class of 2023

Pioneer High School held its annual Achievement Night on June 7. Scholarships, awards and memorials were presented to 65 different seniors and 20 juniors.

Principal Katelyn Welker said 49 local organizations, businesses or individuals donated designated scholarship money this year. In addition, 

  • $29,500 is allocated through the School Scholarship Committee

  • Over $52,000 is allocated through community organizations and businesses or individuals

  • Over $1.2 million dollars is promised in college tuition and expenses (20 juniors) if the students choose to attend and are accepted to the designated college

  • The top three amounts of scholarship money promised to graduating seniors are $16,000 followed by $2,500 and $2,000.

Mrs. Welker introduced Class of 2023 officers Jackson Woolley (president), Brady Heckathorn (vice president), Jordan Dodge (secretary), and Kyler Felber (treasurer).


The awards and winners: 

Tim Schwab Memorial Scholarship:  Brady Heckathorn

Janet R. Payne Scholarship: Alyssa Boldt, Brady Heckathorn

Pioneer Credit Recovery Values Scholarship: Lillian Milligan

Nathaniel Schwartz Scholarship: Ella Fyock

Schenk Memorial Scholarship: Dylan Hutchinson

Friends of Pioneer Athletes Scholarship: Brady Heckathorn, Seth Higgins, Alyssa Boldt, Kyler Felber 

Erin Pinter Award: Ella Fyock

Mark Carballada Scholar-Athlete Award: Alyssa Boldt


Dwight Dedrick Memorial: Jordan Dodge

Phyllis M. Johnston Award: Brooke Eastman

Thomas Rule Memorial: Ethan Warner (baseball), Zander Terhune (bowling)

Babe Ruth Foundation Sportsmanship Award: Levi Martino, Brooke Eastman

Ken Kittleson Memorial: Kyle Stover, Kevina Drennan

Kaylee Zufall Memorial Scholarship: Madison Hewitt

Lions Club of Arcade Annual Scholarship: Kaiya Wilber, Lillian Millgan

Arcade Chamber of Commerce Community Wellness Award: Kayden George

A.J. O’Dell Foundation Scholarship: Madison Hewitt

Work Experience Award: Rhiannon Muggleton

NYS Attorney General Triple C Award: Sherri Morgan, Cheyanne Rydzyk, Makyala Cutler, Lillian VanDerlaske

Patrick T. Burns Memorial: Kaelyn Bull

Johnson, Mackowiak & Associates LLC Scholarship: Dylan Hutchinson

Elmer Dornan Junior Firefighter Memorial Scholarship: Desirai Wahsburn, Evelyn Salzler

Harvey Mason Memorial: Ella Fyock, Seth Higgins


Arcade Fire Department Scott Feraldi Memorial: Brooke Eastman, Evelyn Salzler, Matthew Bijhouwer

Craig Schenk Memorial Scholarship: Seth Higgins, Conner Woloszyn

Mary Lloyd-Jones Memorial Award: Chloe Raiber

Michael Ronan Memorial Scholarship: James T. Carmody

Waste Management of Chaffee Scholarship: Andrea Tingue

Tyler Thomas McElheny Scholarship: Elizabeth Stahl, Vanessa Giboo


West Falls Conservation Society Scholarship: James Carmody, Ella Fyock, Brody Phelps

Knowledge Seekers Literary Society: Andrea Tingue

Safe Driver Award: Kevina Drennan

Pioneer Auxiliary Association Award (Community Presence): Brady Heckathorn, Alyssa Boldt, Conner Woloszyn, Evelyn Salzler

Arcade Winterfest Awards: Jeremy Hibsch (king); Christina Bush (queen); Lillian Milligan (queen runner up); Jackson Woolley (king runner-up); Jenna May Steves (most congenial); Elizabeth Stahl, Sydney Wilton, Kayla Price

Barry Ashworth Memorial Award: Brody Phelps

Pioneer Faculty Association Scholarships: Kailey Place, Jackson Woolley, Dylan Hutchinson, Alyssa Boldt, Seth Higgins, Jordan Dodge, Evelyn Salzler 

Math Department Most Outstanding: Dylan Hutchinson, Andrea Tingue

Hendershott-Maness Auxiliary Math Award: Dylan Hutchinson, Kailey Place

Delta Kappa Gamma Beta Nu Award: Santana Ersing

Scholastic Excellence Award: Hannah Drennan

Semper Fidelis Award: Kayla Price

Distinguished Athlete Award: Kyler Felber

Thomson Family Memorial Scholastic Award: Brooke Eastman, Lillian Milligan

American Chemical Society Award of Excellence: Valerie Gilbert (grade 11)

