Chamber of Commerce Holds Annual Academic Banquet at LHS

The Liberal Chamber of Commerce held their annual Academic Banquet Monday night at Liberal High School. There were 137 scholarships awarded for over $300,000. Tyler Sutherland was awarded his scholarship to West Point which is worth around $250,000. The award was presented by Jim Mathison who came from Leavenworth, Kansas to present it. Only one in eight applicants to Army in the nation are accepted to West Point each year. Sutherland is the first person to attend West Point from Liberal since 1987. The groups that awarded the other scholarships for the evening was the Chamber of Commerce, Seward County Employee Committee, West Middle School NJHS, SCCC Presidential, Lions Club, Beta Sigma Phi, Jack Johnson Memorial, West Middle School PTO, South Middle School NJHS, Wanda Vick Scholarship, Rotary, Sunflower Bank, Southern Pioneer, Matt Hanson Memorial, Kiwanis Club, Black Hills Energy, First National Bank, Dave Gilmore Memorial, SouthWest Board of Realtors, Soroptimist Club, Cinco De Mayo, Early Risers Kiwanis, Dan E. Lewis Memorial, That Liberal Band Booster Club, District Science Fair, Baty Scholarship, National Associated of Letter Carriers, Community Service, Oliver Brown, Gene Slaymaker, Future Educator, LHS Leadership/Character, XTO Energy, National Honor Society, Michem Scholarship, LCCC Memorial, Liberal NEA, Dorothy Cokeley, Roy T. and Eula Green, High Plains Pizza Hut, Activities, LHS Academic Leadership, I Dare You Awards, West Point, and Class Ranks. The top five in the class of 2009 is Kimberly Fuller, Tyler Sutherland, Makayla McPhail, Patrice Betz, and Kelsey Darnell. The program was emceed by Larry Howell, the President of the Chamber.