|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Click on picture for larger image.
By Marjorie Mader
Logan Pike of Woodside High School and Rachel Marty of Menlo Park, a student at Pinewood School, are winners of the 2008 Chris Zider Scholarships.
Each receives a $15,000 scholarship that can be used for high school or college tuition or for educated-related expenses, such as taking a summer course on a college campus, during the next six years.
This year’s winners and finalists represent five high schools: Menlo-Atherton, Menlo School, Woodside High School, Pinewood, and Sacred Heart Prep. They were selected from the largest pool of applicants — 96 sophomores from 13 high schools — since the scholarship program was established in 1993.
Two scholarships are given each year, one for a boy and one for a girl. They are given in memory of Chris Zider, who grew up in Menlo Park and Portola Valley and was the oldest child of Bob and Cheryl Zider.
Chris died in a snowboarding accident at Lake Tahoe in 1992, when he was 15 and a sophomore at Woodside High School. He attended Menlo School his freshman year after graduating from the Portola Valley School District.
“In my eyes, all these young adults are winners,” said Cheryl Zider. “They’re fantastic.” Besides their many accomplishments in the classroom, on the playing fields, and in the community, “their love for their family comes across,” she said.
The winners
Logan Pike of Woodside shared with the scholarship committee what he describes as a “life-changing experience.” While he was on an Outward Bound summer trip in Southern Utah, a girl became lost and the others searched for her over rugged terrain. She was found but had died of heat exhaustion and dehydration, he said.
Being the group leader, he had decisions to make: pack up and go home with a horrible memory or deal with the situation, rally “the troops” and finish the expedition. He and his group forged ahead.
Logan plays junior varsity football and varsity lacrosse at Woodside High, coaches third-grade basketball at Woodside Elementary School, and has volunteered as a YMCA summer camp counselor in Redwood City. His plans are to attend a smaller college, focus on history and engineering, and play football.
Winner Rachel Marty plans to use her scholarship for college. She loves science and is thinking of majoring in biology or engineering. At Pinewood, she’s a shooting guard on the varsity basketball team. She would like to play basketball at a Division 3 school.
Rachel is the sports representative for the junior class at Pinewood and writes for the school newspaper. She was a counselor at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church’s summer day camp.
Other finalists
The winners were selected from the nine finalists. The seven other finalists are:
• Gonzalo Alvarez of Menlo Park plays soccer at Menlo-Atherton High School and is a member of Latinos Unidos de Menlo-Atherton. He also participates in the “Build” program at M-A, which provides underserved high school students with business experiences and academic support to help them graduate from high school and go on to college.
• Carter Boyce of Portola Valley goes to Menlo School, where he played on the lacrosse and football teams. He was class senator during his sophomore year.
• Megan Brown of Woodside goes to Menlo School. She competes in soccer, lacrosse and cross-country; belongs to the French Club; and was on the homecoming committee. She said she enjoys sailing and skiing.
• Sophia Cornew of Portola Valley plays on the varsity volleyball team at Menlo-Atherton. Her goal is to be a pediatric surgeon.
• Rebecca Dorst of Menlo Park was named the most valuable player on Menlo-Atherton’s varsity water polo team, which won the Central Coast championship. Rebecca also went on a mission trip to Mexicali.
• Deanna Kneis of Woodside attends Sacred Heart Prep, where she plays on the school’s volleyball team. She also participates in club volleyball and has volunteered on the Jerry Rice Toy Drive Committee.
• Sam McClure of Menlo Park goes to Menlo-Atherton, where he plays left field on the M-A baseball team and is president of the school’s Ultimate Frisbee Club. He said he enjoys playing the guitar.
How to apply
Preliminary applications for Chris Zider scholarships must be postmarked by March 30. Two $15,000 scholarships are awarded annually, one to a boy and one to a girl. High school sophomores may apply if they live in Atherton, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, on the Stanford campus, or if they attend Menlo School or Woodside High. Financial need is not a requirement. Applications are available at high school college counseling offices, online at www.chrisziderscholarship.com, and by calling the Beta Group at 233-8700.
Redwood City attorney sues ‘First Amendment auditors’ after Menlo Park disputeApril 2, 2026 11:31 am
