Hennessey United, in partnership with Enel Green Power Energy, released names of the 12 Hennessey High School seniors to receive $8,500 in scholarships.

Enel owns the Red Dirt Wind Farms near Hennessey.

The five winners of $1,000 in scholarships are Mariana Gonzalez, Kaden Mitchell, Elizabeth Pribil, Aaron Rojo and Karina Sanchez.

Selected for $500 scholarships are Derik Fuksa, Ana Gonzalez, Katelynn Pearson, Angel Rodriquez, Osvaldo Roman and Kenley Wyrick.

Students were required to be in the Leadership class to be eligible for the scholarship.

Each student who applied was required to submit an essay on: “What’s the Best Thing About Our Town.”

The top winners were: Sanchez (first); Pribil (second); Rojo (third); Gonzalez (fourth), and Mitchell (fifth).

Editor and journalist Gloria Trotter of Tecumseh judged the essays.

She has won many state and national writing awards and is a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.

She said the common thread in the essays was “it’s the people helping people that make Hennessey a great place to live.”

The United board voted earlier this year to give scholarships to Mitchell and Gonzalez.

Mitchell will receive $500 and Gonzalez $250. Mitchell has served on the board for two years and Gonzalez was elected to the board earlier this year. This was the second year for Hennessey United to conduct the first semester, once-a-week class that covered school, municipal, county and state government speakers and issues.

Students participated in a mock trial at the county courthouse, toured the state capitol where they heard from their legislators, and debated senate bills in the classroom.

Students also visited the Oklahoma Judicial Center where they got to ask questions of two court of criminal appeals judges. Those judges also let them sit in their courtroom chairs and in their deliberation room

Students worked in five-person teams after their names were drawn on the first day of class.

They graded each session at the end of the 18 weeks from poor to excellent. Most sessions received good-to-excellent ratings, but all students ranked their community service project as the best.

Each team was given $100 to shop for Christmas gifts chosen for children whose lists were part of the Police Reserve Angels program.

Most teams shopped together, then were provided supplies to wrap the gifts during the last class.

Team leaders had to provide sales slips for their purchases.

United board members on the Leadership Hennessey team are: Stacy Cline (president); Teresa Oliver (vice-president); Cathy Howard (secretary), Barb Walter (Leadership director), and Kaden Mitchell and Mariana Gonzalez (student directors).