Megan Neher Receives Pittsgrove Democrat Association Scholarship
June 23, 2011….Pittsgrove, NJ. The Pittsgrove Democrat Association (PDA) has selected recent Schalick High School graduate Megan Neher as the recipient of its 2011 scholarship award. This $500 award is given annually to the Pittsgrove Township graduating senior who has demonstrated an understanding of the importance of volunteerism and civic responsibility and their importance to a community.To be considered for the scholarship, graduating high school seniors must reside in Pittsgrove Township and be continuing their education. Applicants write a 300 word essay on a topic selected by the PDA and provide a list of volunteer / civic and extra-curricular activities in which they’ve participated. Essays are evaluated using a rubric much like high school teachers use to grade essays. “Applicants need to stay on topic but when we review essays, we’re also concerned with whether the essay is grammatically correct, properly punctuated, and with no spelling errors” said Dennis Stuempfle, who chairs the scholarship selection committee. “And those who have demonstrated a good deal of volunteerism and shown a true desire to be involved in the community as a volunteer have a distinct edge”.
“Megan did a terrific job on her essay and was an outstanding student at Schalick High School, graduating with a 4.1 weighted GPA (3.75 ‘un-weighted’ GPA)”, said Peter Voros of the Pittsgrove Democrats and a member of the Pittsgrove Township Committee.
“The quality of her essay and her commitment to working with special needs children demonstrates that she’s someone who truly cares about others”, said Committeeman Jeff Ridgway. “She’s very intelligent and personable” said Ridgway who, along with Voros, met with Megan prior to the Schalick High School Commencement on June 17th. “She’s been a very involved young lady and has a very bright future ahead of her”.
Megan, a unanimous choice by the scholarship selection committee, was 5th in her graduating class at Schalick High School and was recently cited by the Salem County School Administrators for her academic excellence. In addition to the Pittsgrove Democrat Association award, Megan received the Fannie B. Miller Scholarship, The American Association of University Women Scholarship, The Nancy Timberman Memorial Award and The Pittsgrove Education Association Scholarship.
Megan, an accomplished equestrian who has been riding since she was 7 years old, participated in The Shadows Program, a volunteer program in which she used her equestrian training to help disabled children. She is “Female Cougar of the Month” for June and has been active in sports at Schalick, having won awards as a member the Schalick High School Track and Field Team (Cougar Distance Team Award) and Field Hockey Teams (1st Team Tri-County Conference All Star).
The Pittsgrove Democratic Association joins Megan’s parents Wayne and Debbie Neher, her family, friends, classmates, and the entire community in wishing her the very best as she continues her education this fall at Rowan University where she plans to major in Special Education and History in preparation for a career as an educator.
For more information on the scholarship or other PDA activities, please contact Dennis Stuempfle at 358-3025.
June 20, 2011…..Pittsgrove, NJ. On June 3rd,
the Pittsgrove Democrats once again joined the community in the annual
“Relay For Life” event held at Schalick High School to support The
American Cancer Society’s fund raising efforts to stamp out cancer. The
Democrats finished strongly and their team’s contributions exceeded
last year’s prior high total of $1,700. “Participating in an event like
this is one of the things that makes being a member of the Pittsgrove
Democrats such a worthwhile activity”, said Pete Voros, a member of the
Pittsgrove Township Committee. These sentiments were echoed by fellow
Committeeman Jeff Ridgway who commented that “you can tell the true
mettle of an organization and its members by their involvement in
community causes such as this. This group’s participation says a lot
about the Pittsgrove Democrats.”
Joining
Voros and Ridgway on the Pittsgrove Democrat team were Kathryn Chila,
team captain, Debby Turner-Fox, Norm Lenchitz, Terry Ridgway, Jim
Shuster, Melissa Stahlberger, Dennis Stuempfle, Pauline Stuempfle, Joan
Voros, and Sue Voros.
“This
is my favorite event of the year”, said Kathryn Chila Team Leader for
the Democrats. “The participation of the Democrats is what makes this
great group of people stand out from the others. We’re already planning
our strategy for next year to improve on this year’s record donation
amount”.
For more information on the Democrats Relay for Life participation or other PDA activities, please contact Dennis Stuempfle at 358-3025.
