Linnea Gebauer had everything a high school senior could want.
Being at the top of her class, valedictorian, receiving countless awards and grants to help pay off college, being a star science student and a second-place finish in the C-SPAN Classroom’s StudentCam documentary contest.
She then earned what many high school students only dream of, a professional job offer before she even grazed her college campus. Gebauer was offered a part-time job in the summer with Oregon Living With Fire.
But likely one thing was missing from her list of accolades.
Charter Communications Government & Community Strategy Director, Adrianne Sears, and Chuck Deister, Director, Government Affairs at Charter Communications, drove from across the state in Salem for an impromptu presentation to recognize the outstanding senior at the Klamath Union High School Senior Awards Tuesday night.
Additionally, Mayor of the City of Klamath Falls, Carol Westfall, and Klamath County Commissioner, Kelley Minty Morris, were waiting patiently, ready to acknowledge Gabauer.
Sears and Deister were there to congratulate the promising KU senior on behalf of C-SPAN, which made a video to show their gratitude for the work Gebauer put together for her award-winning video.
C-SPAN Chairman, Brian Lamb, started off the video by crediting Gebauer.
“On behalf of C-SPAN, it is a thrill to congratulate Linnea Gebauer for the big win, second prize win, Klamath Falls,” Lamb said. “We’re glad we are there. We thank Spectrum for being involved and we wish you the best of luck.”
The next person to congratulate Gebauer would result in a moment the young lady would have imprinted in her mind forever as Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, mentioned her name.
“I am so proud to congratulate Linnea Gebauer from Klamath Union High School. Your video, Fire Season, did a tremendous job at explaining the complexities of the wildfire problem as well as the emerging policies of practices we are implementing to help the problem,” Brown said. “I applaud you for your hard work and the creative skills you displayed in this video. On behalf of the people in Oregon, congratulations on your win.”
She was then credited by Westfall and Minty Morris. Westfall left a message Gebauer admitted had gratefully impacted her.
“The country is proud of you, your city is proud of you, your school is proud of you, the state is proud of you and we are proud of you,” Westfall said.
It was a night of much pacing up and down the stage to receive scholarships, awards and countless recognitions for Gebauer. The valedictorian will be attending Occidental College in Los Angeles the following year. During the senior awards ceremony, she received the Occidental Honors Scholarship in the amount of $10,000, renewable for four years, and also received a Need-Based Oxy College Grant valued at $41,431 per year. This brings her total awards from Occidental College to just over $200,000.
“We kept this thing a total surprise. She knew she won the C-SPAN but she did not know we were going to double her prize and she definitely did not know we were going to have that video. Having the Governor do that and the chairman of C-SPAN, come on, it does not get better than that,” Sears said. “People from DC, like the fire service asked if they can use her video for their educational tool kit and we were like, ‘we do not know. Let’s call the school and ask.’ But that is a big deal.”
“For a second, it was just disbelief but then she (Brown) said my name and I was like oh, that is actually for me. I always see her on TV talking about different Governor things and then she was talking directly to me and about Klamath Falls,” Gebauer said. “I never thought about that before how everyone … I do not know how to describe it but that meant a lot that the city, Klamath Union, obviously, is proud of me and Oregon, that meant a lot to me.”
Aguilar-FloresJ@kfalls.k12.or.us
You can find the full video from C-SPAN here: https://c-span.box.com/s/5npfskik7zqsg9tzzkhpyg1suii5gzsw
Klamath Union Senior Awards
Enlisting in the Army National Guard: Wyatt Cain, Rosie Garcia, Ryan Nork, Addison Rusth
United States Navy: Konnor Lane
US Marine Corp: Jesse Sargent
Scholarships
Klamath Falls Lions Scholarship: Linnea Gebauer
Merle & Emma West Scholarship: Hailey DeGroot, Cassidy Mahan, Arlo Naegle
Earl and Jane Ferguson Scholarships: Vanessa Lopez, Cassidy Mahan
Pelican Education Foundation Scholarships
Waihun Yee: Ulisses Hernandez, Avery Joyner
Glidden STEM: Ulisses Hernandez
Wayne Scott: Hailey DeGroot, Vanessa Lopez
Dalla Costa: Ulisses Hernandez, Ana Mendez, Mikeal Sanchez
Wendell Switzer: Daniel Zacarias
Benefit for the Basin Scholarships: Avery Joyner, Emalie Lemieux
Elks Most Valuable Student Scholarship: Jackson Joyner
Jim “J.J.” Johnson Memorial Scholarship: Ulisses Hernandez, Cassidy Mahan, Chase Weaver
The American Red Cross High School Scholarship: Vanessa Lopez ($500)
Al Keck Scholarship: Cassidy Mahan, Vaughn Watah
ACE Award: Justin Keffer
Kristie Vinson Memorial Scholarship: Brianna Hankins ($500)
KOBI-TV Super Bowl Commercial, Super Positive Video Contest.
