A number of seniors in the Class of 2022 were blessed with special scholarships donated by a local church, supporters in the community, and school faculty and staff. These scholarships were presented at Baccalaureate and at two other events and will go towards the students’ college or other educational or vocational expenses.
On May 21, Pastor Tony Montemurro of Calvary Chapel Gateway church presented $1,000 scholarships to eight senior boys who completed a mentoring program sponsored by the church. The program, called BASIC, focused on helping each young man develop Biblically-based character traits to prepare them to “Man-Up” as they transition into adult life as men of God.
The eight boys met with Pastor Montemurro twice a month on Tuesday mornings before school from October 2021 to April 2022 to receive lessons on a variety of topics, such as discipline, decision-making, stewardship, sacrifice, and humility.
“We viewed this course to be like basic training to equip these young men with God’s idea of manhood and to help them be able to defend against self-destructive ways,” Pastor Montemurro said. “I was honored to have had the time to share Biblical truths and life lessons with them and invest into their lives so they can be armed with wisdom and become solid and stable godly men.”
The recipients of this new scholarship, who completed all 12 sessions, were: Hyeonbin (Joseph) Choi, Hyeonjin (Isaac) Choi, Andres Cores, Joshua Guevara, Minjun (David) Kim, Cole Lewis, Joshua Schlundt, and Quinn Schrag.
During chapel on May 26, senior Elizabeth Alford was presented with the 2022 Jonathan B. DeMario Memorial Science Award by Helen DeMario. The $1,000 award was established by John and Helen DeMario to preserve the memory of their son, Jonathan, and to reward students interested in pursuing a vocation in science. Jonathan DeMario was a physicist and environmental engineer whose life was cut short in 2012 at the age of 34 after a battle with cancer. Alford will be attending Cedarville University in the fall of 2022 to pursue a degree in nursing.
Several other scholarships were presented to seniors at Baccalaureate on June 7. Those scholarships and their recipients were:
- The Academic Achievement Awards for the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, sponsored by ACS — Elizabeth Alford (valedictorian) and Andres Cores (Salutatorian)
- The Mayor Paul Hodson Community Service Award, sponsored by Egg Harbor Township Mayor Hodson — Elizabeth Alford and Amber Ramos
- The Garrett-Freeman Memorial Music and Art Scholarship, sponsored by alumni parent Barbara Freeman — Shermia Liggins, who will be pursuing a degree in photography at the Academy of Art University
- The 5:14 Award, based on 1 Thessalonians 5:14, sponsored by ACS in memory of past ACS staff member Kim Ordile, who had an encouraging spirit — Caeli Barbour
- The Senior Art Award, sponsored by ACS art teacher Sherry Mirakian — Joshua Guevara
- The COMPASS Award, sponsored by ACS faculty and staff for a student seeking to pursue a career in education or Christian ministry — Caeli Barbour
- The Egg Harbor Township Volunteer Fire Department’s Chief Anthony “Tony” Canale Scholarship in memory of Tony Canale — Elizabeth Alford
- The American Red Cross Blood Drive Recruitment Award — Elizabeth Alford
- The Parent-Teacher Fellowship Christian Service Scholarships — Destiny Brewer and Elizabeth Alford
