One hundred and ninety students representing 18 high schools competed in the annual Southwest Utah Sterling Scholar competition on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, on April 1, 2021. This regional competition is coordinated by the Southwest Educational Development Center.
William Douglass from Kanab High School and Savannah Wood from Vally High School earned runner-up honors in their respective categories – Visual Arts, and Family and Consumer Sciences.
Also competing from Kanab, were Landon Adams-Science, Caroline Giddings-Dance, Mike Luo-English, McKenna Raddatz-Music, and Carter Ward-Agricultural Science. Other competitors from Valley included Esther Cox-Business and Marketing and Ted Peterson-Music.
Each of the students were judged on personal achievements and awards compiled in their portfolios as well as their interviews with the judges. The students were judged on scholarship, leadership, community service, and citizenship. The three judges in each category came from local communities, Dixie State University, and Southern Utah University.
After the competition, an Awards Ceremony was held in SUU’s America First Event Center. President Scott Wyatt welcomed students and their parents to the SUU campus. Dr. John Taylor served as the Master of Ceremonies where the winners and runners-up were announced. Winners and runners-up received a sterling silver pin or charm and a sizable college scholarship. Colleges and universities in Utah offer additional scholarships to both the winners and the runners-up.
Winners and runners-up can be seen below and at: https://ss.sedck12.org/.
The 15 categories of the competition included: Agriculture Science, Business and Marketing, Computer Technology, Dance, English, Family and Consumer Sciences, Foreign Language, General Scholarship, Mathematics, Music, Science, Social Science, Speech and Drama, Trade and Technical Education, and Visual Arts.
A recording of the Awards Ceremony can be found at https://youtu.be/yPNeYm04DEI.
