2025: Adrik Ehalt and Brooklyn Schramm are our 2 “Service Above Self" scholarship winners of $2000 ea this spring. Click on "read more" link below for further information, past recipients, and our STRIVE (Students Taking a Renewed Interest in the Value of Education) program.
2025: the Waconia-West Carver Rotary Club announces two “Service Above Self” scholarships.
Adrik Ehalt and Brooklyn Schramm are our 2 “Service Above Self" scholarship winners of $2000 ea. Winners nominated for volunteer work and community service above and beyond their academic, sports, and other school related achievements.
2024: the Waconia-West Carver Rotary Club announces two “Service Above Self” scholarships.
Amelia Harold and Madelyn Jahnke are our 2 “Service Above Self" scholarship winners of $1500 ea. Winners nominated for volunteer work and community service above and beyond their academic, sports, and other school related achievements.
2023: the Waconia-West Carver Rotary Club announces two “Service Above Self” scholarships, and the completion of this year's STRIVE program (resulting in a total $5,000 in scholarship awards)
Jack Gootzeit and Liam Gunderson, shown at upper left, are our 2 “Service Above Self “scholarship winners of $1500 ea. Winners nominated for volunteer work and community service. Click on "read more" link below for past recipients and our STRIVE program.
STRIVE stands for Students Taking a Renewed Interest in the Value of Education. The program was initiated in 1995 by the White Bear Lake Rotary club. Waconia West Carver Rotary began the STRIVE program in 1996 and has granted over $200,000 in awards and scholarships. Each year the program in Waconia starts with about 20 seniors (seniors only) and ends each year with about 12 students due to poor decision making or dropping out of the program. We meet once a month, have pizza and bottled water, open with some socializing, and have a speaker from all sorts of professions and trades. Each participate gets $100 for completing the program. Rotary awards a $500 scholarship for most improved GPA, and $250 each to the 2nd and 3rd most improved GPAs. We also give a $250 scholarship for best attitude.
Some of our STRIVE students this year:
2022: no "Service Above Self" scholarships awarded due to COVID
2021: the Waconia-West Carver Rotary Club announces two “Service Above Self” scholarships (no STRIVE scholarships due to COVID)
Service Above Self:
Melissa Honnold, shown at left, was 1 of 2 “Service Above Self “scholarship winners of $1000. The other winner was Carrigan Dock (no picture). Winners nominated for volunteer work and community service. Melissa is planning on attending College of St. Benedict, near St. Cloud, Minnesota, majoring in sports medicince, with an overall goal of becoming a medical doctor. Carrigan is intending to attend the University of Minnesota and major in material science and engineering. (See "read more" below for further information.)
Melissa Honnold, shown at left, was 1 of 2 “Service Above Self “scholarship winners of $1000. The other winner was Carrigan Dock (no picture). Winners nominated for volunteer work and community service. Melissa is planning on attending College of St. Benedict, near St. Cloud, Minnesota, majoring in sports medicince, with an overall goal of becoming a medical doctor. Carrigan is intending to attend the University of Minnesota and major in material science and engineering. (See "read more" below for further information.)
Service Above Self:
Grace Gesinger, shown at left below, was 1 of 2 “Service Above Self “scholarship winners of $1000. The other winner was Allison Saunders (no picture). Winners nominated for volunteer work and community service. 
Grace Gesinger, shown at left below, was 1 of 2 “Service Above Self “scholarship winners of $1000. The other winner was Allison Saunders (no picture). Winners nominated for volunteer work and community service.
STRIVE (Students Taking a Renewed Interest in the Value of Education):
Jack Nicholson, shown at right above, was one of the STRIVE $1000 scholarship winners. There were 2 additional $500 scholarship winners (Sarah Thom and Ahnna Chabot . no picture). Parker Maass was also awarded $250 “Best Attitude” scholarship.
This year we added Mayer Lutheran to the STRIVE program after 7 years off. There were three awards: Isaiah Favorite received a scholarship for $1000, Jackson Fisher for $500, and Lydia Trocke for $250 “Best Attitude.”
2018: Waconia-West Carver Rotary Club awards one “Service Above Self” scholarship 
Rotarian Gerry Kirby with senior Christian Honnold, who is the 2018 recipient of our club's "Service Above Self" scholarship award.