Latest news with #SterlingScholar
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives +: Remembering the very first Sterling Scholars show
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. When Steve Hale came to his editors at the Deseret News with an idea to honor Salt Lake City area high school students, he met a receptive audience. The Desert News had already been recognizing high school athletes for their successes, so to do the same for top scholars made perfect sense. The year was 1962. More than 60 years later, the Sterling Scholars program is well known for its celebration of student success. And it grows and grows each year. According to Sterling Scholar organizers, Hale, a columnist, suggested that the Deseret News sponsor a program to spotlight scholastic achievement. Hale, along with education reporter Lavor Chaffin and marketing director Keith West, realized that outstanding academic scholars were not recognized in any manner. They decided to meet with members of the board of education in Salt Lake City for support in recognizing high school seniors. After the board of education approved the program, Chaffin and West created 12 categories and requested that each school nominate at least 12 candidates. They also decided to name the program 'Sterling' since sterling, by definition, is something pure and valuable and scholars seemed like a natural second word. Hence, the name Sterling Scholars was created. The first year, the program was only held in Salt Lake City but it quickly spread to Cache and Utah counties and then across all of Utah. Coverage in the Deseret News that year included photos of the winners on the front page, along with stories about those who helped with the awards program and what parents and school leaders said about the event. As a fun side note, one winner, who was not present because he was competing in the National Science Fair competition in Seattle, did not find out he had won until the following day, when his parents phoned him. KSL soon joined the Deseret News in its endeavors and even telecast the event for many years. Consider how may high students are involved in the program. There are more than 100 schools, and each nominates a winner in each category. The competition categories have been expanded to 14 and now include regional winners in different parts of the state. Students begin building their portfolios at the school level. Winners then advance to regional and final competitions. Winners receive awards and recognition, while some colleges and universities in Utah offer financial assistance to top nominees in the Deseret News/KSL Broadcast Group Sterling Scholar Awards Program. The final awards program is now streamed live by KSL-TV. It is now considered quite prestigious to be a Sterling Scholar, and it would probably be easy for a Sterling Scholar math nominee to figure out how many Utah high school seniors have been honored. But the process and what is learned along the way can be valuable as well. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the program: "How Sterling Scholar has awarded Utah's brightest students for 57 years" "Sterling Scholar builds on a 53-year history" "Sterling Scholars: Where are they now?" "Meet the Deseret News/KSL 2025 General Sterling Scholar"
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives +: Remembering the very first Sterling Scholars show
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. When Steve Hale came to his editors at the Deseret News with an idea to honor Salt Lake City area high school students, he met a receptive audience. The Desert News had already been recognizing high school athletes for their successes, so to do the same for top scholars made perfect sense. The year was 1962. More than 60 years later, the Sterling Scholars program is well known for its celebration of student success. And it grows and grows each year. According to Sterling Scholar organizers, Hale, a columnist, suggested that the Deseret News sponsor a program to spotlight scholastic achievement. Hale, along with education reporter Lavor Chaffin and marketing director Keith West, realized that outstanding academic scholars were not recognized in any manner. They decided to meet with members of the board of education in Salt Lake City for support in recognizing high school seniors. After the board of education approved the program, Chaffin and West created 12 categories and requested that each school nominate at least 12 candidates. They also decided to name the program 'Sterling' since sterling, by definition, is something pure and valuable and scholars seemed like a natural second word. Hence, the name Sterling Scholars was created. The first year, the program was only held in Salt Lake City but it quickly spread to Cache and Utah counties and then across all of Utah. Coverage in the Deseret News that year included photos of the winners on the front page, along with stories about those who helped with the awards program and what parents and school leaders said about the event. As a fun side note, one winner, who was not present because he was competing in the National Science Fair competition in Seattle, did not find out he had won until the following day, when his parents phoned him. KSL soon joined the Deseret News in its endeavors and even telecast the event for many years. Consider how may high students are involved in the program. There are more than 100 schools, and each nominates a winner in each category. The competition categories have been expanded to 14 and now include regional winners in different parts of the state. Students begin building their portfolios at the school level. Winners then advance to regional and final competitions. Winners receive awards and recognition, while some colleges and universities in Utah offer financial assistance to top nominees in the Deseret News/KSL Broadcast Group Sterling Scholar Awards Program. The final awards program is now streamed live by KSL-TV. It is now considered quite prestigious to be a Sterling Scholar, and it would probably be easy for a Sterling Scholar math nominee to figure out how many Utah high school seniors have been honored. But the process and what is learned along the way can be valuable as well. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the program: "How Sterling Scholar has awarded Utah's brightest students for 57 years" "Sterling Scholar builds on a 53-year history" "Sterling Scholars: Where are they now?" "Meet the Deseret News/KSL 2025 General Sterling Scholar"
