Sam Sheppert, Michaela Gaines, Sicily Dickman and Brock Blakley each awarded $5,000 scholarships in support of their college education

VANCOUVER – On June 8, at the Skyview Senior Awards Ceremony, the Skyview Scholarships program awarded scholarships totaling $20,000 to four seniors in support of their college education.

Scholarships of $5,000 each were awarded to the following Skyview graduating seniors:

• Sam Sheppert received the Outstanding Student in the area of Leadership scholarship. Sam will be attending Brigham Young University. In addition to the Leadership award, Sam was awarded a half-tuition scholarship to BYU and is graduating with Science, Math, and Technology honors.
• Michaela Gaines received the Payton May Outstanding Transfer student scholarship. Michaela plans to attend George Fox. In addition to the Transfer Student award, Michaela earned a music scholarship and a merit scholarship from George Fox University.
• Sicily Dickman received the Jennifer Frost Taylor Outstanding Student in the Arts scholarship. Sicily will be attending Brigham Young University in the fall.
• Brock Blakley received the Outstanding Student in the area of Academic Excellence scholarship. Brock will be attending Arizona State University’s Barrett Honors College. In addition to the Academic Excellence award, Brock earned a Presidential Scholar Award from Arizona State.

The Skyview Scholarships program was started in the Fall of 2020. It operates as a committee under the umbrella of the Skyview Booster Club, a 501(C)3 non-profit.

The fund was originally initiated by Tom and Debra May to give back to the school that welcomed their daughter, Payton, as a sophomore transfer student in 2017.

“Transferring into a new school the size of Skyview can be overwhelming, but we saw our daughter thrive,” said Tom May. “We watched as the students, teachers and staff at the school welcomed and supported Payton throughout her three years and we wanted to recognize their support in some way.”

With help from Principal Andy Meyer and original supporters Rik Shiiki, Diane Berg, Rick and Jennifer Taylor, the fund grew from the idea of one scholarship for the Outstanding Transfer student to four scholarships totaling $20,000 to the class of 2023. Current committee members include Tom May, Rik Shiiki, Diane Berg, Rick Taylor, Sheri Backous, Paul Scarpelli, Lukas Bardue, Lisa Cooper, and Rhonda Gales.

As part of their presentation at this year’s ceremony, the scholarship committee produced and revealed a new video highlighting Skyview’s history and the origins of the scholarship program. It can be found here: https://youtu.be/r9GXC-KXetU

The Skyview Scholarships program is not an endowment fund. The amount of money awarded each year is based on that year’s donations. Individuals or businesses who wish to support the scholarship fund can donate here: https://stormscholarships.org/donate.

Award details

• The Jennifer Frost Taylor Outstanding Student in the Arts Scholarship – Awarded to a member of the 2023 senior class who has participated and excelled in classes or clubs, or other activities related to “the arts” while attending Skyview High School. (Jennifer Frost Taylor was one of the original supporters of the scholarship program. She passed in early 2023 and the committee renamed this scholarship to honor her commitment to the program).
• The Outstanding Student in the area of Leadership Scholarship – Awarded to a member of the 2023 senior class who has shown outstanding leadership ability in school clubs, activities and/or athletics. This student will have demonstrated leadership while modeling characteristics consistent with the Storm culture.
• The Payton May Outstanding Transfer Student Scholarship – Funded by the family of Payton May, a 2020 graduate who transferred to Skyview in 2017 as a sophomore and went on to achieve success in personal, scholastic and community endeavors. Awarded to a graduating member of the 2023 senior class who undertakes a similar path. To qualify, the student must have transferred to Skyview any time after the first semester of their freshman year.
• The Outstanding Student in the area of Academic Excellence Scholarship – Awarded to a member of the 2023 senior class who has shown outstanding achievement in the area of academic excellence. Applicants will have achieved their academic success while modeling characteristics consistent with the Storm culture.