Each year in May, members of the senior class gather in the KHS foyer to meet with members of the community who have donated to help them further their education. Seniors get to personally meet and thank the donors that made their scholarships possible. Following the donor reception, seniors are recognized on stage in the auditorium for their high school accomplishments, including scholarships, academic achievements, honors and extracurricular awards.
One exciting part of the evening, according to Brittany Troyer, Coordinator of College and Career Preparation, is when they announce how much money the class of 2025 has earned in scholarships. This year, the senior class earned $17 million in scholarships.
For the seniors, one of the highlights of the evening is meeting with the donors.
“It was really nice to meet the donors. I met with the donors for the William W. “Billy” Bassett Jr. Scholarship and it was such an amazing opportunity,” said senior Regan McClain. “They were all such wonderful people and were very welcoming and wanted to hear all of my future plans.”
Having the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the people who are making their future plans possible is important to the seniors.
For senior Gabe Newland, meeting the scholarship donors gave him a chance to talk about his goals.
“ I got to talk to them all (the donors) in the time I was given, which was a blessing. They were all genuine and good interactions,” he said. “I hope to see them in the future and use the scholarships to fulfill what I intended to use them for; to help more people.”