First place with her film A Different World, Ashley DeGroot.
Winning second place with his animated commercial called Meow, Chase Weaver.
Cascades East Area Health Education Center Scholarship: Jaxon Merhoff ($500)
Mente Scholarship: Daniel Zacarias ($1,000)
Julia Zumwalt Scholarship: Juan Perez.
Amy and James Heryford Ousley Scholarships: Avery Joyner ($2800); Linnea
Gebauer, Carson Joyner, Jackson Joyner, Cassidy Mahan, Chase Weaver ($2800)
College, university scholarships
Klamath Union students will be receiving over $55,000 from Oregon Institute of Technology
OIT Winston Purvine Presidential: Lahna deGroot, Vanessa Lopez
OIT Jesse Crabtree Presidential: Avery Joyner, Chase Weaver
Raider Scholarship: Carson Joyner ($5000 per year)
SOU Alumni Scholarship: Carson Joyner ($1000)
SOU Merit Scholarship: Jackson Joyner ($3000)
Churchill Scholarship: Ryan Nork ($2000) University of Oregon Summit Scholarship: Hailey DeGroot ($4000 renewable for 4 years)
Oregon State University $4000 Finley Academic Excellence Scholarship: Dean Garlitz, Cassidy Mahan, Stephen Maurer, Juan Perez, Alexander Prosnik, Destiny Rowley
Occidental Honors Scholarship: Linnea Gebauer ($10,000, renewable for 4 years)
Need-Based Oxy College Grant: Linnea Gebauer ($41,431 per year)
Willamette Award Scholarship: Sarah Leist ($20,000 per year)
Grand Canyon University Dean’s Scholarship: Noah Stanfield ($5300)
Oregon Promise Scholarship: Bailey Acuff, Bailyn Amos, Cora Burdic, Kyla Carver, Cameron Cordonnier, Jacob Diaz, Fernando Gutierrez, Lillian Purkhiser, David Rivera Serrano, Mikeal Sanchez, Ishiuah Thom, Eric Wisener.
Oregon Opportunity Grant: Mikeal Sanchez, Destiny Rowley, Harmony White.
White will receive $16,387 per year in federal financial aid to give her full tuition at Portland State University.
Klamath Promise Scholarships
Klamath Falls Chamber of Commerce Military or Workforce Giftcard: Matthew Dupuis, Addison Golden, and Kenon Taylor ($250)
Klamath County Commissioners Military Giftcard: Yessica Morales Figueroa, Ryan Nork, Addison Rusth ($50)
Klamath County Commissioners OIT Scholarship: Avery Joyner ($1000)
Klamath County Commissioners KCC Scholarship: Katie Foster ($500)
Pelican Education Foundation Klamath Promise Scholarship: Arlo Naegle ($500)
Holiday Jewelry Scholarship: Harmony White ($500)
Glenn & Ursula Gailis Scholarship: Cameron Cordonnier and Lahna deGroot ($500)
Blue Zones Project Healthy Klamath Scholarship: Mayeli Ulloa ($500)
Anonymous Military or Workforce Giftcard: Kenon Taylor ($50)
Klamath Promise Scholarship: Stephen Maurer ($500)
The KU Class of 2022 has accumulated over half a million dollars in scholarship and award money from colleges, universities and private scholarship organizations.
This amount does not include the 100% tuition paid at any Oregon Public community college or university for those joining the military or the money received from Oregon Promise or Oregon Opportunity Grants.
