In 1991, the Board of Education of the Los Banos Unified School District directed that a District Scholarship Fund be established. This scholarship was to benefit graduates of Los Banos High School and in 2013 with the first graduating class Pacheco High School was added. The criterion was based upon scholarship (GPA of 3.5 or higher), school and civic activities and citizenship. This scholarship is funded solely through donations and awards are made from interest only. It took 8 years of fundraising to grow the fund to over $10,000 and in June of 1999, the first $500 LBUSD Scholarship was awarded to Taylor Roelofs. The recipient of the 2000 award was Christian Acosta. The 2001 recipients were Eric Halverson, Aaron Hixson and Melissa Notari. In 2002, $500 scholarships were awarded to Jennifer Correia and Julia Halverson. Two students received $500 scholarships in 2003 Stacy Costello and Jesus Rivera. In 2004, one $1,000 scholarship was awarded. The 2005 recipients were Jessica Moran and Sarah Wilson; each received a $1,000 scholarship. The 2006 recipients of the District Scholarship are Georgina Belmonte and Matthew Sanders. Each student was awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Elen Storlie and Vijay Sing are the two recipients of the 2007 Scholarship awards, they were both awarded $1000.00 dollars. The 2008 recipients of the District Scholarship recieving $1000.00 dollars each are Cody Nunes, Amy Patel and Mitzi Rodriguez.The 2009 recipients of the District Scholarship were Whitley Lopez and Oscar Reynoso. The 2010 recipients of the District Scholarship were Thomas Rowell and Liliana Garcia. The 2011 recipients of the District Scholarship were Stephanie Comacho and Ana Rochelle Uy. The 2012 recipients were Ernesto Garcia who recieved $1,000.00 and Delanie Inman and Itzel Sandoval-Reynoso each recieved $750.00. In 2013 the first graduating class from Pacheco High School was added to the scholarship and from that point forward two scholarships were awarded at each high school in the amount of $1,000.00 each. the recipients for 2013 from Los Banos High School were Raquel Uy and Tiffany Liu. The recipients from Pacheco High School were Janet Sandoval-Reynoso and Cassandra Camacho-Preciado. The recipients for 2014 were Melissa Patel and Colton Taylor from Los Banos High School and Gabriela Ayala Garcia and Lorena G. Franco from Pacheco High School. The recipients for 2015 were Carla Diaz and Marco Parra from LBHS and Marsha Noeline and Orlando Estrada from Pacheco High School. The recipients for 2016 were John Spankowski and Madison Hatfield from Los Banos High School and Khang Nguyen and Elizabeth Pineda from Pacheco High School. The recipients for 2017 were Elena Mendoza and Grelly Garcia from Los Banos High School and Jordan Stevens and Corrina Hawkins from Pacheco High School. The 2018 recipients were Mansi Patel and Joseph Costa from Los Banos High School and Ryan Senense and Karina Cornejo from Pacheco High School. The 2019 recipients were Laura Albornoz and Giselle Ramirez from Los Banos High School and Elena Vasquez Gomez and Cristian Rojas Mondragon from Pacheco High School. The 2020 recipients were Carlos Ivan Magana and Ally Watkins from Los Banos High School and Haley Balanos and Simranpreet K Gakhal from Pacheco High School. The 2021 recipients were Haley Duarte and Ashley Ith from Los Banos High School and Galilea Garcia and Melissa Zilinki from Pacheco High School. The goal is to continue to increase the principal, so that larger and multiple scholarships can be awarded. As Los Banos continues to grow, there are many students who could benefit from financial aid for their college education. Sponsorships to the fund by former Los Banos High School and Pacheco High School graduates will help enrich the educational experience of students and serve as inspiration as they strive for success. The Districts Scholarship Committee is asking for the community's help in this endeavor and hope that involvement by our residents will include a commitment to our high school graduates. Donations can be made in two ways: as a memorial or as a celebratory gift (such as wedding, anniversary, graduation, etc.) Once a donation is received, a receipt is issued and notification is sent to the donor of the gift. Donations in any amount are welcomed. It is also hoped that residents will consider "planned gifts to the District Scholarship Fund when doing estate planning. A granite scholarship wall, donated by the Whitehurst family, was erected in the District Office lobby in late summer of 2001 and formally dedicated at the November 2001 school board meeting. This wall contains 3-1/2 x 1-1/2 brass plates engraved with the names of those who have contributed a certain amount to the fund or those who have had contributions made in their memory. Originally, the cost of a plaque was $300.00. On July 1, 2006, that figure increased to $500. Citizens are encouraged to donate and have a plaque placed on the wall. Donations may be made be made by calling Tina Accardo at 826-3801, Ext. 7014, or writing the School District Office, 1717 S. Eleventh Street, Los Banos 93635. Currently, we have distributed over $58,000.00 to deserving students. Thank you for supporting public education in Los Banos.
