Every year since 1981, the SHS Alumni Association has given out scholarships to seniors, based on the requirements of each scholarship, at their annual Scholarship Recognition Ceremony, hosted at the end of the school year.
“(The Southport Alumni Association) does several events throughout the year,”SHS Alumni Association President Brent Bockelman said. “Some of them are social events … but probably our biggest event is the Alumni Scholarship Awards Ceremony and banquet.”
The association is funded purely on donations and volunteer work.
The process of getting the scholarships to their recipients is time consuming, with donation collection, documentation, and choosing the right recipients. But it all leads to a night that is memorable for all involved.
Money comes into the fund year-round, which mostly comes from donors. However, some of it also comes from the association’s fundraising events.
These events include a golf outing and several smaller ones, such as the Alumni of the Year luncheon and homecoming.
Through the option of online donations, donors from a variety of backgrounds and locations around the U.S. can contribute. A few of the donors include alumni, family of alumni or even families of teachers.
“It’s not just a Southport community now. It has branched out into different areas of the United States,” Association Fundraising co-chair Ashley Quinlin said. “They are still extremely supportive.”
After the money comes in, it is documented. Association fundraising co-chair Jack Williams helps with the documentation.
When the money comes in, Williams looks at the donor’s intent, the reasoning for their donation.
Williams compiles all of the data so the association knows how much money has been donated for each scholarship and event. After being documented, Williams takes the money to the bank to deposit it into the association’s account.
“I’m kind of the gatekeeper,” Williams said. “Everything has to come through me. And if it doesn’t, then it doesn’t get documented. But a proper paper trail is very important regarding everything I do.”
When the donors put together their scholarships, they put together the requirements for it also.
“They really get to set their own parameters for it and we generally try to be very accommodating for that,” Bockelman said. “You know anytime folks are willing to give that much time and money, we try to accommodate as best we can.”
The donations accumulate into enough money that it can be made into scholarships.
This year, out of the 90 scholarships being offered, eight of them come directly from the association, while the rest of them come
from external donors. The amount for the scholarships this year totals $127,000, which is a record high.
The final part of this process is presenting recipients with their money and celebrating at the banquet. For the 2025-26 school year, the banquet will be hosted on May 26 in the Fieldhouse.
The night usually starts with up to 20 minutes of social time before Bockelman welcomes the guests. After that, a catered dinner is provided by the association.
Following that, there are several speeches, usually, including an appreciation speech to the donors. The night ends with the recipients being called onto the stage to receive their scholarship.
“I’m always in awe of how generous the donors are and the volunteers that make this event possible,” Bockelman said.
The banquet has its own fundraising to ensure that recipients and donors coming to the banquet don’t have to pay anything. To help offset the cost of the banquet though, anyone else attending is required to pay $25.
The banquet is an opportunity for recipients of the scholarships to meet the person funding it and for the donors to meet the recipients also.
“We are at a record amount of both scholarships and record total of money,” Williams said. “And really this thing just grows, gains momentum by word of mouth.”