The Western Kansas Chapter of American Petroleum Institute held its annual Scholarship Night at the Club at StoneRidge on May 23.
The evening began with a social hour and steak dinner. The speaker was Dwight Keen, chairman of the Kansas Oil and Gas Commission, who gave an informative speech on the value of fossil fuels in this area and also the world.
After the meal and speech, Terry Naylor, the chapter’s scholarship chairman, presented four $4,000 scholarships. API scholarships are for $1,000 per year for a period of four years.
Scholarships were presented to the following graduating high school seniors:
• Ben Kirmer, Claflin High School – Kirmer had a 3.7 grade-point average and a 24 ACT score. He will attend Kansas State University and major in geology and petroleum engineering.
• Dylan Dreiling, Great Bend High School  – Dreiling had a 4.0 GPA and a 30 ACT. He will attend the University of Kansas and major in computer science.
• Paige Lunsford, Hays High School – Lunsford carried an 3.96 GPA and a 28 ACT. She will attend Fort Hays State University and major in history.
• Corey Dunlap, Natoma High School – Dunlap had an 4.0 GPA and a 30 ACT. He will attend Fort Hays State University and major in health and sports management.
These scholarships are possible due to the sponsorship of the API golf tournament held in September and supported by the oil and gas related companies from the area. API has 16 students on scholarship at this time.