Pair of St. Paul High seniors chosen to receive rodeo foundation scholarships

The St. Paul Rodeo Association Foundation is helping a pair of local high schoolers pursue their dreams of furthering their education.

The foundation, a function of the popular Fourth of July rodeo, announced May 22 the granting of two $5,000 scholarships to St. Paul High School seniors Gracie Koch and Sierra Stoltenberg.

Both are longtime rodeo volunteers, a trend carried on for years by athletes at the tiny northern Marion County school. Typically, each of the school’s dozen or more teams take shifts assisting vehicle parking at the rodeo. As they both participated in four sports, Koch and Stoltenberg took four shifts during last year’s five-day event.

Both young women also work in the rodeo’s popular concession stand and have done so since they were in middle school, tackling jobs serving drinks, hot food, making strawberry shortcakes, taking payment and making change. Proceeds from the grandstand have for years gone to the high school’s Booster Club.

The path the pair took toward earning the scholarships were similar. Both participated in volleyball, basketball, softball and track and field. Both earned 4.0 grade-point averages and are among the five SPHS seniors to achieve the distinction.

Koch is a four-year member of FFA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), St. Paul Business Leaders and Key Club, holding offices in FFA, FCA and Assisted Student Body.

Stoltenberg participated in FFA, Assisted Student Body, St. Paul Business Leaders, Key Club and the school’s Art Club, holding offices in Assisted Student Body, Key Club, St. Paul Business Leaders and Art Club.

The students’ education goals will take both of them far from home. Koch expects to enroll at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, where she will pursue an associate degree in nursing with the eventual goal of transferring to Eastern Oregon College in La Grande and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the field. She aspires to become a labor and delivery nurse.

Stoltenberg will travel out of the contiguous United States to the University of Hawaii to study environmental design and sustainability.

The foundation awards two scholarships each year: one to a graduating SPHS senior and one to the child of a rodeo association member. Stoltenberg is the graduating senior; Koch’s father is a rodeo association member.