Local High School Students Celebrated For Their Academic Excellence At The 4th Annual 4.0 & Above Program At The Big Fresno Fair
FRESNO, CA, November 10, 2014… The Big Fresno Fair and the Fresno County Office of Education, along with valued sponsors Friends of the Big Fresno Fair, EECU and Toyota celebrated high-achieving Fresno County high school students at The Big Fresno Fair’s 4.0 & Above Program held on October 1, 2014. A total of 24 students who had maintained a 4.0 and above GPA received prizes ranging from $3,000 scholarships to iPads. This included grand prize winner, Michelle Reinaga of Washington Union High School who won a 2014 Toyota Corolla! After much anticipation, on Friday, November 7, Michelle claimed her prize and picked up her brand new car at Toyota of Selma.
“Toyota is honored to congratulate Fresno County’s academic all-stars, especially Michelle Reinaga, and support The Big Fresno Fair’s 4.0 & Above Program. Our community education partnerships help us empower students to learn, achieve and succeed and we’re proud to be part of unlocking that potential,” said Brendan Kane of Michael Toyota, representative of the Central Valley Toyota Dealers Advertising Association. This is the fourth year that Toyota has donated a car as the grand prize for the 4.0 & Above Program. Toyota’s partnership in this program is another way the company works to lead by example – being committed to the communities they serve and enhancing the quality of K-12 education through meaningful partnership in support of innovative programs.
In addition to Toyota’s support, a variety of businesses and community members have come forward to join the Fair in rewarding and recognizing these students for their academic success and hard work. This year, 5,000 Fresno County students, family, friends and school officials packed the Grandstand for the official drawing on Opening Day of the Fair. Edison High School had the highest number of winners with five students walking away with scholarships and iPads. Below is a complete list of winners for 2014:
Name Prize High School Michelle Reinaga 2014 Toyota Corolla Washington Union High School Jacob Garnica $3,000 Bob & Brent Smittcamp Scholarship Sanger High School Michael Schiefer $3,000 Bob & Brent Smittcamp Scholarship Central West High School Savanna Conway $3,000 Bob & Brent Smittcamp Scholarship Washington Union High School Cali Peang $3,000 Butler Amusements Scholarship Sanger High School Cheyanne Salery $3,000 Credit Card Guys, Inc. Scholarship Fresno High School Travis Walker $3,000 Fresno Police Officers Association Scholarship Fowler High School Mayahuel Garcia $3,000 Humana Scholarship Edison High School Adam Clark $3,000 Mid-Valley Disposal Scholarship University High School Ivanna Avellaneda $3,000 Mr. & Mrs. Der Manoeul Jr. Scholarship Parlier High School Jacqueline Melchor $3,000 Vartan Family Scholarship Edison High School Herman Gill $3,000 Vartan Family Scholarship Selma High School Emily Alkire $3,000 Gayle Shapazian Baddin Scholarship Clovis High School Yasmin Garza $3,000 Yrulegui Family Scholarship Edison High School Rodrigo Gutierrez Apple iPad Edison High School Samantha Patrick Apple iPad Clovis High School Angel Chamosa Apple iPad Edison High School Elena Chittum Mountain Bike Clovis High School Ethan Turner Mountain Bike Design Science High School Andrew Nelson Mountain Bike Central High School Alejandra Leija Mountain Bike Parlier High School Mai Vue Lee $100 VISA Gift Card McLane High School Tenny Soh Feigal $100 VISA Gift Card Sanger High School Shaley Davis Jackson $100 VISA Gift Card Kingsburg High School
“Each year we look forward to honoring these future leaders of our community and this year was exceptionally great!” exclaimed John C. Alkire, CEO of The Big Fresno Fair. “We were able to give away even more scholarships because of the great support of our community. We thank our sponsors and community supporters whole-heartedly and look forward to continuing this program in 2015, rewarding even more of these high-achieving Fresno County high school students and giving them something to look forward to each year.”
The 4.0 & Above Program invited all Fresno County high school students whose cumulative GPA is 4.0 or above as of June 2014 to The Big Fresno Fair for free on Opening Day, Wednesday, October 1, 2014. All qualified students in attendance had the opportunity to enter-to-win a 2014 Toyota Corolla, scholarships and other assorted prizes at a rally-like presentation in the Brian I. Tatarian Grandstand as a reward for their academic success. This program allows the Fair and its partners to recognize these students for all their hard work and incredible scholastic achievements. It also provides the opportunity for all Fresno County school district superintendents, their board presidents, plus each public, private and charter high school principal and their campus culture directors to encourage students to work hard all year round to keep up their grades for a lifetime of rewards.
For official rules and presentation details of this year’s Program, visit www.fresnofair.com/4-0-above-program.
