NSHS Sterling Scholars revealed
Madisyn Allred
Trevor Ence
Mason Mayo
Emily Barker
Tyler Blackham
Allyssa Ericksen
Trevor Olson
Kailee Burgess
Emily Hill
Hannah Ostraff
Thomas DeGroff
Wesley Madsen
Christian Sanchez
Makade Talbot
Anna Staker
MT. PLEASANT — For nearly a year now, the Sterling Scholars that are representing North Sanpete High School (NSHS) have been preparing to showcase their abilities in the Central Region Deseret News Sterling Scholar competition.
The 46th Annual Awards program will be held at 7 p.m., March 15, in the auditorium of Richfield High School, 495 West Center Street, doors open at 5 p.m.
Prior to the program, during the morning and afternoon, the students will speak to judges and demonstrate their talents in the hopes of being chosen as either a category winner or runner-up and receive a scholarship to a school of their choosing.
Under the tutelage of Ben Cox and Jori Turpin, students have been putting together their portfolios and polishing up interview and audition skills. The group hopes to build on last year’s success, where NSHS had the most success ever, bringing home awards in over half of the 15 categories.
This year’s representatives are:
Madisyn Allred, the daughter of Whitney and Tiffany Allred, Spring City, will represent North Sanpete in the Computer Technology category. She was a member of this year’s volleyball team and brought a second-place trophy home.
She is also a member of the school’s CyberCorps, which is a group of students that help to solve technological problems in the school. She has also taken college English, Journalism, and Math 1030.
Trevor Ence, son of Michael and Jeana Ence, Fariview, will represent in the category of mathematics. He has been preparing himself for this event for years, attending math competitions and conferences.
Ence has taken Calculus, Intro to Engineering, and Physics, as well as a host of other college classes. He isn’t just a scholar, but also has varsity letters in tennis and swimming.
This year as a member of the Hawk swim team, Ence set a school record in the 50-meter freestyle and also brought home a gold medal at region competition, earning him a spot at the state championship.
Mason Mayo, son of David and Kristy Mayo, Mt. Pleasant, is the high school’s choice for Agricultural Science and has taken many of the classes that have allowed him hands-on experience like CAD Mechanical Design, Natural Resource Science, and Furniture Design and Manufacturing.
Another hands-on skill that Mayo has acquired is that he can now communicate in American Sign Language (ASL) due to one of the high school classes.
Emily Barker, daughter of David and Julie Miller, Spring City, has excelled in learning what it takes to make a strong family and to be a conscientious consumer. Like her best friend Madisyn Allred, Barker is a member of CyberCorps and also writes for the school paper.
Barker has shown a wide variety of interests and has college classes like Introduction to Criminal Justice and English 1010 to her credit.
Tyler Blackham, son of Thomas and Melanie Blackham, Moroni, will represent the business category. Blackham has participated in many Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competitions and has brought back a number of awards.
Blackham is also a member of the Desktop Publishing and Yearbook staff and has also taken several college classes including Math 1040 (Stats), English 1010 and Psychology 1010. He also showcased his talents on the gridiron this year as a varsity football player.
Allyssa Ericksen, daughter of Jeffery and Annette Ericksen, Fairview, represents the Hawks in the Social Science category. Ericksen is a well-rounded individual and has taken a wide variety of college classes, including Intro to Criminal Justice, College Algebra, and English 1010.
Ericksen carried that overall talent into extracurricular activities and sings in the Concert Choir, was the setter for the varsity Hawk volleyball team and was also on the swim team.
As a swimmer, Ericksen and three others broke the school record for the medley swim, and then continued to set the bar lower as the year progressed. That relay team competed at state this year. She was also chosen as First runner-up and Miss Congeniality in the recent Miss Fairview competition.
Trevor Olson, son of Dr. Glen and Ann Jeannette Olson, Mt. Pleasant, will represent in the music category. Olson has been a busy young man and worked all summer long as the drum major of the high school marching band and plays several instruments as well.