Science Department:   Most Improved: Alyssa Boldt

Most Outstanding: Cohen Lyons

Niagara Frontier Industrial Education Council Certificate of Employability Award: Walker Bekiel, Brittany Bliss, Alyssa Boldt, Gavin Burdgick, Christina Bush, Joshua Chitty, Jordan Dodge, Brooke Eastman, Kyler Felber, Jackson Woolley, Rylan Lemke, Dakota Krygier, Connor Windsor

Business Department - Most Outstanding: Cohen Lyons; Business Academy Most Outstanding: Alyssa Boldt

Technology Department - Construction & Building Trades: Seth Higgins; Pre-Engineering: Walker Bekiel

Social Studies Department - Most Outstanding: Christina Bush; Most Improved: Madison Hewitt

Physical Education - Most Improved: Ethan Ashworth; Most Outstanding: Brody Phelps

English Department - Most Improved: Kevina Drennan, Brittany Bliss; Most Outstanding: Alissa Atwater

Art Department - Outstanding Dedication to Photography: Santana Ersing, Kaelyn Bull, Kevina Drennan, Kayden George, Elizabeth Stahl

Mary H. Erick Outstanding Business Student Award: Dylan Hutchinson

Business First & Independent Health Wellness All-Star: Elizabeth Stahl; Community All-Star: Jordan Dodge

Java-Strykersville Kiwanis Memorial Scholarship: Kayden George; Trade School Memorial Scholarship: Hailee Williams

American Red Cross National Honor Society Scholarship: Lillian Milligan

Olladene M. Nourse Scholarship: Jackson Woolley

World Languages Department - Most Improved/Outstanding: Emma Besch, Ella Braun, Katelyn Meyers, Andrea Tingue, Elizabeth Stahl, Hailee Williams

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli Student Achievement Award: Jordan Dodge

Cattaraugus County Youth Bureau Award: Brady Heckathorn, Elizabeth Salzler

National School Choral Award: Christina Bush, Sydney Wilton

Fred Waring Award for Chorus: Jenna May Steves, Lillian Milligan, JodiLee Ikeler

Marching Band Scholarship: Kayla Price

Louis Armstrong Award: Madison Hewitt

Albert J. Bigelow Memorial Scholarship: Kayla Price

John Phillip Sousa Award in Music: Jackson Woolley

Amadeus Award: Santana Ersing, Sydney Wilton, Vanessa Giboo, Katelyn Meyers, Evelyn Salzler, Charlotte Nickerson

Gold Award in Music: Charlotte Nickerson, Sydney Wilton, Santana Ersing and Carissa Harris

National School Orchestra Award: Santana Ersing

Chamber Orchestra First Chair: Vanessa Giboo, Evelyn Salzler, Katelyn Meyers, Thomas Rosenthal, Santana Ersing, Sydney Wilton, Charlotte Nickerson, Ashley Unger

Arion Award: Rylan Lemke, Sydney Wilton

Music Department Scholarship: Santana Ersing, Kayla Price

Rochester Institute of Technology Women in STEM Award: Theresa Kolasny

Rochester Institute of Technology Science and Math Award: Logan Papke

University of Rochester Bausch & Lomb Science Award: Emma Morgan

University of Rochester George Eastman Young Leaders Award: McKenzie Marcheson

University of Rochester Frederick Douglass & Susan B. Anthony Award: Meghan Gallagher

Clarkson University Leadership Award: Addison Vacinek

Clarkson University Achievement Award: Nathan Wilczak

Keuka College/George H. Ball Award for Juniors: Olivia Clouse, Morgan Mucha, Olivia Comisarek, Gretchen Rumfola, Madeline Koziol

St. Bonaventure Junior Scholarship Awards: Haylee Heldwein, Madeline Koziol, Messina Maul, Theresa Kolasny, Landon Schultz, Connor Ludwig, Tyler Fanton

Lemoyne College Heights Award: Morgan Mucha & Alexis Sobczak

Jamestown Business College Award: Landon Schultz, Cole Rhodus

Sheldon Historical Society Schoolhouse Museum Scholarship: Joshua Chitty\

Millie & George Wallace Langmade Scholarship: Kaiya Wilber

Craig Reitmeier Scholarship: Kailey Place, Kevina Drennan, Connor Woloszyn

Dorothy G. Howell Memorial Scholarship: Sydney Wilton, Evelyn Salzler, Brooke Eastman, Cohen Lyons, Brittany Bliss

Janelle Simonetti Memorial Scholarship: Joshua Chitty

Pioneer Professional Association Award: Brooke Eastman

George C. & Faith Crawford Memorial Scholarship: Matthew Bijhouwer

Big 30 Scholarship Academic Award: Kailey Place

Erie-Niagara School Superintendents Association Award: Kailey Place, Kevina Drennan, Andrea Tingue

New York State Scholarship for Academic Excellence: ($500) Evelyn Salzler, Vanessa Giboo, Andrea Tingue, Kevina Drennan; ($1500) Kailey Place