Six Southeast High School IB Students Earn Scholarships

BRADENTON — Six Southeast High School International Baccalaureate (IB) students received scholarships from the Manatee River Rotary Club Wednesday night.

Abigail Hite and Alexander Cao received $5000 scholarships, and Angeline Cao received $1,000. Brooke Kuiken, Nicolas Sevarino, and Daniel Berry each received $500 scholarships during the club's regular meeting at 3 Keys Brewery in Bradenton.

“These are amazing students,” said Joe Stoddard, president of the club. "I know their parents are proud of them, and the parents deserve all the praise in the world for raising such great young people.”

The winners were chosen based on need and scholarship. They had to submit entries based on their research and understanding of the two international programs, International Baccalaureate and Rotary International, and how the Escuelas Hermanas (Sister Schools) program brings them together.

Sister Schools is a non-profit organization that was created 16 years ago as a local/international program for Manatee County's IB schools. Today, it pairs Johnson Middle School and Southeast High with three schools in the Central Highlands in Guatemala.

Students from Manatee County have visited their Sister Schools in years past, and visitors from Guatemala are planning a trip to Manatee next year. Southeast students have put solar lights in homes there, final filtration of the water to homes, and other projects.  

But, one local parent said, “Our kids get more out of this program than they do.”