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PICTURE CAPTION:
The Sterling Scholars for the 2020-2021 school year were Shalyce Cook, Dance; Harrison Cook, Mathematics; Kaylee Anderson, English; Adam Cox, Social Science; Elizabeth Madsen, General Studies; Kaje Nielsen, Computer Technology; Azlyn Freeman, FACS; Jared Strait, Science; Eneli Silva, Foreign Language; Spencer Olson, Music; Maren Bench, Drama; and Rance Christensen, Trade and Technical Education. (Order according to photo and mention who won and who was runner up)
At the recent Sterling Scholar competition, NS had four runners-up and one winner. In the competition, each participating senior competes in one of 15 categories with other schools from the central Utah region for the chance at $2,000 of scholarship money.
The four runners-up were: Harrison Cook in Mathematics, Adam Cox in Social Science, Rance Christensen in Trade and Technical Education, and Eneli Silva in Foreign Language. Runners up receive a $500 scholarship. In addition, Kaje Nielsen placed first in Computer Technology.
“It was a truly moving experience,” Nielsen said. “I’m just disappointed that others from our school couldn’t feel the same. At least we still got some runners-ups though.”
To compete as a Sterling Scholar, a student must put in mountains of effort. They must create from scratch a portfolio detailing their accomplishments, qualities, and abilities pertaining to their category. This includes at least five short essays along with images of their service and work in that category.
“I’ve done a lot of service and been in a lot of leadership roles throughout my life,” Cox said, “and those are some of the things you need in order to succeed as a Sterling Scholar… I was very proud of myself. As a school, though, I was disappointed; I thought we had some amazing kids that, unfortunately, didn’t place.”
Each student submits their complete portfolio to a panel of judges who score the document, and then they travel to Richfield, where they are interviewed individually and their final scores are compiled.
“We take our cream of the crop kids at the high school,” Turpin said. “They kind of create a really close network, those Sterling Scholars together, because they will do service projects together and make some friendships.”
Those friendships, along with the portfolio and experience itself, make participation in the program worth it to the students that participate.
“It’s a program that gives you an opportunity to show how you’re exceptional,” Cox said, “and gain money for college too. You can really show off what makes you unique.”
As seniors, the Sterling Scholars can utilize what they have learned and gained from competing directly in their upcoming adult endeavors.
“Your portfolio is essentially you explaining who you are,” Nielsen said. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t know who I was, but I found that as I was answering those questions for the judges, I was really answering them for myself. While I don’t want to sit and pretend that I have my future perfectly figured out now, I can at least say that I have a plan. I at least have a script now, instead of having to completely improvise.”
The Sterling Scholar program offers much, but it also requires work and effort to attain excellence.
“When I was in high school, I was super focused on sports,” Turpin said, “and I didn’t even know what Sterling Scholar was… I’ve just been super, super, super blown away with these kids. I always felt like I was really involved in high school, and working with these kids, I’m realizing that I wasn’t at all. It gives me hope for the future.”
Becoming a Sterling Scholar is a worthy goal, and something that more students should consider, as the opportunities gained can far outweigh the commitments made.
“The Sterling Scholar program is not a prestigious, stingy, eccentrics club,” Nielsen said. “They’re not guarding their scholarship money like British soldiers or ninjas. They’re more like a friendly old man trying to find somebody to give his money to before he dies. Sterling Scholar is waiting for you to come and collect your award. You’ve just got to be the first one in line.”
