The award for the Birmingham Scholarship was awarded to 16 students between both Wylie East High School and Wylie High School.

This year’s winners for this school are seniors Greg Berumen, David Crowe, Peyton Demetrovich, Ivy LaPorte, Brooke Mainord, Samuel McCord, Grant Peterson and Marah Townzen. Each contender had to meet different requirements. They each had to have all their grades from Wylie ISD, they had to be Top Ten percent of their class and have good moral character. Their SAT and ACT scores were evaluated, and so was their class rank and a written autobiography.

“The requirements weren’t too bad. We already did most of it like the ACT and SAT,” senior Marah Townzen said. “The only thing that was a slight challenge was the autobiography.”

Finally they had to sit in front of a panel of judges from Dallas, Rockwall and Collin counties.

“It was a good experience. It was an honor to talk to superintendents from different counties and have a chance to tell them who I am and how hard I’ve worked to get here,” senior Peyton Demetrovitch said.

The scholarship started out with $1,000 in 1947, through the years the scholarship has grown. Six of the scholars received 15,000, and an additional 10 will get $2,500.

“I almost cried, then felt like I was going to throw up,” senior Ivy Laporte said. “I was shaking, it was kind of surreal for me. I called my parents right after I found out.”

Miss Pearl Birmingham, whom the money comes from, started teaching in Wylie where she taught first and second grade. She invested money in the Standard Oil Company of Ohio to support an annual scholarship. After she died, her brother completed the request that she made when she wanted to create an annual scholarship fund.

After the award ceremony April 28, the scholars received medals and certificates to congratulate them.

Marah Townzen will attend Texas Tech in the fall of 2015 and study music education.

“I felt very surprised when I found out that I got it. I felt grateful that after all those years of crying and tears I got recognition for all the work I’ve done,” Townzen said. “This scholarship is great because it recognizes students who strive to go far in life.”