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Eighteen Steel Valley seniors received a $5,000 scholarship from alumnus Mr. Richard Bazzy during the district's annual Dr. Lawrence A. Griffin Senior Honor Awards Ceremony at St. John's Cathedral Center in Munhall on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
The large donation from Mr. Bazzy was one of 38 distinct scholarship awards granted to members of the Class of 2024. This annual event is held for Steel Valley seniors who have maintained a minimum overall GPA of 3.25 and have been selected to receive one of the many local scholarship awards. The seniors and their parents/guardians, school board members, administrators, teachers, and scholarship presenters enjoyed an evening full of wonderful accolades.
Senior Class President Duane Carter welcomed the attendees and valedictorian Michayla Rager thanked the parents, teachers, administration, and most importantly, all of the sponsors for their generous scholarship donations. Alumnus and keynote speaker, attorney Mark Smith '98, emphasized that Steel Valley School District students have perseverance and determination that others do not. He ended with a quote from Maya Angelou, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Mr. Bazzy, the president and owner of Shults Ford, has made a donation each of the past five years. Students are asked to complete an application and submit an essay, but instead of picking winners, Mr. Bazzy has generously awarded the scholarship to all who have applied.
Mr. Shawn McCallister, Steel Valley Activities/Athletic Director and one of the organizers of the event is extremely proud of the students and very thankful to all of the community members who take part in this amazing evening to help support the Steel Valley students.
“I am truly humbled by the philanthropy of the scholarship sponsors. This year, our students were awarded over $175,000 through the generosity of community business leaders, alumni, and a variety of other donors," Mr. MCallister said. "We had an overwhelming amount of awards this year and we are grateful to all of the donors for their kindness. It was also great to have our teachers, administrators, and school board members take time out of their day to share in this memorable experience with our seniors. We are all so proud of the graduating class of 2024.”
A photo gallery from the ceremony is available to view here.
The Steel Valley School District would like to thank the following award sponsors and congratulates all of the recipients listed below.
Annual School Board Graduating Senior Award
Dalton Kraft
Joe Nguyen
Joseph R. Havrilla Citizenship Award
Isabella Gardini
Valedictorian Award
Michayla Rager
Scholar/Athlete Award
Joe Nguyen
Michayla Rager
Tribute to Veterans Memorial Day Award
Isabella Ruston
J. Lewis Shannon Scholarship Award
Madison Gillespie
Roger “Butch” Pratt Memorial Award
Alaina Hartnett
John Heddleston
Betty Hogg Memorial Award
Alaina Hartnett
Homestead District Lions Club Award
Joe Nguyen
Michayla Rager
Lions Club Community Award
Shelby Novak
Homestead District Lions Scholarship Award
Isabella Ruston
Drew Martin Memorial & Scholarship Fund
Oksana Blystone-Gegick
Isabella Ruston
Charlton Award
Haneef Capers
Lance-Weems Memorial Scholarship
Jada Pleasant
Garden Club of Munhall Scholarship
Ava Caiarelli
Green Funeral Home Essay Award
Janice Chen
Kacey Stoker
Steel Valley Rotary Club Award
Shelby Novak
Jacquelyn Konop-Buckley Memorial Scholarship
Ava Caiarelli
Susan Satriano Memorial Scholarship
John Heddleston
Carmen Marini Memorial Tuition Scholarship
John Heddleston
Jack Kelly Memorial Scholarship
Kacey Stoker
Betty Davis Scholarship
Duane Carter
Geri Palmieri Memorial Scholarship
Isabella Gardini
The Mayor Bodnar & Jane D. Bodnar Memorial Scholarship
Ava Caiarelli
Shelby Novak
Danyl Settles Scholarship
Duane Carter
Janice Chen
Healthy UN School Award
Ava Caiarelli
Best of Batch Book Stipend
Madison Gillespie
Alaina Hartnett
Isabella Ruston
Kacey Stoker
Luke & Tina Getsy Scholarship
John Heddleston
Nancy B. Scholarship
Shelby Novak
St. Vincent College Award
John Heddleston
Murdock Family Scholarship
Ava Caiarelli
The Charlotte H. Kampe Performance Scholarship
Vinton Kellar
The Steel Valley Women in Leadership Scholarship
Kacey Stoker
The Spillane Family Scholarship Fund
Ava Caiarelli
Chau Scholarship Award
Haneef Capers
Munhall C.A.R.E.S. Community Service Scholarship
Ava Caiarelli
The Russ Gibbons/Dave Demerest Scholarship
John Heddleston
Richard Bazzy’s Shults Ford Scholarship Fund
Oksana Blystone-Gegick
Ava Caiarelli
Haneef Capers
Duane Carter
Janice Chen
Isabella Gardini
Madison Gillespie
Alaina Hartnett
John Heddleston
Arthur Karstetter
Erica Keeley
Dalton Kraft
Joe Nguyen
Shelby Novak
Michayla Rager
Isabella Ruston
Kacey Stoker
Charles Wallace
The Dr. Lawrence A. Griffin 2024 Academic Honorees were Kara Bayus, Oksana Blystone-Gegick, Ava Caiarelli, Haneef Capers, Duane Carter, Keneicia Cash-Payne, Kenyon Cash-Payne, Janice Chen, Christina Gallagher, Isabella Gardini, Madison Gillespie, Michael Guzzi, Alaina Hartnett, John Heddleston, Arthur Karstetter, Erica Keeley, Vinton Kellar, Dalton Kraft, Alexis Menefee, Tiera Menefee, Joe Nguyen, Shelby Novak, Mirabelle Paulino, Caitlyn Perhacs, Jada Pleasant, Michayla Rager, Isabella Ruston, Kacey Stoker, and Charles Wallace.