Times Announces New Scholarship Program

A few weeks ago, Dayton High School senior Davy Philips was sitting behind a table in the entrance to the gym during one of the Bulldogs' evening basketball games.

He had a number of silent auction items laid out for patrons to bid on, including a generously donated season's pass to Ski Bluewood.

Philips' goal was to raise funds for Dayton's fifthgrade ski program run by teacher John Lindsey. And he succeeded, bringing in about $1,000 that, if all goes as planned, may be matched by the Pepsi Co.

Last fall, a Waitsburg High School senior, Megan Withers, took on the coordination of a high school food drive with help from the Lions Club. The Veterans Day effort brought in 1,172 pounds of food and supplies for the Waitsburg Food Bank. The year before, senior Mary Alice Potolicchio was in charge of a similarly successful drive.

Last July, then-junior Dain Henderson, also a Dayton High School student, helped raise $1,000 for Young Life, a nondenominational Christian outreach group that sponsors camps and other youth activities. His effort was in the form of a golf tournament.

In August, the seniors on the Waitsburg-Prescott football team - Kris Cady, Justin Armstrong, T.J. Armstrong, David Brock and Joe Purdin - helped prepare 75 meals at the Christian Aid Center in Walla Walla.

The Times applauds these and many other student activities in support of community programs and events.

And because we believe young people should feel encouraged to continue their outreach to their fellow residents, to needy and to the disadvantaged beyond their own years in high school, we are pleased to announce the creation of a scholarship program with community service as its focus.

With the help of the Waitsburg School District to organize the scholarship's structure and application process, the Times intends to set aside $500 for one graduate each from Prescott, Waitsburg and Dayton high schools this year to help them with the cost of their higher education.

The applications should be available this spring.

We will look at the applicants' academic performance, but more importantly, we will base our selection on their efforts as constructive members of their communities. From the examples listed above, it's clear there will be no shortage of prospective recipients.

We intend to discuss the recipients' community outreach in our news coverage so that other, younger students will learn of their initiatives and be inspired by them.

We hope the stories of their older peers will encourage them to apply for the scholarships next year.

These are tough economic times. Many families face the challenge of unemployment and financial stress. In addition, a decline in charitable giving has caused a corresponding drop in services for the disadvantaged.

In this time of need, successful high school students who initiate constructive outreach efforts on behalf of others should be rewarded for their sacrifices and selflessness in the form of educational support and recognition for their good deeds.

One of the many strengths of Touchet Valley's communities is their sense of belonging and their residents' mutual support. Though there may be plenty of times when its citizens disagree, when there is a need amongst them, aid is immediately forthcoming without questions asked.

We've heard that in the stories about the floods. We've seen it in the aftermath of house fires. We've reported about it in our Heartbeat columns. It's a culture that helps make this area feel like home those who call it that.

It's a culture the Times is honored to help perpetuate among members of a new generation. It's a small way in which the Times can give back to its communities in the Touchet Valley that support it so wholeheartedly.