As the chairperson of Warminster Rotary's scholarship committee, James Crouthamel has the perfect remedy for whenever he feels a little pessimistic about the future of the country. The tall stack of applications for the rotary's annual scholarship fills Crouthamel with hope and admiration every year, and 2012 has been no different.
"The quality of these students is outstanding," said Crouthamel. "They are the cream of the crop at their schools. They are unbelievable, with their grades and the amount of extracurricular and volunteer activities that they do."
Following a careful screening and interview process, three students, one each from , and Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, were awarded with a $1,500 scholarship from Warminster Rotary last week at the group's regular luncheon at Giuseppe's.
The presentation ceremony also included the announcement of the winners of the Giaimo Scholarship Fund. Each school had four students earn $500 scholarships, chosen from the same applicants as the rotary's list.
"Our criteria is a little different from the rotary's," said Ray Kerber, who manages the fund. "Rotary looks for the best of the best. We want to help the students who are a little more in the middle of the pack but have shown they work just as hard and have as much potential."
The Giaimo Scholarship Fund was created in 2007 in honor of Joe Giaimo, the founder of the Giuseppe's Pizza and Family Restaurant chain.
"Joe came to the United States when he was 16 years old," said his brother, Tony Giaimo. "He was always grateful for the people that helped him, so he returned the favor by helping others, but he did it selflessly and anonymously. We want to carry on his wishes to help kids that want to work and succeed."
The 2012 recepients of the Warminster Rotary Scholarship are:
- Hanna Schoenleber - Archbishop Wood
- Elizabeth McLaverty - William Tennent High School
- Christina Thayne - Middle Bucks Institute of Technology
The 2012 recepients of the Giaimo Family Scholarship are:
Archbishop Wood
- Brittany Barr
- Alex Clayton
- Tess Fanning
- Michelle Occhi
William Tennent High School
- Aaron Aber
- McKensie Merrick
- Payal Patel
- Jillian Ranck
Middle Bucks Institute of Technology
- Mark Friend
- Brendan Ruch
- Alyssa Selser
- Daniel Turner
