Washington High School Senior Leah Wheeler Receives John T. Belcher Memorial Scholarship
Washington High School senior Leah Wheeler has been selected as the Region 12 winner of the John T. Belcher Memorial Scholarship offered by the FutureBuilders Foundation of the Missouri School Boards’ Association.
The John T. Belcher Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 annual scholarship awarded to a student in each of MSBA’s 17 regions. Applicants are judged on the basis of academic performance, extracurricular activities and the quality of an essay. A statewide winner is selected from the group of regional winners and awarded an additional $1,500.
Wheeler’s application and essay were evaluated by a committee of school board members from surrounding school districts. The competition this year for this regional scholarship was extremely rigorous as the total number of applications increased well over 30 percent from the number of 2022 applicants.
Wheeler was selected as the only recipient of the scholarship from this region of the state. She will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be paid to the college or university of her choice. Her application and essay will now enter a second tier of competition with the other 16 regional winners to be chosen as the John T. Belcher Memorial Scholarship statewide winner, which carries the additional $1,500 award for one recipient.
Wheeler will be recognized for her accomplishment at a future SDOW Board of Education meeting. Representatives from the MSBA Regional Executive Committee will make the presentation.
Leah is the daughter of Paul and Shawna Wheeler. She’s a member of National Honor Society, wind ensemble, jazz band, the cross country and track and field teams, a Four Rivers Career Center Ambassador, and is vice president of both Mu Alpha Theta and FRCC health occupations.
Outside of school, Wheeler is a member of Bugles Across America, where she provides live “Taps” performances at funerals and VFW events. She’s also on the Board of the Alzheimer’s Association. She enjoys baking and making quilts.
Following graduation, Wheeler plans on attending Maryville University to pursue a degree in nursing.
Wheeler Receives Scholarship
Washington High School senior Leah Wheeler has been selected as the Region 12 winner of the John T. Belcher Memorial Scholarship offered by the FutureBuilders Foundation of the Missouri School Boards’ Association.