At the 2013 Scholarship Recognition Dinner. From left: DMACC President, Rob Denson, Madeline Wignall, Issac Dahlman, Collin Urquhart, Hannah Johnson, Albaugh Inc. President, Dennis Albaugh, Jon Lindaman, Cheryl Cardin and Jenny Montange.
Ankeny students were awarded Prairie Trail scholarships at a dinner held in their honor last week. For the fifth consecutive year, Prairie Trail has recognized local students and educators through the Prairie Trail Scholarship Program. This year’s awards totaled $28,250, benefiting eleven individual students – more than any previous year – and two Ankeny schools who received mini-grants.
Dennis Albaugh, president of D.R.A Properties, L.C., and developer of the Prairie Trail community, along with his wife, Susan, established the Prairie Trail Scholarship Fund to recognize and support the value of pursuing higher education. To date, more than $107,000 has been awarded.
Tuesday evening, each student shared their future plans and enjoyed a casual dinner, catered by Hy-Vee at Albaugh, Inc headquarters in Ankeny. Albaugh encouraged the students to pursue their dreams. He also shared how he made the decision to pursue higher education.
Rob Denson and Dennis Albaugh enjoy meeting with students and their families.
“I went to Ankeny High School, graduated and received a $300 scholarship at graduation. And I thought, do I stop working and go to school?” said Albaugh. “The best decision of my life, was to go to Des Moines Area Community College, my favorite university. I got an Ag Business degree and I couldn’t be happier.”
He went on to say, “That lead me to this Prairie Trail development. There are two of them in the United States that have set up a scholarship fund. This is our fifth year and we are very excited about it.”
Rob Denson addresses students and their families.
Rob Denson, President of DMACC, spoke about the impact of the Prairie Trail Scholarship Program. “There is probably not a better, integrated relationship between any community and a community college than there is between Prairie Trail and Ankeny and DMACC, “ said Denson. “You can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.”
Denson also shared advice for the scholarship recipients. “To all of you students, work hard and do well,” he said. “And when you graduate, don’t leave Iowa. There are lots of great jobs in Iowa.”
Scholarship Recipients are:
Cheryl R. Cardin lives at Prairie Trail and teaches at Prairie Trail Elementary School. She enjoys living near her work. You may remember Cheryl from the Meals from the Heartland event held recently at Prairie Trail Elementary. Cheryl is receiving a scholarship to pursue a Reading Endorsement program at Viterbo University. She wants to continue to expand her knowledge in the reading area to benefit her students. Congratulations Cheryl!
Issac Dahlman and his family.
Issac Dahlman is currently employed at Hy-Vee and has lived in Prairie Trail for four years. He plans to attend Waldorf College where he will wrestle and study Biology. Issac has big plans for his professional future and a degree in science is an excellent choice to help him achieve those goals. Congratulations, Issac, on receiving a Prairie Trail scholarship!
Alex Eaton and his family, including mom, step-dad and four younger siblings are moving into Prairie Trail this summer. The Easton’s chose their new home in Prairie Trail because of the sense of community here. Alex is a recent high school graduate and works at Glen Oaks Country Club. He is headed to college at the University of Iowa where he plans to study Accounting, Computer Information Systems and Marketing. Congratulations, Alex!
Hannah Johnson and her family at the 2013 Scholarship dinner.
Hannah Johnson loves living at Prairie Trail because it’s so close to many new businesses, events and activities in Ankeny. She currently works at Hidden Acres Christian Center and plans to attend DMACC to study Music Composition. Hannah says her family is made up of five kids and loving parents. Congratulations on receiving a Prairie Trail scholarship and good luck at college, Hannah!
Jon Lindaman shares his story.
Jon Lindaman is new to Ankeny and to Prairie Trail. He currently teaches in Urbandale, but will begin teaching in Ankeny for the 2013/2014 school year. Jon and his wife, Kelly, and their three children chose to live in Prairie Trail because of the unique neighborhood and the amazing sense of community. Jon will receive a Prairie Trail scholarship to continue his professional development and his Masters of Science in Teacher Effectiveness at Drake University. Congratulations, Jon.
Jenny Montange (left) shares her story at the 2013 Scholarship Dinner
Jenny Montange and her husband, Matt, are building a new home in Prairie Trail and looking forward to moving in very soon. Jenny and Matt have two small children. Jenny is pursuing the study of Nursing at DMACC in Ankeny. “We are excited to be moving to Prairie Trail because we feel it’s a wonderful place to raise our family,” says Jenny. “We love the neighborhood, amenities, and the uniqueness of the development.” Congratulations on receiving a Prairie Trail scholarship, Jenny!
Gina A. Snuttjer is a stay-at-home mom who just relocated from Neola, Iowa. Her husband, Thomas, is in the Iowa National Guard. Gina and Thomas chose Prairie Trail for their family because of that small town feel. Gina is receiving a Prairie Trail scholarship to attend DMACC. She wants to pursue a job in the healthcare field. Congratulations, Gina, and welcome to Prairie Trail!
Collin Urquhart, 2013 scholarship recipient, with his family.
Collin Urquhart currently works at Palmer’s Deli & Market and is headed to the University of Iowa to study Athletic Training and the Japanese language. Collin and his family, mom, dad, younger brother and German Shepherd puppy, have been living in Prairie Trail for three years. Collin especially loves the architecture in the neighborhood, the parks and the ponds. Collin, congratulations on receiving a Prairie Trail scholarship and best of luck at the University of Iowa!
Ellie Wignall is a senior at the University of Iowa. She and her family have lived at Prairie Trail since last summer. Ellie shared her thoughts about living at Prairie Trail, “I love the beautiful homes, the friendly neighbors and the awesome central location.” Ellie says she is attending college because she loves learning and she wants to deepen her personal growth. She is enjoying her studies of English and Creative Writing and the life of a college student in Iowa City. Congratulations, Ellie.
Madeline Wignall shares a laugh with Rob Denson.
Madeline Mae Wignall is headed to Iowa State University in the Fall where she will pursue a degree in Liberal Arts and Science. Madeline, who is also Ellie’s sister, lives at Prairie Trail with her family. Madeline says she loves living at Prairie Trail because of the friendly neighbors and how close Prairie Trail is to everything else in Ankeny. Good to know there will be at least one Wignall fan on each side at the annual Prairie Trail Cy-Hawk football game party! Congratulations on your Prairie Trail scholarship, Madeline!
Josh Woods is the final 2013 Prairie Trail Scholarship recipient. He is currently employed at Cap Mitigwa. Josh says he loves living with his family at Prairie Trail and enjoys the parks and the general atmosphere. Josh is headed to Iowa State University where he will pursue a degree in Animal Science. Congratulations Josh!
Ankeny Community Schools Foundation received a $2,500 grant to benefit educators in the classroom, focused primarily on Science, Math and Agribusiness in education.
Ankeny Christian Academy received a $2,500 grant to help parents become more familiar with the new Pearson’s envision Math program. The grant covers math parent presentations, core curriculum communication, and Math Emphasis Nights once a quarter. The new math program integrates technology and is aligned with the math standards found in the Iowa Core expectations.
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