Besides the marching band, Olson also plays in the Jazz Band and sings in the Concert Choir. He also plays tennis for the Hawks and has taken classes like Human Physiology, College Algebra, English 1010, Medical Terminology, Psychology 1010 and Physics to round out his music ambitions.
Kailee Burgess, daughter of Paul and Karen Burgess, Moroni, is a strong choice to represent the dance category. Burgess has been a dancer almost her whole life. This year she was the captain of the Spiriteers Drill Team at the high school.
Even though she suffered from bad knees, Burgess continued to dance and lead her team to success. Besides being a wonderful dancer, Kailee is also a bright student with classes like College Algebra, English 1010, and Leadership Principles to her credit.
Emily Hill, daughter of Robert and Alicia Hill, Moroni, will represent North Sanpete in speech and drama. Actually she has already represented the Sanpete Valley very well having won numerous awards in competition and has shared those talents in various school productions.
Hill can speak with her hands as well as her lips, having taken two years of ASL to complement her Criminal Justice, College Algebra, Broadcasting, Drama, and Speech courses.
Hannah Ostraff, daughter of Joseph and Melina Ostraff, Fairview, is the representative in the visual art category and has art in her genes. Her father is a fine artist and her brother was the representative in this same category last year.
Ostraff has had her art accepted in several competitions and has received numerous awards for her skills. She has participated in the Springville competition as well as at the state level.
Classes in Journalism, English 1010, American Government and Photography have helped Ostraff during her high school years. She is also an accomplished tennis player, filling the second singles slot for the Lady Hawks this past year and is an Academic All-State recipient.
Thomas DeGroff, son of Robert and Jane DeGroff, Spring City, is a strong contender in the science category for North Sanpete High. DeGroff has taken most of the science courses the school has to offer and has extended his knowledge by participating in the Green Car competition where he helped to build and race an emission free vehicle.
DeGroff has judged science fairs in Fairview and Fountain Green, while sharing his expertise with younger, budding scientists. He also plays trumpet in the school band, writes for the school paper, and has Art 1010 and English 1010 college credits to his name.
Wesley Madsen, son of Brian and Nanette Madsen, Spring City, he will represent the trade and technology category. Looking at his school transcript it’s obvious where this young man’s interests lie and he has just finished putting up some new wood trim in the counseling center at the high school.
Madsen has classes like CAD Mechanical Design, Furniture Design and Manufacturing, Welding and Woodworking on his resume, as well as College Algebra, English 1010 and Intro to Engineering. He also loves sports, plays football, wrestles, and is a part of the baseball team.
Christian Sanchez, son of Samuel and Evelia Sanchez, Mt. Pleasant, is fluent in Spanish and English, as well as being able to communicate in French, which makes him the choice for the foreign language category for North Sanpete.
Sanchez is also a senior class officer this year. He was a big part of the success of the boys’ soccer team last year and will be looked at to help lead again this year.
Sanchez has taken a tough load of classes including Public Speaking, Math 1030, Criminal Justice, Physics, and writes for the school paper.
Makade Talbot, son of Mica and Camie Talbot, Moroni, represents North Sanpete in the English category. As a skilled wordsmith, Talbot can often be found walking the halls at the school with a deck of cards in his hands, waiting to show his latest card trick to anyone with interest.
But it didn’t take magic for Talbot to be selected in this category as he is an accomplished writer. He is also well-liked throughout the school and was selected as the student body president for this year. Talbot also writes for the school paper and has English 1010 and Math 1030, along with ASL to his name.
Anna Staker, daughter of Ed and Sara Staker, Mt. Pleasant, is the general sterling scholar for this year. She is also a student body officer and is very involved in student government.
Staker sings with the school’s concert choir and has participated in the school musicals. Needing to have a variety of interests for this category, she has filled her class schedule with Human Physiology, Math 1030 and French II courses. Staker has also been a member of the Lady Hawk tennis team the past four years and is an Academic All-State recipient.
