Club announces winners of the 2010 Harry A. Sisson & Hugh Archer Memorial Scholarships
DEARBORN, Mich. – Every February, the Rotary Club of Dearborn invites two students from each of the local high schools to attend and participate in Rotary Club meetings. The students have the opportunity to talk with Dearborn Rotarians and learn about their involvement in the local community and Rotary’s international relief efforts worldwide.
“Our Club members agree that meeting and getting to know these students is one of the highlights of our year,” said Bob Ziolkowski, 2009-2010 Rotary Club of Dearborn president. “The generation barriers come down when it comes to understanding the importance of community service and how Rotary makes a difference in the world.”
During Youth Month, the Rotary Club of Dearborn also awards scholarships to two outstanding high school seniors in memory of longtime Rotarians, Harry A. Sisson and Hugh Archer.
Photo caption: The 2010 Harry A. Sisson Memorial Scholarship winner Dearborn High School senior Michael Makki, center, is pictured with, from left, Makki’s grandparents Allie and Wanda Fayz, father Dr. Ali S. Makki, mother Fadwa Makki, and Bob Ziolkowski, president of the Rotary Club of Dearborn.
This year’s Harry A. Sisson Memorial Scholarship was presented to Michael A. Makki, a senior at Dearborn High School. The $5,000 annual award is made possible through an endowment from the Harry A. Sisson Foundation. Mr. Sisson became a Rotarian in 1917 and patterned his life after the principles of Rotary’s motto “Service above Self.”
Criteria for winning the Sisson Scholarship include exemplifying the Rotary service ideals along with high academic achievement, leadership among peers and demonstration of the highest ethical standards.
Rotarian Dr. John Artis, the club’s vocational director, presented the award to Makki, who ranks fourth in his graduating class. Artis noted the senior’s involvement in Interact, Key Club, American Red Cross Club, Business Professionals of America, and also service as a peer mediator and a member of Link Crew, an initiative to help support incoming freshmen. Makki was also a member of the Dearborn High School Pioneers football team for four years.
During a separate presentation, Dearborn High School Senior Elizabeth Schick received the fourth annual Hugh Archer Memorial Scholarship which is open to students who attend public or private schools within the Dearborn school district boundaries.
The Hugh Archer Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of the longtime Rotarian and Dearborn resident who passed away in 2005 at the age of 91. Founder and Chairman of Spiratex Company, a plastics extrusion company in Romulus, Mich., Archer was a registered professional engineer whose many achievements included inventor, scientist, entrepreneur, banker, businessman, ham radio operator, sportsman, and humanitarian.
Archer held several leadership positions in Rotary and served as president of Rotary International in 1988-1989.
Dearborn Rotarian Lee C. Hollmann, chairman of the Hugh Archer Memorial Scholarship committee, presented the $3,000 award to Schick, who is valedictorian of her 2010 graduating class.
Photo caption: The 2010 Hugh Archer Memorial Scholarship winner Elizabeth Schick, center, is congratulated by Rotarian Lee Hollman, her mother Melissa Schick, Dearborn High School Principal Chuck Baughman, Hugh Archer’s daughter Lucy Peck and Dearborn Rotary President Bob Ziolkowski.
Schick was recognized for hours of service to the community and to her church. In addition to numerous academic awards, Schick is an accomplished musician who plays the oboe, saxophone, viola, violin, and percussion. She performs with both the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony.
Lucy Peck, Hugh Archer’s daughter, also attended the presentation and commended Schick for her many achievements and commitment to community service.
Photo caption: Celebrating Youth Month with the Rotary Club of Dearborn are high school students, front row left to right, Aseile Bazzi, Dearborn High School (DHS); Amanda Fairchild, Henry Ford Academy (HFA); Moira Custodio, Divine Child (DC); Mariam Abdulghani, Fordson High School (FHS); Fatimah Farooq, Edsel Ford High School (EFHS); back row left to right, Mohamed Ali Ghandour, FHS; Matthew Means, DHS; Dan Baier, HFA; Andrew Rush, DC; Darnell Gray Shawver and LeAnn Allan, Advanced Technology Academy. Not pictured is Mohamad Farhat, EFHS.
About Rotary
Rotary is the world’s first service organization, which was founded by Paul P. Harris in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois. The name Rotary is derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members’ offices. Today, Rotary has evolved into an international service organization of 1.2 million business and professional leaders in 33,000 clubs worldwide. The Rotary Club of Dearborn is one of 51 clubs in Rotary District 6400 which includes Wayne, Monroe and Lenawee counties in Michigan and Essex County in Ontario. Dearborn Rotary meets weekly at The Fairlane Club in Dearborn. For additional information, visit www.dearbornrotary.org or call 313-278-7233.