ECHO — The Echo Kiwanis Club announced scholarship grant awards for four Echo High School seniors: Katrina Morrison ($2,000), Cynthia Buitron ($1,750), Rachel McCarty ($1,500), and Tylene Skillman ($1,250).

At the time of her application, Morrison had a 4.0 grade point average and plans to attend Willamette University on her way to becoming a pediatrician. She is well established as a student leader, volleyball player, member of National Honor Society and holds a genuine appreciation for community service, including serving as an Outdoor School counselor. As a junior at Echo, she enrolled in a college writing course and composed, for a contest, a first-place award-winning fictional writing piece.

Buitron has a nearly perfect academic record as well and a demonstrated interest in learning and growing through working well with others. She intends to graduate with an associate’s degree from Columbia Basin Community College on her way to becoming a dental hygienist. In her application, one of her teachers was very appreciative of how much she had learned to rely on the kind, hard-working and trustworthy ethic that Buitron represents as a person.

McCarty has excelled as a judicious, helpful, and athletic student leader in her career at Echo School and is respected as a hard-working, trusted neighbor in her rural community. She has been already enrolled in several college level courses and plans to attend Walla Walla Community College in the fall. She has a passion for becoming a registered nurse. She enjoys being involved with healing people and in nursing, McCarty realizes, there is always something new for her to learn.

Skillman is known as an inspirational, valued athletic student — friendly, honest and always willing to lend a helping hand. She intends to engage in pre-veterinary studies at Unity College in Maine. After having been active in FFA and engaging in eight years of growing and showing in 4-H, Skillman leaves high school as being particularly interested in veterinary work with large animals.

Echo Kiwanis was chartered in March of 2007. The scholarship grant award program began over ten years ago. Graduating Echo seniors are eligible for awards from this program and must apply to be considered. Funds have been gathered from donations offered through the generosity of local businesses and individuals. More recently, funds are also generated through net proceeds of the annual Echo OktoberFest Festival.