LV student receives Ryan Witt award

Tuesday, April 4, 2000 | 10:40 a.m.

A Green Valley High School senior who is a National Merit Scholarship finalist has been awarded the Ryan Witt Memorial Scholarship.

Tondra De, daughter of Gopal and Gita De of Henderson, received the $500 scholarship at a Futures Expo reception March 29. The scholarship is named for the teenage son of former Clark County School Board member Judy Witt. Ryan Witt was killed in an accident.

Eleven students also received $100 cash awards for their winning essays as part of Futures Expo, a two-day career and job fair at Cashman Field. Middle school winners were Bret Lundgaard and Anna Nicholson-Hutt, both of Garrett Middle School; Amber Powell of Lied; Amelia "Amy" Taylor of Brown; Wendy Williams of Johnson; and Ku'uipo White of Swainston. High school winners were Megan Cederburg of Green Valley; Naomi Lewis of Mojave; Greg Siqueiros of Palo Verde; Tiffany Waggoner of Virgin Valley; and Jeri White of Advanced Technologies Academy.

School Superintendent Brian Cram presented the scholarship to Tondra, saying he was impressed by her inner drive to excel. A native of Bangladesh, Tondra lived in Australia and Idaho before her family moved to Nevada. She speaks two languages and is learning a third. She ranks first in her class of 751, with a weighted grade-point average of 4.7.

In recommending Tondra for the scholarship, her chemistry teacher wrote that Tondra is "mature, responsible, hard-working, bright and personable. Her work is the standard to which other students should set their goals."

"Tondra has shown high personal integrity through her attitudes toward treatment of other students and adults, as well as her attitudes toward academic honesty," the teacher wrote.