Top CNE Class of 2019 members recognized at annual Awards Night
By Dick Maloney
Fourteen students; 36 scholarships worth $26,795; countless hours of work rewarded.
Clermont Northeastern High School hosted its annual Senior Awards Night May 22 in the high school gymnasium, with representatives from across the county on hand to congratulate the members of the Class of 2019 being so honored. Awards ranged from $2,000 – the Nick Erdy Scholarship won by Olivia Bricker – to $250; all were graciously accepted and appreciated.
Seniors Jillian Kirby and Sam Wood earned 13 of the 36 scholarships – six for Kirby totaling $4,500 and seven for Wood totaling $4,550. Kirby will attend Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and Wood will attend Ohio University. Both were grateful for the recognition.
“It’s an honor honestly. College, as everyone knows, is just expensive, but it’s a huge accomplishment for us to get where we are today and having it recognized is just amazing and an honor in general,” Kirby said. She will play volleyball at Allegheny and report for preseason workouts Aug. 16. A Division III school, Allegheny does not offer athletic scholarships.
“I chose Allegheny for the academics. I received a really good scholarship there, and it’s a small school, so it kind of felt like home to me. I’m going to study biology with a minor in psychology, focusing on pre-med,” she said.
Wood is the fourth-generation of his family to graduate from Clermont Northeastern. One of his scholarships was for $500 from the Owensville Historical Society, of which his grandfather is a member. His family also has an educational background – his mom works at the district’s elementary school and his dad is also a teacher.
“I’m really glad that I got what I did tonight. I know that Jillian and I both worked very hard for this, and I’m glad that it could go toward my education, and I know that it will help me,” Wood said.
As a two-time member of the Ohio University Honor Band, Wood has visited the OU campus several times.
“I had actually had gone a on a visit with the band my sophomore year of high school and I liked the school a lot when I went down there, and … I’ve been to Homecoming there for the football game, and it’s always fun to watch and I want to be a part of that. And I like how the campus is laid out and how the music program is run there. I had to take classes with the, actually the tuba professor was there for the honors class, he gave me a masters class, and I’m excited to be going there.”
Among Kirby’s six awards was the Joseph Bauer Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the Owensville native, former CNE student and U.S. Army member who was killed in Afghanistan July 24, 2010.
“For that we had to write an essay about what leadership meant to us, and what dedication meant, and that one is a close one to my heart, just because I have family in the military, and I know what a sacrifice it is, and even school in general, you make sacrifices for your education along the way, and it’s just an honor,” Kirby said.
Both are ready for the next phase of their life, and grateful that CNE helped set the path.
“It’s a family. A lot of us have gone to school together since kindergarten,” Kirby said. “We’ve made long-time memories. We’ve gotten to see each other grow, and everybody comes together to support one another, whether it’s scholastic or athletic, because everybody’s there for one another. Pure happiness to think about and look back on.”
“I think we’re both ready to be done,” Wood said. “Some of us have been in school together since kindergarten, and even before that I went to preschool with some of these kids who were here today to, so they’ve been in my life since longer than I can remember, and it was an honor to graduate with them.”
Both have specific teachers whom they thanked for their influence. For Kirby, it is high school biology teacher Scott Wells.
“He really introduced me to the sciences and he was also my student advisor. He taught me a lot with school and just life in general. He’s one of the best advice givers I could think of. Anytime I had a problem, I could go to him and he would just talk me through it, and just kind of tell it how it is.”
A seven-year member of the CNE music program, Wood singled out high school band director Chris Moore.
“I’ve had him for seven years, since sixth-grade, and yes, he’s really the only teacher I’ve had consistently, and I’m glad it could be in music. I’m glad he could guide me toward music education,” Wood said.
High school Principal T.J. Glassmeyer said the ceremony is a fitting way to conclude the school year.
“It’s a great opportunity to recognize our seniors and all of their wonderful accomplishments, and for the community members to recognize the great things that our students do, year in and year out,” Glassmeyer said.
Board of Education President Dave Pennington is impressed by the amount of money awarded for a district CNE’s size.
“I think we’re creating great kids through the district, and the amount of money that these kids are able to get for being a small district says a lot,” Pennington said.
A list of CNE Senior Night scholarship winners:
Gabriel Beebe
$450 (high school staff)
Olivia Bricker
$2,000 (Nicholas Erdy Scholarship)
$500 (Lykins)
Kyla Brooks
$1,000 (Clermont County Farm Bureau)
$1,000 (CNE Alumni)
$500 (Hamersville Masonic Lodge)
Kiley Cooper
$500 (CNE Athletic Boosters)
Grace Cruey
$1,000 (Northeastern Lions Club)
$300 (Spahr Memorial)
$1,500 (Sixth Masonic Lodge)
Dylan Gilley
$1,000 (Northeastern Lions Club)
$500 (CNE Athletic Boosters)
$1,000 (McCollum Scholarship)
$300 (Spahr Memorial)
Jacob Hager
$1,000 (Van Pelt Arts Major)
Kori Keitz
$450 (CNE High School staff)
Jillian Kirby
$1,000 (CNE Student Senate)
$1,000 (Northeastern Lions Club)
$500 (CNE Athletic Boosters)
$500 (CNE Board of Education)
$500 (Joseph Bauer Memorial Scholarship)
$1,000 (Clermont Mercy Hospital Guild)
Braeden Ortega
$500 (Lykins)
Joseph Putnam
$1,00 (Northeastern Lions Club)
$250 (CNE Education Association)
$1,000 (Rotary Club)
Jaide Van Pelt
$300 (Spahr Memorial)
$1,000 (Northeastern Lions Club)
Caitlyn Woermann
$695 (Woermann Memorial)
Sam Wood
$1,000 (CNE Alumni)
$500 (Owensville Historical Society)
$250 (CNE Education Association)
$1,000 (Van Pelt Art Major)
$1,000 (Rotary Club)
$500 (CNE Middle School)
$300 (Spahr Memorial)