( L-R)--Viviana Mejia, Tara Palmateer and Sheriff John Merchant

(KNZA)--Two Horton High School seniors are recipients of memorial scholarships from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a press release from Sheriff John Merchant, the $1,000 scholarship went to Viviana Mejia and the $500 scholarship went to Tara Palmateer.

The award was accompanied by a Brown County Sheriff challenge coin presented to each recipient. The coin was designed to honor fallen Deputy Todd Widman.

The release says the scholarship opportunity was established several years ago to honor those in law enforcement  who have given their lives in the line of duty, and to promote the importance of continuing  educational opportunities.

The scholarship is made available  through the community education fund
which consists of donations, grants and offender registration money.  Both
Hiawatha and Horton  students will receive a $1000 and $500 scholarship
provided by the Sheriffs Office. The self funded program requires no tax
dollars and will be made available for years to come.

The Sheriff’s Office also presented three, $250 Wal-Mart gift cards to students who participated in the SAFE program. This years winners were Tara Palmateer, Ally Bottom and Camryn Lowe.

SAFE stand for SEATBELTS ARE FOR EVERYONE and is a statewide program to encourage teen drivers to buckle up every time they are in a vehicle.

By statistic, teen drivers are more prone to accidents since driving is a learned skill, and by using seatbelts, they increase their odds of surviving a crash by this simple potentially life saving step.