St. Stephens UCC in Merrill is pleased to announce the recipients of the Staats Scholarship Award: Courtney Anderson, Hope Golisch, Kelsey Messerschmidt, Janessa Porath, Alex Wallace, and Sara Zastrow. The awards were presented during a special Baccalaureate Sunday worship service on May 26.
The Staats Scholarship is an award given to worthy graduating high school seniors and college students who are active members of St. Stephens United Church of Christ. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of scholastics and financial need and involves selection after application and review by a church committee.
St. Stephens United Church of Christ has long held a tradition in support of youth and a commitment to learning. The Staats Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by member Vaneta Staats in her will in 1997. When her estate was settled in 2001, these funds were set aside for scholarship purposes. “Vaneta Staats cared about teaching, she cared about learning, and she cared about the youth of St. Stephens having the opportunity to advance their educations beyond high school,” explains Bill Weber, a member of the review committee. Since that time, $162,000 in scholarships has been awarded to youth members of St. Stephens in order to pursue higher education through colleges, universities, and technical schools.