In its annual awards ceremony, the Anacortes Schools Foundation awarded 40 scholarships totaling more than $52,000 to graduates of Anacortes High School. Board members, families, friends, school administrators and business leaders attended the event held at Anacortes Middle School.

Art Shotwell, a foundation board director, hosted the ceremony and school Superintendent Chris Borgen presented many of the awards.

Scholarships ranged from $500 to $10,000 for students planning to attend technical, two-year community college and four-year college and university programs.

Some of the scholarships are made possible by donations from local businesses, such as the Shell Community Scholarship for students planning to attend Bellingham Technical College in the process technology program, and the Tesoro Community Scholarship to students attending four-year university programs.

Families have also established scholarship funds in honor or memory of loved ones, such as the Nathan Estvold Memorial Scholarship for a student demonstrating good citizenship, and the Okerlund Family Trust Scholarship in memory of Emmett Okerlund, AHS Class of 1931. Two $10,000 Okerlund scholarships were presented to Class of 2009 graduates Emily Fakkema, who will attend George Fox University, and Stuart Cheyne, who plans to attend Dalhousie University.

The Port of Anacortes awarded three scholarships this year to students intending to pursue education in the fields of business and marine technology.

For the first time this year, the foundation helped facilitate the first selected recipients of two $500 scholarships presented by the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. Also a first, an Anacortes High School senior was presented with a scholarship by the Washington State School Retirees Association.

The foundation welcomes inquiries from families, clubs and businesses interested in establishing scholarship programs for deserving students or one-time enrichment grants to fund school projects. Many donations are 100 percent tax-deductible. To contact the foundation, e-mail or call 293-1200.

This year’s winners were selected from more than 60 applicants. They are: Sara Brennan, Dillion Bundy, Stuart Cheyne, Jocelyn Clark, Paige Conway, Maddy Crowe, Alice Darnton, Marisa Elsner, Emily Fakkema, Kelsey Glein, Leah Heiberg, Clara Hill, Briana Hobbs, Ana Hobson, Chris Hyde, Sarah Idzcak, Ashli Kemp, Deborah Kenote, Evan Knoch, Matt Knorr, Katie McNeil, Sarah Moses-Winyard, Kristy Nelson, Emilia Nilsson, Reanna Norton, Ashley Post, Lauren Richards, Diba Samadani, Michael Stark, Rachel Stewart, Kymberly Stone, Juan Verdin, John Walker, Hannah Warren and Tarek Zaheer.