( L-R) Public Safety Resource Officer J.D. Clary, Ayana Grier and Kylie Ann Thompson

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

According to a news release from Sheriff John Merchant, the $1000 scholarship went to Ayana Grier and the $500 scholarship went to Kylie Ann Thompson.

The scholarship and Brown County Sheriff challenge coin was presented  to each recipient by Public Safety Resource Officer J.D. Clary.  The coin was designed to honor fallen Deputy Todd Widman.

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 Sheriffs Office  community
education fund which consists of donations, grants and offender
registration money.  Both Hiawatha and Horton students received 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 release says the Sheriff’s Office also presented three, $250 Wal-Mart gift cards to students who participated in the SAFE program. This years winners were Felicity Thomas-Rodecap, Kim Korthanke and Tanner Chartier

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.