Somebody wins a car tonight
Famed rocker Rod Stewart said it first in song, but the phrase is worth repeating in this case.
“Tonight’s The Night” for 32 elite scholar/athletes in the Centennial Chevrolet Spotlight program.
Tonight’s the night one of the elite 32 will walk away with the grand prize, a new Chevrolet Spark.
Tonight’s the night and Stone House Inn is the place where the elite 32 scholar/athletes and their parents will gather at 6:30 p.m. for the second annual awards reception.
The elite 32 represent the top male and female scholar/athletes from the 16 schools in the Herald-Standard circulation area.
All scholar/athletes are selected for the Herald-Standard by school administration. The program began in August, when administrators selected the top fall sports scholar/athletes, lasted through winter, when again administrators selected the top male and female scholar/athletes playing a winter sport and continues until June 10, when we will profile the last of the spring sports scholar/athletes.
From this robust group of over-achievers, administrators were asked to identify the best of the best, the elite male and female scholar/athletes from the 2013-2014 school year.
Once selected, the elite 32 were asked to submit a resume of their accomplishments. The top three males and top three females, to be announced tonight, were selected from their own resumes.
All 32 will receive a prize pack. The top six will also receive additional prizes, as well as a car key. The luckiest of the top six will select the key that starts the Chevrolet Spark.
It is the first time the program will award a new automobile, so there are some ground rules. Most notably, an athlete on athletic scholarship must report his or her winnings to the college or university they will attend. Secondly, high school juniors are ineligible by PIAA rules to win more than $500, so the car is out for them. Believe it or not, there are a few juniors among the elite 32.
So, here they are, this year’s Elite Scholar/Athletes:
— Stephanie Simon and Brandon Dice, representing Albert Gallatin High School.
— Hayden Pascoe and Brendan Hasson, representing Belle Vernon High School.
— Anna Bartman and Taylor Dingle, representing Beth-Center High School.
— Whitney Ptak and Scott Gardner, representing Brownsville High School.
— Kailyn Clancy and Mike Luketich, representing California High School.
— Amanda Brown and Brennen McMinn, representing Carmichaels High School.
— Ashton Grimm and Michael Parlak, representing Connellsville High School.
— Lauren Timko and Charles Manack, representing Frazier High School.
— Haley Hutchinson and John Paul Zimcosky, representing Geibel Catholic High School.
— Kirsten Stoneking and Mikah Stanko, representing Jefferson-Morgan High School.
— Melissa McCann and Nick Lancaster, representing Laurel Highlands High School.
— Abby Shipley and Dereck Riggleman, representing Mapletown High School.
— Paige Weaver and Kyle Cohen, representing Southmoreland High School.
— Julie Gerber and Nate Edenfield, representing Uniontown High School.
— Skylar Braga and Aaron Hill, representing Waynesburg Central High School.
— Madison Raber and Dalton Wildman, representing West Greene High School.