By Vickie Rhodehamel

ARCANUM — The Arcanum Alumni Association is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Alumni Scholarships. This year, the association was able to award eight scholarships to Charles Barry, Elanie Hollinger, Nate Kessler, Mariah Kreusch, and Claire Lemons. Additionally, the association awarded the Ted Murphy Scholarship to Brooklyn Miras, the Pay It Forward Scholarship to Ashton Paul, and the 50-year/Class of 73 Scholarship to Jacob Rice at the alumni banquet held on April 15.

The first recipient of the Arcanum Alumni Association Scholarship is Charlie Barry. Charlie is the son of Scott and Karen Barry. Throughout high school, Charlie has been a member of the Boys’ Swim Team, Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Drama Club, Academic Challenge Team, SADD Club, and Chess Club. He serves as the senior class Vice President this year and is also a member of the National Honor Society. Following graduation, Charlie plans to attend Miami University’s Farmer School of Business.

Lani Hollinger is the daughter of Jason and Kim Hollinger. Lani has been involved in several extracurricular activities throughout high school. She has been a member of the Girls’ Cross Country Team, Golf Team, Swim Team, and Track & Field. Lani has been a Football and Basketball Cheerleader throughout her four years of high school. She has also been a part of the Science Fair, SADD Club, Academic Challenge Team, and the Chess Club. She serves on the Student Council and is also a member of the National Honor Society. Lani also plans to attend Miami University this fall., following in her father’s path of pursuing a major and career in Engineering.

Nate Kessler is the son of Jim and Beth Kessler. Throughout his four years of high school, Nate has been a member of the Boys’ Golf Team, Basketball Team, and Baseball Team. He is a member of the Chess Club, Leadership Program, Yearbook Staff, and the National Honor Society. Nate has served on Student Council, serving as this year’s President. Nate plans to attend Miami University this fall, majoring in Supply Chain and Operations Management.

Mariah Kreusch is the daughter of Dan Kreusch and Susan Kreusch. Throughout high school, Mariah has been involved in Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, SADD Club, Academic Challenge Team, Prom Committee, and the Science Fair. Mariah is also a member of the National Honor Society. She plans to attend Indiana University East this fall to pursue a major in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience.

Claire Lemons is the daughter of Chad and Sally Lemons. She has been involved in Choir, Marching Band, Concert Band, Drama Club, SADD Club, We are the Majority, and a member of the Girls’ Swim Team. This fall, she plans to further her studies at Cedarville University, following in her mother’s footsteps of pursuing Elementary Education.

Brooklyn Miras is the recipient of this year’s Ted Murphy Scholarship. Brooklyn is the daughter of John Miras. Throughout high school, Brooklyn has been a member of the Girls’ Cross Country and Track & Field teams, earning several recognitions and honors. She earned All-Conference honors all four years, Runner of the Year, and MVP. Brooklyn was a Regional Qualifier in Cross Country for 3 years, and she represented Arcanum at the State Cross Country Meet in her junior and senior years. Brooklyn plans to continue her running career and education at Indiana University East this fall. She will be a member of the Cross Country and Track & Field teams at IU East, pursuing a major in Nursing.

Ashton Paul is the recipient of this year’s new Pay It Forward Scholarship. Ashton is the son of Josh and Evette Paul. Throughout high school, Ashton has been involved in Cross Country, a member of the Swim Team, Track & Field, Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Drama Club, Academic Challenge Team, and We are the Majority. Ashton serves as a member of the Student Council and is a member of the National Honor Society. He has demonstrated that he pays it forward to his school and community through several volunteer efforts including trash collection, serving in the school concession stand, volunteering at Darke County Conservation Day Camp, assisting with the middle school drama production, and the band mentoring program. This fall, Ashton plans to continue his education, pursuing a degree in History at Cedarville University.

The Class of 1973, the honored 50-year class this year, also gave a scholarship to one senior of the Class of 2023. The recipient of the Class of 1973 Scholarship is Jacob Rice. Jacob is the son of Jason and Emilie Rice. His activities include Cross Country, Track & Field, Boys’ Swim Team, Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, SADD Club, and Chess Club. He is a member of the National Honor Society and serves as this year’s Senior Class President. Following his performance on the PSAT or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test during his junior year, Jacob also received a National Recognition Program Award through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, scoring in the top 3% amongst those students nationally who took the test from a small or rural high school. Jacob plans to continue his studies next fall at Miami University, majoring in Electrical Engineering.

As you can see, these eight young adults excelled in and outside of the classroom. Since the inception of the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund in 1966, the Association has awarded 183 scholarships to eligible graduates totaling over $174,000 to date. We would not have been able to do this without the generosity of the Arcanum business community and the Arcanum Alumni with their donations. Your contribution, no matter how large or small, is greatly appreciated. If you would like to donate to the Arcanum Alumni Scholarship Fund, please send your kind donation to our Treasurer, Denise Swabb, Arcanum Alumni Association, 2011 Trojan Avenue, Arcanum, Ohio 45304.