Izabella Birkey, Toby Behrends receive 2025 Edith I. Boyd scholarships at Bureau Valley

Izabella Birkey and Toby Behrends are the 2025 recipients of the Edith I. Boyd scholarships at Bureau Valley High School.

The scholarships are open to graduating seniors who have resided in the former Western School District for all four years of high school and have met the following criteria.

• Submit a 250 word or less essay entitled, “Why I am deserving of the Edith I. Boyd Scholarship.” The student’s name may not appear on or in the essay. Judging for the essays will be done anonymously by another school district. The student’s scores will be tabulated and ranked by the total points on both the essay and teacher evaluations.
• Students must submit three teacher evaluations. Evaluations speak to the character, motivation and leadership qualities of the applicants.
• Students must submit to the high school guidance office a class schedule in a curriculum that will lead to a bachelor’s degree in any field. This schedule may be from a college, university, or junior/community college.

Boyd was a teacher who lived in the old Western School District. The scholarships have been offered to students for more than 30 years to help further students’ education at the post-secondary level.

Interest earned from the invested Edith I. Boyd estate will be used for the scholarships. A local committee composed of four community members, one faculty member and an administrator determines the amount to be expended and allocated. The applicants’ names remain anonymous and the students are selected by an identification number.