Southeast High School International Baccalaureate students win Rotary scholarships

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
The Manatee River Rotary Club recently awarded five scholarships to Southeast High School International Baccalaureate students. Back row, from left, Principal Ginger Collins, Alan Morphin, Aiden Argueta, Aiden Letourneau, Manatee River Rotary president Beth Clark, and IB coordinator Kathy Grimm. In front are Yuxuan Guo and Alexia Fuentes.
The Manatee River Rotary Club recently awarded five scholarships to Southeast High School International Baccalaureate students. Back row, from left, Principal Ginger Collins, Alan Morphin, Aiden Argueta, Aiden Letourneau, Manatee River Rotary president Beth Clark, and IB coordinator Kathy Grimm. In front are Yuxuan Guo and Alexia Fuentes.

Yuxuan Guo remembers her classroom in China and leaving at the end of the day with more “confusion and unsolved questions.” Today, the Southeast High School student is founder and president of the Sarasota Chinese Reading Club, vice president of the Math Club and creator of a press-on nail store on eBay.

Guo, 17, is also one of two International Baccalaureate students at Southeast to be awarded $5,000 scholarships by the Manatee River Rotary Club. The club recently awarded five scholarships to Southeast IB students.

“It was extremely difficult deciding which student received which scholarship. The submissions were all extremely well done,” said Beth Clark, Manatee River Rotary Club president. “They are all winners.”

Three of the scholarships are named in honor of the families of two club members. Guo won the Matt Taylor scholarship, Alexia Fuentes the Mary Ritchey Nelson scholarship, both for $5,000, and Aiden Letourneau won the Nancy Hurley scholarship of $1,000. Alan Morfin and Aiden Argueta each won $500 scholarships.

Manatee River Rotary has a program, Sister Schools, that pairs Southeast IB and Louise R. Johnson Middle School IB with three schools in the Central Highlands of Guatemala for educational experiences. Southeast IB students submitted essays explaining how Rotary International and the IB program complement one another and how Sister Schools exemplifies the mission and values of both.

Sister Schools began in 2008 in the former Wakeland Elementary School in Bradenton when it was the first IB school in the area.

Gua wrote in her submission that IB and Rotary International “both provide service to others, promote integrity, and move the world forward through cross-cultural understanding and respect.” She said Manatee River Rotary’s program made it possible for IB students to broaden their experiences while helping students in Guatemala at the same time.

“Even today, students from Southeast High School who participated in the program still look forward to returning” to Guatemala to help. It is an ongoing journey.”

Fuentes wrote that Sister Schools brings the two international programs together and that this makes a difference “in the world, starting with the students and citizens of Manatee County.”

Letourneau, a musician who plays in the marching band and concert and jazz bands, achieved all A’s during the past semester. He also belongs to the Southeast Television Club.

The IB program “promotes a global perspective,” Letourneau wrote, and “through the Sister School program, IB can collaborate on service projects and other initiatives that align with the IB’s focus on community service and making a positive impact on the world.”

Submitted by Manatee River Rotary

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee River Rotary awards five scholarships to Southeast IB students