By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA – The heart and soul of Helena’s Buck Creek Festival is its ability to give back to the community, and one of the ways the festival does this is by awarding several scholarships to deserving high school seniors.

As the festival heads into its 18th year of existence May 10-11, the committee came together and awarded four high school seniors scholarships totaling $1,000 apiece.

Seniors Brooks Lovoy, Mac Shannon, Jessie Zou and Meredith Byrd all received a scholarship after completing a number of tasks and meeting certain criteria.

The $1,000 scholarships were an increase for the students, as last year the Buck Creek Committee awarded four $500 scholarships for a total of $2,000.

The scholarship recipients met the following criteria on their application before receiving the funds:

–Were a graduating high school senior

–Were a resident of the city of Helena

–Submitted a completed application

–Submitted two letters of recommendation, one from a representative of their school and one from a member of the community

–Submitted a typed essay no more than one page in length describing what the scholarship meant to them

The scholarship winners are typically honored at a Helena City Council meeting later this year.

The 2019 Buck Creek Festival is set for Friday, May 10 from 6-10 p.m. and Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.