The Bonhomme Lions are longtime supporters of education in the St. Louis area and have been providing scholarships to graduating SSD students since 1987. In addition, the Lions conduct a variety of projects and events that benefit children throughout the community.

Catherine Kister

Although she is an honor roll student with a 3.8 GPA at Oakville High School, academics have not always come easily for Catherine Kister. When she was in third grade, her teacher noticed that she was struggling to learn in several subjects. Soon thereafter, she began receiving services from Special School District to help her in several areas. Needless to say, the services have been a success and Catherine hopes to pay it forward by becoming a special education teacher.

Along with working part-time at a nursing home caring for patients, Catherine is gaining teaching experience by volunteering at her church working with students

“As kids attend school, I believe they should receive the best help they can,” Catherine said in her essay application for the scholarship. “I want to provide the help that gets these kids through the day. As a teacher I can help them learn and mold their minds.”

Jaxon Luraschi

As a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sitting still has never been easy for Jaxon Luraschi. Being told to “just sit still” did not help him—but finding new strategies to deal with his ADHD did. Learning new and unique ways to study and keying in on his strengths led him to earning a 3.9 weighted GPA. A senior at Pattonville High School, Jaxon is also enrolled in the Firefighting and EMT program at SSD’s North Technical High School.

Outside of school, Jaxon completed nearly 200 hours of community service, including organizing a toy drive at Pattonville and volunteering at the Red Cross and St. Louis Area Foodbank. He is also a graduate of the Fred Saigh Leadership Program and a passionate hockey player.

Since joining the program at North Tech, Jaxon’s academics took off. While there, he earned the Tops at Tech award and completed coursework at St. Louis Community College, earning an A along with college course credits. He has also participated in the Fire Explorers Club and volunteers with a local fire department. His scholarship will allow him to attend Lindenwood University with hopes of earning a degree in paramedicine with an emphasis in fire science.