June 14, 2022 - Collectively, the graduating class of 2022 from Comal ISD’s five high school campuses received $564,572 in local scholarships, surpassing the district’s local scholarship goals for the year.
“We surpassed our local scholarship goals this year because of the wonderful community support we receive from our community scholarship donors,” says Sarah Permenter, executive director of community education and programs for Comal ISD. “It is a pleasure to work alongside our donors who support our students and families every year.”
This year, a total of 477 local scholarships were awarded to seniors across the district. These scholarships range in amounts from $250 to $25,000, with some focused on a specific area of study or with specific qualifiers.
For example, the Seth Strong Foundation Scholarship awarded four scholarships of $1,500 each to students who have directly been affected by cancer. This year’s recipients include Alexander Franz, Cameron Marburger, Joshua Wesloh and Zoe Weems.
Another local scholarship which has been earmarked for Comal ISD students for the past 21 years is the Jan Heckendorn Memorial Scholarship. Jan Heckendorn was the founding member of what today is the Comal Education Foundation and a champion for students of the district. The scholarship is awarded annually at the Jan Heckendorn Academic Recognition Banquet by her family including her husband, John Heckendorn, and their three children. This year’s recipients of the Jan Heckendorn Memorial Scholarship are Lily Wilson from Canyon Lake High School and Preston Frazier from Davenport High School. Each received $2,500.
Building on the success of this year’s local scholarships, the district hosted a breakfast for its local scholarship donors at the district’s office on June 2, as both a “thank you” and a way to find out how the district could better serve their needs as well as the students’ needs.
One of the donors in attendance, representing the Comal County Sheriff’s Posse, Amanda Hagy, pointed out that student applicants from Comal ISD were excellent candidates. Another donor with the Canyon Lake High School PTA, Shannon Anderson, said she appreciated the way the district helped make their application fit their needs.
Each donor was given a Comal ISD “Valued Community Partner” yard sign to display in a window or yard.
Anyone interested in providing a local scholarship to Comal ISD students should contact Hilary Griffin.
-Pictured from left is Preston Frazier, recent graduate of Davenport High School, John Heckendorn, and Lily Wilson, recent graduate of Canyon Lake High School.
-The Seth Strong Scholarship was awarded this year to four students from Smithson Valley High School who are pictured here with members of the Seth Strong Foundation board of directors.
-Local scholarship donors who work directly with Comal ISD to award scholarships to district students, proudly display their “Valued Community Partner” signs following a breakfast at the district’s office in their honor.