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Meet the Deseret News/KSL 2025 General Sterling Scholar
Xiaocheng Ai's computer science journey started when her father picked up a book called 'Learning Python with Dad.' 'He had the foresight to introduce me to programming just to see if I would like it, and I think my child-self looking at the computer screen, pressing a button, seeing the computer do something back, was kind of ... a magical moment for me,' Ai said. 'I was blown away.' Her father's early training paid off as Ai, a senior and coding prodigy from Corner Canyon High School, was named the 2025 Deseret News/KSL General Sterling Scholar, topping a field of 167 finalists. Ai and dozens of other winners were announced Thursday evening during an awards ceremony at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Conference Center Little Theater in downtown Salt Lake City. The students were nominated by their high schools for their academic achievements, leadership and service to their communities. 'I've just basked in being able to surround myself with such amazing peers,' said Ai after receiving her award. 'It's a lot because it's the culmination of the work that I put in. I'm still struggling to recover.' Deseret News and KSL launched the Sterling Scholar program in 1962 in an effort to promote academic excellence. Utah's top high school seniors can earn $2,500 scholarships in each category, while runners-up take home $1,000. The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation sponsor the program. Prizes were awarded to finalists in business and marketing, science, dance, English, family and consumer sciences, instrumental music, mathematics, skilled and technical sciences, social science, visual arts, vocal performance, world languages and speech, theater arts, and debate. Runner-ups received $1,000 each. Ai's first place in the computer technology category and grand prize came with a combined $5,000 scholarship. 'This award is a motivator. ... It's like, 'Oh, well, then maybe I can do this,'' said Ai, who plans to head to Stanford University and major in computer science. 'I've been struggling with a lot of imposter syndrome, you know, because (Stanford) is a big school ... but this is a big motivator for me and I'll continue to do my best and try my very hardest.' Ai currently interns at Lucid Software as a front-end engineer — a position usually reserved for college students. She also serves as a student board member for SheTech, which supports young women in STEM. Her coding achievements include developing a program that can predict the likelihood of heart attacks using patient data and a Mario-inspired platform game. Additionally, the Gail Miller Community Service Award, which is worth $2,000, was awarded to Sonya Clayton of Pleasant Grove High School. Clayton, who was also a finalist in the speech, theater arts and forensics category, previously earned the Gold Medal President's Volunteer Service Award for totaling up over 250 service hours for the Korean community, including at community festivals and benefit concerts. 'Most of my life growing up was spent this way, my Korean culture being somewhat of a mystery to many of the people that I met,' Clayton said. 'This is why, along with my family, I decided to try for the highest level — gold — of the President's Volunteer Service Award by serving the Korean organizations in Utah.' Skyline High School senior Luca DalCanto took home the Philo T. Farnsworth Governor's Award, which awards one Utah student $1,000 for innovation. The award is named in tribute of Utahn Philo T. Farnsworth, who invented the vacuum tube and is considered the father of television. DalCanto, who was also a finalist in the computer technology category, developed an app about chess, works as a webmaster, runs his own math-tutoring business and self-published a 300-page science fiction novel called 'Sola,' which DalCanto described as a coming-of-age novel where the characters invent languages to rewire the way they think. 'I've always had a very math-science brain and I'm just really interested in learning new things and how the universe works,' DalCanto told the Deseret News. DalCanto's future plans include an engineering degree at Purdue University. Over 20 high schools were represented on Thursday night. Skyline High School topped other high schools with 10 finalists, including DalCanto. American Fork came in second with seven. Xiaocheng Ai's high school, Corner Canyon, came in with four, while Clayton was the only Sterling Scholar from Pleasant Grove High School. Students from Bingham High School, Herriman High School, Highland High School, Mountain Ridge High School, Salem Hills High School, Timpview High School, Viewmont High School, West High School and Woods Cross High School also won Sterling Scholar category awards.
