Katie Francis will enter her Sterling Scholar interview already knowing that the judges have made their decision of who will be awarded the top spots in her category at the regional competition. Francis knows it all depends on one thing— her portfolio.
“The biggest thing I’m concerned about is the portfolio,” she said. “That is the bread and butter. You have to make sure it’s not too complex and not too simple.”
Sterling Scholar Awards is a program that encourages and recognizes high school seniors in Utah who excel in scholarship, leadership and citizenship. To be selected for the award is considered one of the highest honors a senior can receive. Francis is one of 13 of Logan High School’s Sterling Scholars who are currently in the process of compiling their portfolios for the competition.
“The judging starts before they even interview. Judges pick their top five based on portfolios so we spend a lot of time working on the portfolios,” Deanna Stalling said.
Stalling has been working for eight years as the Sterling Scholar adviser at LHS and has helped students prepare their portfolios many times. She has also been a judge at Sterling Scholar competitions.
“I really think you get a pretty good idea of who the strong candidates are from the portfolios,” Stalling said. “A strong portfolio is usually accompanied by a strong interview. Judges do change their mind after interviews sometimes.”
The Sterling Scholars must use the guidelines that have evolved over the past 51 years. With the exception of the category of English, a student’s portfolio may not have more than 18 single sheet pages. The portfolio is comprised of snapshots of a student’s accomplishments during his or her high school career. Students must find a way to balance the use of their pages to exhibit their participation in scholarship, leadership and citizenship. Photographs, certified transcripts, test scores and a letter of recommendation are also required.
“It’s hard because a picture is worth a thousand words and if you have a good picture of you doing service you’re set,” Francis said. “Your portfolio should be good enough that it’s like you’re talking to the judges. So I think it is fair that they expect that of us considering everything that goes into it.”
The Sterling Scholars at LHS will soon participate in mock interviews to help them prepare for the Regional Sterling Scholar competition, which will be held on Feb. 15, 2012 at Northridge High School. Stalling said that Logan High School likes to give their Sterling Scholars a head start on the competition. Most schools pick candidates in the fall of their senior year, but LHS chooses its’ applicants in the spring of their junior year.
“It’s really nice to have a summer break to really go forward and find opportunities to be involved in,” Francis said.
“We like to give them a summer to work on their portfolio,” said Stalling. “It also helps us make them feel really prepared. So they know what they’re getting into to relieve any anxiety so they’re not shocked when they get there.”
Since Francis is the Speech and Drama Sterling Scholar, she will perform a two minute monologue to showcase her talent.
“I’m not anxious about the preforming, that’s where I feel confident. It’s second nature at this point,” she said.
“Sometimes I wish they would have more anxiety,” Stalling said. “They’re fairly confident in their interviews, bless their hearts.”
The 2011-2012 Sterling Scholars for Logan High School are: Erica Evans, English; Kristen Berkemeier, Mathematics; Taylor James, Business and Marketing; Camille Jensen, Music; Yiran Wang, Foreign Language; Becca Huppi, Social Science; Katie Francis, Speech & Drama; Donna Lee, Family & Consumer Sciences; Brooklyn Atkinson, Dance; Abbie Luman, Visual Arts; Phil Cutler, Computer Technology; Trevor Jewkes, Trade & Technical Education; and Anna Torre, Science.
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