The Palmetto Senior High School Alumni Association awarded two $1,500 scholarships to two of the school’s exemplary graduating seniors. The Class of 1961 Honorary Scholarships were presented to Jessica Roth of Pinecrest and Carlos Rafael Suhr of Palmetto Bay at Palmetto’s Senior Award Night on May 22 at the Dadeland Marriott. The two graduates also received a free lifetime membership to the Alumni Association.
This was the first year the alumni group offered a scholarship program, which was made possible by the generosity of the class of 1961, Palmetto’s first graduating class. There were 18 applicants.
Roth is member of Palmetto’s varsity swim team and the founder of A Bridge to English, a language tutoring program for students at Pinecrest Elementary. She will attend Duke University in the fall.
“I applied for this award about a month ago, and was not expecting to hear the results the night of my Senior Awards ceremony,” she said. “I was extremely excited and honored to receive this award. Palmetto has been my home for the past four years. I’ve developed friendships that I know will last me a lifetime and broadened my academic horizons to the point where I am now ready for college. I am thrilled to be a lifetime member of the Alumni Association.” Suhr has been an active member of the National Honor Society. He will attend the University of Florida in the fall.
“When my name was called, I was extremely shocked and honored,” he said. “To win the very first Palmetto Senior High Alumni Scholarship is quite the accomplishment. I am very grateful for the opportunities that Palmetto has given me to excel academically and help serve the community. This scholarship will allow me to continue my education at the University of Florida. Palmetto has become my home and I’m glad that I will forever be a Palmetto Panther.”
The Alumni Association was established with the mission of advancing the interests of Palmetto Senior High School and its students and faculty, promoting fellowship among alumni and developing and assisting in fundraising activities to provide financial support to the school and its students for educational purposes through academic programs and extracurricular activities.
Mayor Cindy Lerner is a Board member and founder of the association. Members of this year’s scholarship committee were Pam Garrison (’61), Anita Shuffield (’70), Tom Brown (’64), Susan Admire Harris, Pinecrest Councilman Jeff Cutler (’75) and Karyn Cunningham (’81). The Alumni Association reminds all graduating seniors that they are entitled to a one- year complimentary membership in the Association. To sign up, visit the website, www.palmettohighalumni.org. For more information, contact palmettoalums@gmail.com.
