Self-Reliance Award winners, seated from left are Sydney Rose, Gabriela Monroy, Shelby Poe and Dixie Walton. Standing are Ashlee Hemmer, Bryan Lawinger, Skyler Newsome and Tatiana Castillo. (Photo provided)

On Friday, May 3, the Warsaw Rotary Club and Beauchamp & McSpadden announced the winners of this year’s Self-Reliance Awards. The purpose of the Beauchamp & McSpadden Self-Reliance Award is to recognize and reward high school seniors who have persevered through difficult situations in their life to receive their high school diploma.

To be eligible to apply for this award, students had to be graduating seniors from either Warsaw Community High School or Lakeland Christian Academy.

The winners of the 2013 Beauchamp & McSpadden Self-Reliance Awards are Sydney Rose, Gabriela Monroy, Shelby Poe, Dixie Walton, Ashlee Hemmer, Bryan Lawinger, Skyler Newsome and Tatiana Castillo.

The winners received an award of $500, an attractive desk award plaque and a book.  The awards were presented to the students at a special awards banquet.

Rotarians, leadership and staff from Beauchamp & McSpadden, school administrators, counselors, and teachers from WCHS, as well as the family and friends of the students were in attendance to recognize and congratulate these extraordinary students.

The winners were chosen from many outstanding candidates by the Warsaw Rotary Self-Reliance Award committee of Robyn Palmer, MutualBank, Josh Gordon, Tower Bank, Jan Orban, CBRE, and chaired by Jennifer Cobb-Hayes, uLEAD. The monetary awards, plaques, and luncheon are provided by Beauchamp & McSpadden, an independent insurance agency in Warsaw that has been in business in the community since 1981.