Luke Hinkle of Invenergy presented two Pope John Seniors with scholarships on Monday, May 7th.  Calli Krebs, daughter of Jeff and Lynette Krebs and Nickol Payne, daughter of Ray and Peggy Payne each received $750 to put towards their college education.

Nebraska Press Association Foundation 2018 Scholarship Recipients Announced

Marie Meis


The Nebraska Press Association Foundation has announced the recipients of their 2018 scholarships. This year, $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to three high school students and one collegiate student: Kamrin Baker, Omaha, NE; Marie Meis, Elgin, NE; Kalli Meyer, Scribner, NE; and Katie Pearson, Wahoo, NE.

The recipients will be honored at the 144th Annual Nebraska Press Association Convention Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 20, 2018, at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln, NE.

The Nebraska Press Association Foundation was established in the fall of 1991. Under the established guidelines, scholarship applicants must be residents of Nebraska who will be enrolled, either as incoming freshmen or upper classmen, in Nebraska-based colleges and universities this fall in a print journalism program.  This year the Foundation has awarded four scholarships.

Member newspapers of the Nebraska Press Association joined in sponsoring the competition for these scholarships by placing announcements in their newspapers.

About the Scholarship Recipients:

Kamrin Baker is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Omaha majoring in Journalism and Media Communications, and plans to graduate in 2020. Kamrin is the daughter of Grace and Andrew Baker of Lyons, CO.

Marie Meis is a senior at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School in Elgin, and will graduate in May 2018. She plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Agriculture Communications. Marie is the daughter of Anne and Jim Meis of Elgin, NE.

Kalli Meyer is a senior at West Point Public Schools and will graduate in May 2018. She plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Advertising/Public Relations. Kalli is the daughter of Melisa and Brett Meyer of Scribner, NE.

Katie Pearson
 is a senior at Wahoo High School and will graduate in May 2018. She plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Advertising/Public Relations. Katie is the daughter of Laurie and Kent Pearson of Wahoo, NE.

The Nebraska Press Association Foundation Board Members are: President, Kurt Johnson, Aurora; Vice President, Shary Skiles, McCook; Secretary, Don Smith, Grand Island; Treasurer, Kent Warneke, Norfolk; Immediate Past President, Mark Rhoades, Blair; and Trustees Dennis Morgan, Elgin and Rod Worrell, Ainsworth.

Pope John XXIII Central Catholic senior, Logan Henn was recently awarded admittance into the Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. Established in 1999 as a joint venture between the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s College of Business Administration and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the Raikes School is an honors program with a mission to develop world-class innovators and leaders through honors education. Located inside the university’s Kauffman Center, the program offers a unique living and learning community that enables students to freely engage in collaborative project work via student residences, faculty offices, project work areas and meeting rooms.

Entrance to the school is a highly competitive process. Raikes School students are selected from the nation’s top high school graduates. The average ACT score for a student at the Raikes School is a 33.5, which helps the Raikes School draw the nation’s best and brightest minds to Lincoln. Students embark on a four-year core curriculum consisting of honors computer science, business and management topics, as well as leadership, team and communication skills development teachings.

Pictured l. to r. (back row): Jasmine Dozler, Harlie Bode, Marissa Preister, Brynn Dilly, Faith Kinney, Maddie Schrage, Brianna Hupp (front row) Kirsten Krebs, Ashtyn Meis, Kayce Kallhoff, Breanna Bartak, Haley Zegers, Madison Dilly

The Pope John XXIII Central Catholic art class under the direction of art teacher, Connie Henn recently completed work with the Memory Project.  The students created and donated 13 portraits for youth in Syria who have faced substantial challenges, such as violence, disasters, extreme poverty, neglect, and loss of parents.

The purpose of the portraits is to help the children feel valued and important, to know that many people care about their well being, and to act as meaningful pieces of personal history in the future.  For the art students, it is an opportunity to creatively practice kindness and global awareness.

Pope John art students received photos of children and teens from the Memory Project last fall and have been working for several months to create portraits resembling the children. Once the portraits were finished, they were mailed to the project coordinators and will be hand-delivered to the children in Syria. The Bargain Box in Elgin donated funds to the project to help cover the cost of the delivery.

These artistic gifts will serve as mementos of a family legacy for the children, as most of them do not have a single photograph of their family history.  The hope is that decades in the future, they will be able to pass their portraits on to their children and grandchildren. The Memory Project team will make a video of the delivery to share the reactions with the art class. More information can be found at memoryproject.org

Friday, February 9 @ LHF
Wednesday, February 21 @ Newman Grove
Saturday, February @ PJCC
Monday, February 26 @ Neligh/NVC
Monday, March 5: Speech Night at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 14 @ Hartington/Districts
Friday, March 23 @ UNK/State