Top 10 ceremony back at State Theatre
OROVILLE » This year marks the 56th anniversary of the Fellows Club of Oroville’s Scholastic Achievement Awards, more commonly known as the Top 10. This program honors the top 10 seniors from Las Plumas and Oroville High schools and the top two seniors from Prospect High School who have achieved the highest grade point average in their class during their high school careers.
The Top 10 program also honors the top academic freshmen, sophomores and juniors from Oroville and Las Plumas high schools.
The ceremony for these high achievers
returns to the State Theatre for the first time since 2019. The ceremony was not held in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic.
“We are very happy to be back doing the event live and honoring all Top 10 students from all classes. Every single kid will be called up on stage and individually awarded a certificate and the seniors will receive a certificate and a check for $500 each,” said Ray Sehorn, Fellows Club member and Oroville Union High School board trustee.
In addition to being acknowledged at the ceremony on May 12, all Top 10 students’ names will be scrolling on the theater’s marquee May 7 through May 12.
“We’re continuing the tradition we started during the pandemic of putting all the students’ names in lights. It’s a nice way to reward the hard work of these students,” said Jim Moll, Top 10 chairman and State Theatre Arts Guild president.
Sehorn is serving as the event master of ceremonies, Pastor Ken Malone of New Life Church of Oroville will be giving the invocation. Tyler Diamond, a 2009 Oroville High School graduate, owner of Diamond Dash Meal Prep and mixed martial arts competitor is the
featured guest speaker.
The Fellow’s Club, which is celebrating its 100th year, is distinctive to Oroville. No other community has a Fellows Club, according to Sehorn. It started in 1922 when a handful of local businessmen decided to meet for lunch every Thursday.
The club launched its Top 10 academic scholarship program in 1967 by soliciting $100 donations from local businesses. According to club meeting minutes, Dan Beebe, then owner and publisher of the Oroville Mercury-Register, made the
first donation.
Over the years the Fellows Club has worked to increase the scholarship amount it gives each Top 10 senior. Last year the scholarships reached an all-time high of $500 each, an amount being matched this year.
“We have to raise $11,000 just for the seniors’ scholarships. Each Fellows Club member donates a minimum of $100, but it’s not just us. The rest of the money comes from businesses and community donations. The community of Oroville is phenomenally generous,” said Sehorn.
Las Plumas High School senior recipients of the Top 10 award include: Alanah Hancock, Sierra Reinhardt, Dawson Vaughn, Kate Fairbanks, Abigail Wulbern, Hailey Gramps, Lee Howard, Makayla Hancock, Kaylee
Jensen and Alia Bruce.
Oroville High School senior recipients of the Top 10 award include: Jullianne Diaz, Lawjay Lee, Chelsea Kelley, Brianna Vollendorff, Jarely Landaverde, Kaci Casaulong, Candyce Thao, Elizabeth Bochantin, Tien Chao and Pajee Her.
Prospect High School senior recipients of the Top 10 award are Skyler Martinez and Caesar Miranda.
“The Fellows Club single contribution to the community is the annual Top 10. I would venture to say that not many communities anywhere set aside a night to do nothing but honor their highest achieving students. All schools have all kinds of stuff to honor seniors but it’s rare, highly unique to have a program that honors seniors strictly for academic achievement,” said Sehorn.