Last week, Raccoon Valley Radio awarded two $250 Business and Broadcasting scholarships to Kade Overton of Adel-DeSoto-Minburn and Paige Mescher of Woodward-Granger.

Overton and Mescher were chosen to receive the scholarships, which annually go to two area seniors planning on majoring in either business or broadcasting in college. According to Raccoon Valley Radio General Manager John McGee, Overton and Mescher were the best choices to receive the scholarships. He says Overton, who plans on studying journalism and sports broadcasting at the University of Iowa, has shown a great deal of leadership and initiative throughout his high school career at ADM. Similarly Mescher, who plans on studying business management at Iowa State University, showed McGee considerable leadership skills and the ability to overcome adversity.

The scholarship process typically begins in January when the local high school guidance counselors are given applications for students to fill out. Once all the applications are submitted, McGee and Assistant General Manager Stephen Flattery begin the difficult process of selecting the best candidates. “We go through these applications, we look them over. We look at what’s going to represent the company well, what’s going to represent their schools well, what’s going to represent our communities well. And that’s what we look at for the main criteria as we award these scholarships.”

McGee says the scholarships are a great way for the company to give back to the community, while also helping the students get a good start on furthering their education. The scholarships are made possible by the businesses that are involved with the station’s Senior Salute program.