources, I have at Hope I decided to double major in psychology and global health. I also had the honor of giving a TEDxHopeCollege talk entitled “Why the Price of Insulin is a Danger to Diabetics“. That process taught me a lot about myself and allowed me to speak on a topic that is so important to me. Other than those things I spend time in chapel, working as a resident assistant, and hosting prospective students for a night on campus. Hope has given me incredible opportunities to learn and grow throughout my two years here on campus!