Tiana Nguyen (left) and Devon Watkins each earned $1,000 horticultural scholarships. (Mukilteo Way Garden Club)

Tiana Nguyen (left) and Devon Watkins each earned $1,000 horticultural scholarships. (Mukilteo Way Garden Club)

Way to go

Two awarded horticultural scholarship; Camano racer wins big

Two horticultural scholarships awarded by Mukilteo group

The Mukilteo Way Garden Club awarded a pair of locals $1,000 scholarships to pursue academic interests in horticulture.

Devon Watkins studies at Edmonds College with aspirations of graduating in the spring of 2021 with a Nursery Growers Certificate. Watkins then plans to pursue a Professional Horticulturalist Certificate and to complete the Master Gardener program. Her goal is to own a native plant nursery and host educational workshops.

Tiana Nguyen is a 2020 Mariner High School graduate and also received an associate degree in Biology from Edmonds College. She will attend University of Washington Bothell this fall to study Environmental Studies and Biology. Her goal is for a career addressing the complexities between interactions of science, humanity and the environment.

The scholarship has been awarded annually since 2007 and is funded by proceeds from the Mukilteo Garden and Quilt Tour.

Ronan Johnson won his sixth and seventh Soap Box Derby championships over Labor Day Weekend. (Richard Johnson)

Ronan Johnson won his sixth and seventh Soap Box Derby championships over Labor Day Weekend. (Richard Johnson)

Camano residents wins big in Soap Box Derby

With a pair of wins over Labor Day Weekend, Ronan Johnson, 18, of Camano Island, earned his sixth and seventh national championships in Soap Box Derby Racing. At the National Derby Rallies Championships in Indianapolis, Johnson competed against 140 other racers, ultimately winning titles in the Legacy and Masters Divisions for drivers under 21, making him the most successful champion in the sport’s history. Johnson has competed in Soap Box Derby for a decade. After starting in the streets of Stanwood, he has travelled to 40 states to race for the opportunity to win accolades, scholarships and other prizes.

Two students are National Merit semifinalists

Reed Fowler of Everett High School and Ethan Kuntz of Cascade High School were among nearly 16,000 nationally to be named as semifinalist for National Merit Scholarships.

Semifinalists were determined based on scores in the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Students are vying for close to 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring.

Olivia Iritz, Kaitlyn Cunningham and Hailey Radtke helped the Rotary Club of Mill Creek in their bi-weekly Drive4Food. (Submitted photo)

Olivia Iritz, Kaitlyn Cunningham and Hailey Radtke helped the Rotary Club of Mill Creek in their bi-weekly Drive4Food. (Submitted photo)

4-H issues club charter amid COVID-19

The Greenhorns, a 4-H club in Monroe focusing on beef cattle and pigs, became the first club to be issued a charter during the pandemic. Club leader Jen MacDicken opened an envelope to reveal the charter in a ceremony last Thursday and officially inaugurate the club.

Trio of middle schoolers assist Rotary Club

Rotarians in Mill Creek received an extra boost in their bi-weekly Drive4Food courtesy of National Junior Honor Society participants Olivia Iritz, Kaitlyn Cunningham and Hailey Radtke who put in more than 40 hours aiding the collection of food and supplies.

The three eighth graders from Eisenhower Middle School helped unload an average of more than 3,000 pounds of food each collection.

Know someone who deserves recognition? Call 425-339-3432 or email newstips@hearldnet.com

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