Logan County High School Seniors kicked off the first ceremony of what will be the start of their graduation season Monday night at Bellefontaine High School.
The Bellefontaine Rotary Club hosted its 48th Annual Rotary Honors Night, honoring 260 students for outstanding academic achievements.
Students from seven local schools were recognized, including Bellefontaine High School, Benjamin Logan High School, Calvary Christian School, Indian Lake High School, Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, Riverside High School, and West Liberty-Salem High School.
The students were recognized for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher over the past seven semesters, including the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year.
These students set a high standard for academic success in the region.
A highlight of the evening was the announcement of eight scholarship winners, each receiving $1,000 for their college or future educational plans.
These students will also be honored again at their Senior Awards Nights.
The scholarship recipients are:
- Brianna Brandyberry (Riverside)
- Ava Campbell (Bellefontaine)
- Taytum Daniels (Benjamin Logan)
- Kelley Forsythe (Benjamin Logan)
- Avery Perk (Riverside)
- Halle Roby (Indian Lake)
- Maximilian Rudolph (West Liberty-Salem)
- Noah Stanford (Benjamin Logan)
The evening featured guest speaker Brandon Standley, a Trusted Elite Consultant and Advisor for Athletes and Organizations and former Bellefontaine City Police Chief.
He spoke to the students about the importance of service and said:
“It is an honor to be with you tonight and share some thoughts. I want to thank Rotary for having me as your keynote. Students, congratulations on being here and I wish you all the best in whatever you chase. One of the best parts of life is when you can give back to others. I want to spend to look at the word SERVICE for just a few minutes with you. Let’s look at it in terms of an acronym. The “S” stands for you needing to START serving others now. Most of your childhood has been spent watching others serve you in some way or another. Whether it is your teachers, your coaches, your parents, your faith leaders, your bosses, or others… they have each taught you something about service. You have been a recipient of those trying to mold you and shape you into the future leaders we need so desperately. The first E in service means “Excellence”. When you go to a restaurant and your waiter and waitress provide you with outstanding service, it means a lot more to your satisfaction of your visit than having very poor service. Sometimes, just a simple smile can make a big difference. The “R” in service means “Ready to Serve”. Each of you will find times in your life when you are more ready than other times to serve. Mostly, service needs are constant, and no lack of opportunities to give back. I would guess that although some of you are thinking to yourselves that you are not ready to serve if we had a common cause to help others right now, we would get it done. You may surprise yourself. The “V” in service means “Valuable”. When you serve others, there is value in what you’re doing. It can be more valuable to you than to those you are serving. Take, for example, this Spring an elderly neighbor needs you to help them clean up their yard. You say yes and find yourself not only doing it for them but understanding that the value in it for you was satisfaction that you just did something that they couldn’t do on their own. The “I” in service means “involuntary”. In this instance, I am saying to you that the more often you serve others, it will become second nature to you and you’ll find yourself stepping up when others won’t, almost like an involuntary muscle movement. You will be the one who has practiced it and understands what is needed before others will. The ”C” in service stands for Community. When you serve others, you are making an impact in your community. When you are providing your time and talents for others, you are likely impacting your community in very important ways. Community clean-up days, as an example, can encourage many volunteers to step up and work in teams to clean up areas or complete small projects that just need a little TLC. Lastly, the second “E” in service stands for “Endless”. The needs in any community for service-minded individuals are generally endless. Why is that? The short answer is that as time goes on, things age and deteriorate if not cared for over time. As time goes on and things change, needs are always right there under the surface. Sometimes, just one project can take months or even years to get caught up. Other times, a simple coat of paint can make something look brand new. I cannot think of anything more important in your life than thinking of others and helping them. Don’t overthink it. Sometimes just getting started is the hardest part. Later, you find out that by giving back and serving others, you realize that the journey you anticipated to be hard was actually exactly what you were being called to do. It will change your life. In closing, service above oneself is never wrong. When you remove yourself from the equation and just look at others that you can serve, the decision becomes easier. Then, after you choose what you want to do and how you want to serve, then just get started. From there, you will meet new friends and build new relationships that will last a lifetime. Imagine what we could do if we all decided today to volunteer just a few hours a year… Thank you and enjoy your evening!”
The Rotary Club of Bellefontaine was proud to honor these students for their hard work, dedication, and perseverance.
Club President Andrea Merrin talks about what the club is all about and why they do the awards every year:
