2024 graduate Thomas Phillips received the Sandbox Foundation’s Wayne Scholarship at Lutheran High North’s honors night, held Monday, May 20th. Within his application and essay, Thomas Phillips described his passion for learning, while including a long list of work and service to others. Thomas anticipates a career as an Actuary, as a method to fulfill his love for working with numbers. Thomas received several other awards during the LHN Honors night.
The Sandbox Foundation’s Wayne Scholarship recognizes applicants with a long history of work and service, while also being inspired to use Judea/Christian Principles to guide their path.
Luke Bernthal becomes the first Lutheran High Northwest (LHNW) recipient of a Sandbox Foundation scholarship. Luke is receiving the 2024 Barbara Faye Scholarship focused on Judea/Christian principles, along with his inspiration and hard work. Luke comes from a small graduating class filled with plenty of scholars.
Foundation advisor Paster Jeff Draeger of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church joined Rock at LHNW for senior honors night to present Luke his scholarship in person. Ceremonies were held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Riley McComb received an Inspiration Scholarship from the Sandbox Foundation during the RHS Honors night. Romeo High School held their annual Seniors Honors night on Monday, May 13th. Principal Bernie Osebold opened the ceremonies by announcing the class of 2024 had set a new record by receiving a whopping 186 local scholarships.
Sandbox Foundation advisors Rock and Marie were on hand to meet Riley McComb after the ceremony. Riley is headed to the University of Michigan to study becoming a Historian. Riley is a “top ten” graduate of RHS and received several scholarships on Monday night. Certainly foundation advisors picked another good one, in selecting Riley McComb for a 2024 Inspiration Scholarship.
Dominic DeLaura is the 2024 recipient of the Kuchenmeister Family Scholarship. Dominic will be attending Saginaw Valley State University in the fall, after graduating Romeo High School. Dominic plans to study business and will be joining the SVSU Golf team.
One “Kuchenmeister Family Scholarship” has been awarded annually for more than twenty-five-years to a RHS student who demonstrates a strong work ethic and plan to continue their studies after high school. Recipients of the Kuchenmeister Family Scholarship qualify to apply annually for a Sandbox Foundation Continuing Scholarship.
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 has been awarded the foundation’s Continuing Scholarship for 2021. This is Brooke’s second grant from the foundation, as she attends Hope College working towards a degree leading to Medical School. Below is a short message from Brooke, regarding attending college during the covid pandemic.
Starting college in the midst of a pandemic has been so incredibly difficult but also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Hope had proven to be an amazing faith environment that fosters such incredible friendships all of which are centered around Christ. Despite the restriction put in place on campus, I have still been able to form relationships with my professors and each and every one of them has offered immense amounts of help in my studies. Despite this pandemic I have found a home at Hope and I could not be more excited for the years to come.
