MHS receives Ford awards and scholarships

The Monache Ag Department was awarded a $3,000 grant through the Ford Grant Challenge, sponsored by Ford Trucks.

Monache was selected as one of six national winners as the result of Monache FFA’s overall number of outstanding student scholarship applications submitted to the National FFA Association.

In addition to the department’s grant, two of Monache’s FFA members were also awarded a $1,000 scholarship by Clevenger Ford Dealership.

Faith Weaver and Kayla Hines, 2012 graduates of Monache, are the recipients.

Weaver served as FFA president, and Hines as vice president, during their senior year. Both were active in the Porterville Fair Junior Livestock committee for three years and exhibited all four of their high school years at the Tulare County Fair and Porterville Fair — earning them their State Farmer Degrees through their livestock and work experience projects.

Weaver and Hines were also active in sports; Weaver in water polo and swimming, and Hines in volleyball.

Weaver currently attends Arizona State University on scholarship, majoring in Biomedical Sciences. Hines attends Biola University in Mirada, majoring in Communication Disorders with a career plan as a Speech Therapist.

The Monache Agriculture Department plans to utilize its Ford Grant to renovate its 36-year-old ornamental horticulture unit and create an Agriculture mural at the Mulberry entrance to the Monache High School Agriculture Department’s citrus grove and vineyard.