Character Council Senior Scholarship Program

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The Character Council of Edmond honored five Edmond high school seniors with $1500 scholarships for their exemplary character at a reception held at The Vault 405 following April’s Character Council monthly meeting.

This year’s winners are Stella Sage, Harper Sage, Evelyn Hrencher, Jaley Hunt and Katarina Samwel. 

Thirty-two EHS seniors applied for the scholarships in 2024, which included an essay based on a character trait that they demonstrate in their daily life along with a letter of recommendation attesting to their good character. Each of the five winners were active in their school and the community while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Stella Sage identified loyalty as her character strength. She described OCS as a smaller high school without the STEM opportunities enjoyed by larger schools. Her parents gave her the choice of attending another school, but she decided to remain at OCS. After researching the STEM Club and its purpose, she took the initiative to get faculty advisors on board. Her efforts were rewarded when she received the approval of school administrators to establish a STEM Club at OCS.

Stella has also been a steadfast member of the OCS Cross Country team since middle high. When their long-time coach resigned, many of the athletes left the team. Stella considered leaving also but changed her mind. Stella said, “The more I thought about it, I realized that it was important to remain loyal to a sport that I loved, set a good example of what it means to be a part of a team, and support my new head coach and ultimately my school.”

OCS teacher, Cheryl Strauss pointed out an app that Stella devised to help runners track their progress. Strauss said, “Stella has been a loyal member to her cross country and track team—competing since middle school and earning top placements for pole vaulting—and using her gifts in technology to adapt her app to meet the needs of fellow runners.”

Stella is pursuing a degree in engineering and minoring in computer science. Her long-term goals include working with the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma. 

Harper Sage described her character strength as endurance. She is also a student at OCS. For almost a decade, Harper competed on the tumbling team. During that time, she earned five national titles. 

Harper said, “I have built my confidence as a person and athlete, learned how to encourage others, gone through the challenges of overcoming injuries and setbacks, and developed a strong work ethic.” 

Mandi Risner, Library and Media Specialist at OCS spoke of the medical issues that challenged Harper’s daily routine. Risner said, "One of Harper's great strengths is her ability to work steadily and diligently even when tasks or circumstances are overwhelming."

Harper plans to attend Baylor University in Waco, Texas to obtain a business degree and later pursue a law degree. 

Edmond North High School student, Evelyn Hrencher, learned the character trait of flexibility while learning to sail. Her first job was sailing camp. Evelyn said, “Because of racing and coaching, I have learned to think on my toes and adapt to new situations. I’ll keep sailing and I’ll keep growing. Through all of it, I know flexibility will help me do whatever I set my mind to.”

Tessa Tefertiller, Evelyn’s AP Calculus instructor, said, “Evelyn is an excellent student who is able to adapt to the ever-changing pace of life. She knows her priorities and adjusts her learning and activities around her goals. Evelyn has learned the key to success in any endeavor is flexibility—using what you know, your tools at hand, and parameters within your control—to achieve a desired outcome.”

Evelyn aspires to a degree in aerospace engineering. In order to narrow down her options, she plans to participate in research and internships. While math and science have always piqued her interest, she also hopes to minor in French or perhaps study abroad. 

Santa Fe High School senior, Jaley Hunt credits her family for exemplifying and teaching her the value of compassion. Jaley said, “I strive to lead by example with compassion serving as a guiding light.” 

Jaley saw and was drawn by an element of compassion in the Edmond Public Schools Foundation student ambassador program. She described herself as an introvert who likes to work behind the scenes. Through the program she grew in confidence and learned ways to reach out to others.

In 2023 she was selected to attend the Four-Star Leadership program with General Tommy Franks. Jaley said, “FSL inspired me to leave a living legacy as a compassionate school and community leader. 

Following the program, she discovered the need for art instruction and enrollment in many of Oklahoma’s schools, especially Title 1 schools. So, she started the All-Aspiring Artists (A3) Project. Using the skills she learned through the FSL and creating a presence on social media she was able to raise funds, which helped enable EPS Title I elementary students to have access to visual arts.

In her letter of recommendation, Torrie York, AP Government/SS Department Chair at SFHS said, “Jaley is a high school student who demonstrates compassion, is empathetic and kind, is always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need and shows genuine care and understanding towards others.” 

Jaley plans to double major in Visual Art and English. She would like to work for a publishing company or a magazine after she graduates college. Also, law school may be in her future.

Katarina Samwel, another SFHS student, was unable to attend the scholarship reception. She depicted her character trait of endurance in her essay by describing her first race as a cross country runner. In a pivotal moment, she realized, “I was dead last with no hope of 

trying to get back in the race.” 

Summing up that disappointing race, Katarina said, “Endurance is often defined as, ‘The act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress.’ This was my mantra to finish the race. That day, in complete exhaustion, I ran through the finish line with all that I had.”

Kyle Bartlett, Assistant Cross Country coach said, “She started off as a freshman who could barely finish a race, and turned into a senior who has competed in varsity races, including the state meet and several other high level meets. Without endurance and the motivation to always finish, she would have never been able to compete in every race we’ve done in these 4 years.”

Katarina plans to attend Texas Tech University, with the intent of earning a degree in finance /pre-law. She aspires to specialize in business law.

This year marks the Character Council’s tenth year anniversary for awarding scholarships to Edmond high school seniors. Through generous community donations, the Character Council, to date, has awarded thirty college scholarships to seniors who exemplify good character in their daily lives. 

Applications can be downloaded from the Character Council website, edmondcharacter.org, in the fall. All scholarships are awarded in the spring.

Character Council of Edmond

PO Box 392

Edmond, OK 73083

Pictured: Left to right- Stella, Harper, Evelyn, Jaley

Since its inception in 2015, the Character Council of Edmond has sought high school seniors who exemplify good character in their daily lives. The application process includes an essay based on a character trait they demonstrate and a letter of recommendation that will attest to their character. We awarded our first scholarship to Patricia Salas from Santa Fe High School. Since then, we have awarded the following $1000.00 Scholarships: 

• 2016: Kathryn Puckett (Memorial); Hannah Berndt (North); Kennedy Allbee (Santa Fe). 
• 2017: Kylie May (M); Alison Duke (N); Cassidy Towe (SF)
• 2018: Kelsey DePrang (M); William Hentges (N); Brandon Duong (SF). 
• 2019: Casey Minnick (M); Caroline Best (N); Aja Montgomery (SF). 
• 2020: Sivadarshan Aravindan (SF); Mackenzie Goings (M); JJ Ruff (M).

Starting in 2021, the Character Council was able to fund scholarships for $1500 thanks to the generosity of others.

• 2021: Gracie Berger (N), Zachary Hall (SF), Layla Molina (SF).
• 2022: Campbell Christensen (M), Jaclyn Fan (SF), Kayla Nguyen (M).
• 2023: Sam Mooney (OCS), Grace Noland (SF), Jack Ray (OCS), Kaitlyn Twenter (SF)

If you would like to make a tax exempt donation to help support this Edmond initiative, please mail your donation to:

Character Council of Edmond

PO Box 392

Edmond, OK 73083

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