COVID-19 and the Student Recognition Luncheon That Never Was

By Diane Bielanski, May 21, 2020

As the Communications Chair for Altrusa International of Hot Springs Village, AR, Inc., I issued the following press release on May 21. Please share with the students listed and their families if you can. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the photos.

Hats off to the high school scholars of 2020!

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PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Diane Bielanski

Communications Chair

Altrusa International of Hot Springs Village, AR, Inc.

(630) 880-3688

dbielanski@sbcglobal.net

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COVID-19 and the Student Recognition Luncheon That Never Was

May 21, 2020, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas – To honor high school students from Jessieville, Mountain Pine, Cutter Morning Star and Fountain Lake who had a 4.0 GPA (grade point average) in the Fall semester, Altrusa International of Hot Springs Village annually organizes the 4.0 GPA Student Recognition Luncheon and Scholarship Program at the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock. The luncheons this spring would have marked the 15^th year Altrusa has honored local students in this manner.

Trouble started the week of March 9 when the Governor’s Mansion staff contacted Altrusa to notify them that upcoming Spring events had to be cancelled. Not to be deterred from recognizing the 4.0 students, Altrusa contacted entertainer Maxwell Blade, scheduled to be the guest speaker at the Governor’s Mansion luncheons, to discuss the possibility of holding the event at his theater in Hot Springs. Before that could be finalized however, quarantine was ordered, and schools cancelled for the remainder of the school year. 

There were 47 4.0 students from Jessieville, 13 from Mountain Pine, 21 from Cutter Morning Star and 86 from Fountain Lake – and no way to acknowledge their achievement. Altrusa searched for alternative ways to replace the special luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion at a time when everyone is sheltering at home and schools are closed. Ultimately Altrusa made the decision to give the students their certificates of accomplishment through the school counselors. Altrusa also awarded each qualifying Senior a $500 scholarship and a separate certificate through the counselors. 

This year’s Seniors receiving scholarships included: Joseph Benson, Jacob Semmler and Jacob Theriot from Jessieville; Matthew Hurst from Mountain Pine; Grace Slick from Cutter Morning Star; and from Fountain Lake the recipients were Isabel Butler, Erin Graves, Sydney Mungle, Marcus Needles, Victoria Pike and Grace Westerman. Each of these seniors maintained a 4.0 GPA for all four years of high school.

Noted Valerie Derryberry, Altrusa organizer of the annual 4.0 GPA Student Recognition Luncheon and Scholarship Program at the Governor’s Mansion, “This year certainly didn’t go as planned but Altrusa is already planning for the 4.0 luncheons for 2021!

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The list of students from the four local schools follows.

About Altrusa – Altrusa International of Hot Springs Village, one of the most active service organizations in the Village, serves as an example of what happens when people are brought together with the goal of creating a better community. Since 2004, the members of Altrusa have engaged in projects large and small — focused on that goal. The service hours the local members spend are just a portion of the more than one million volunteer hours contributed annually by Altrusa members world-wide.

Mountain Pine     

9th Grade  

Taylor Buttrum
Jace Walden

10th Grade

Bayley Brown
Kristian Downie

11th Grade

Cressie Long
Mackenzie Shelton

12th Grade

Hayden Barnes
Mei-Ling Godfrey
Sydney Greene
Matthew Hurst
Dylan Munson
Collin Smith
Jamie Walsh

Fountain Lake

9th Grade

Benjamin Allan Beatty
Annaclaire Alyse Berry
Alexxus Rose Brown
Cora Marie Counts
Sarah Emma Desfassiaux
Raul Diaz
Dylan Abbigail Dixon
Evan Eric East
Katelynn Leigh Foshee
Sean Russell Glenn
William Michael Heap
Saige Lynette Long
Kenlee OLetha Motley
Lillian Brook Overacker
Raymond Wyatt Peters
Karlie Grayce Thew
Erika Ray Wasson
Tristan Clint Wendel
Samantha Darlene Wittman

10th Grade

Preston Phoenix Bellomy
Todd Layne Breedlove
Ava Riley Compton
Marie Angela Coriaty
Renee Simone Costello
Hailey Marie Crowder
Bailey Nicole Davis
Griselda Esmerelda Espinoza
Emily Makayla Gaona
Starla Dawn Landrum Hensley
Bailey Diann Knappier
Michael Edward Moore
Gavin Nobles Nguyen
Kyra Mai Nobles
Nathan Lee Robinson
Pauline Celia Rocha
Sophie Abagail Skinner
Cimberli Paige Stillian

11th Grade

Kristen Taylor Baker
Carena Grace Bledsoe
Jordyn Taylor Bolt
Caleb Shawn Brooks
Harrison Bryce Brownlee
Landry Elizabeth Cate
Leonel Diaz
William Christopher Drakes
Haley Rae Danielle Evans
Joseph Jefferson Florini
Sandor Granger Hampo
Aleksandr Michael Johnson
Elizabeth Dezarae Leach
Lizbeth Lopez
Gracie Marie Peters
Siera Lynn Peters
Garrison Matthew Scully
Brooke Elaine Wyatt

12th Grade

Ryan Johnnie Avila
Daeton Christopher Bassett
Christopher Lynn Burton
Isabel Marie Butler
Mollie Kathryn Davis
Lynley Addison Dean
Christopher Ricardo Desfassiaux
Duleigh Blane Driggers
Kamden Raye Garrett
Erin Elisabeth Graves
Jesse-Joshua Matthew Hoffman
Savannah Nicole Iglehart
Amy Lauren James
Zoe Alexious Lockridge
Colton Cade McMullin
Sydney Claire Mungle
Marcus Ian Ranola Needles
Jordan Santelle Newton
Andrew Dalton Overton
Victoria Rae Pike
Tori Jade Pokrajac
Erika Rico
Lance Austin Craig Tubberville
Jake Britton Turner
Zion Bobby Loyd Van Dusen
Rodrigo Vasquez
Emily Belle Walker
Zoie Lynn Walker
Annie Grace Westerman
Breann Camille Williams
Madison Ashley Wood

Jessieville High School

9th Grade

Megan Brown
Skyler Clayton
Elizabeth Cosby
Luxi Denger
Jubilee Forbess
Danielle George
Danielle Glomski
Abigail Meredith
Kinleigh Miller
Yan Ouyang
Madison Saunders
Zackery Speers
Robert Tatum
John Canaan Taylor
Ava Zetts

10th Grade

Harli Bassett
Ben Combs
Rebekah George
William Ramsey
Annabel Robertson
Samantha Robertson
Benjamin Romero
Alia Savall
Alyssa Stultz
Lawson Wideman
Audra Wilson

11th Grade

Cutter Morning Star

9th Grade

Jaley Anderson
Jacob Barrett
Tryntee Case
Riley Harvey
Autumn Herro

10th Grade

Lindsey King
Maraelynn Nuckolls
Ethan Stevens

11th Grade

JD Bellomy
Hadley Bennett
Jordan Foshee
James Gill
Brecken Knott-DeBord

12th Grade

Madison Bellomy
CJ Burks
Brock Duncan
Scottie Harkness
Colby Heaton
Hannah Shacklett
Grace Slick
Liberty Voydetich

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The photos included are from the Altrusa HSV archives. The first (cover photo at top) photo is of Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas First Lady Susan Hutchinson greeting students at one of last year’s luncheons. The second photo includes the 4.0 GPA scholars from Fountain Lake High School on April 3, 2019. The third photo includes the 4.0 GPA scholars from Jessieville High School.

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Click here to visit Hot Springs Village PEOPLE private Facebook Group.