Senior Class Co-Presidents: Linnea Gebauer, Carson Joyner
ASB Senior Members: Bailyn Amos, Ashley DeGroot, Linnea Gebauer, Vanessa Lopez, Alexander Prosnik, Lillian Purkhiser
Awards
Business & Management Department leadership award: Noah Stanfield
DECA Diamond Leadership Award: Ramiro Silva
Outstanding Yearbook Student: Bailyn Amos
Outstanding Media Design Student: Linnea Gebauer
Outstanding Overall Science Student: Linnea Gebauer
Outstanding Art Student: Lillian Purkhiser
Outstanding AVID Senior: Ulisses Hernandez
Outstanding Culinary Students: Michael Anderson, Cameron Cordonnier, Jackson Joyner, Casey Jacobs, Marlee Shaw
Outstanding English Students: Lillian Purkhiser, Noah Stanfield
Outstanding Health/PE Student: Casey Jacobs, Mayeli Ulloa
Outstanding Math Student: Lahna deGroot, Chase Weaver
Outstanding Social Studies Student: Kyla Carver
Outstanding Theater Student: Kaori Turner
Outstanding Spanish Students: Juan Perez, Dean Garlitz, Scott Neupert, Sarah Leist, Arlo Naegle
Perseverance Award: Douglas Benitez
Creativity Award: Devon Larson
Endurance Award: Roland Hicks
John Philip Sousa Band Award: Stephen Mauer
Byron & Kathy Sagunsky Music Award: Scott Neupert
Louis Armstrong Jazz Award: Ryan Nork
National Choral Scholar Award: Drew Foster, Jennifer Serrano
National School Orchestra Award: Dean Garlitz
Recognition and graduation cords
Title VI Indian Education graduates (special cords beaded by Sandy Yazzie to
wear at graduation)
Bailyn Amos
Kyla Carver
Illias Clay
Jaymus Dutra
Silas Dutra
Rosie Garcia
Roland Hicks
Justin Keffer
Lance Lilly
Cyrus Sears-Pena
Ishiuah Thom
Vaughn Watah
Achievement Via Individual Determination Students (white sash at graduation)
Jaymus Dutra
Silas Dutra
Daniel Guerra
Ulisses Hernandez
Marsal Sandoval
Business and Management Certification (green cords at graduation)
Wyatt Cain
Ramiro Garcia Silva
Ava Livingstone
Noah Stanfield
Digital Media Design Certificate
Bailyn Amos
Kyle Cloninger
Ashley DeGroot
Hailey DeGroot
Lahna deGroot
Osvaldo Garcia-Orozco
Linnea Gebauer
Ulisses Hernandez
Emalie Lemieux
Alexander Prosnik
David Rivera Serrano
Destiny Rowley
Noah Stanfield
Chase Weaver
Peyton Ysen
Science & Math Academy (silver cord at graduation)
Linnea Gebauer
Cassidy Mahan
Stephen Maurer
Juan Perez
Alex Prosnik
SOU Honor Cords (black and red cord at graduation)
Bailey Acuff
Bailyn Amos
Annie Campbell
Ashley DeGroot
Hailey DeGroot
Lahna deGroot
Jillian Flogerzi
Ramiro Garcia Silva
Dean Garlitz
Linnea Gebauer
Addison Golden
Avery Joyner
Carson Joyner
Jackson Joyner
Sarah Leist
Emalie Lemieux
Vanessa Lopez
Cassidy Mahan
Stephen Maurer
Jaxon Merhoff
Arlo Naegle
Scott Neupert
Ryan Nork
Juan Perez
Alexander Prosnik
Lillian Purkhiser
Destiny Rowley
Noah Stanfield
Chase Weaver
Daniel Zacarias
KUHS/Oregon Tech Liberal Arts Academy (gold and blue cord at graduation)
Bailyn Amos
Annie Campbell
Ashley DeGroot
Hailey DeGroot
Lahna deGroot
Dean Garlitz
Linnea Gebauer
Avery Joyner
Carson Joyner
Jackson Joyner
Emalie Lemieux
Vanessa Lopez
Cassidy Mahan
Stephen Maurer
Jaxon Merhoff
Arlo Naegle
Scott Neupert
Juan Perez
Alexander Prosnik
Destiny Rowley
National Honor Society
Bailyn Amos
Hailey DeGroot
Ramiro Garcia Silva
Dean Garlitz
Linnea Gebauer
Ulisses Hernandez
Avery Joyner
Carson Joyner
Jackson Joyner
Emalie Lemieux
Cassidy Mahan
Stephen Maurer
Scott Neupert
Ryan Nork
Juan Perez
Alexander Prosnik
Lillian Purkhiser
David Rivera Serrano
Klamath Union Honors Diplomas (gold honor cords)
Bailyn Amos
Annie Campbell
Ashley DeGroot
Hailey DeGroot
Lahna deGroot
Dean Garlitz
Linnea Gebauer
Avery Joyner
Carson Joyner
Jackson Joyner
Emalie Lemieux
Vanessa Lopez
Cassidy Mahan
Stephen Maurer
Jaxon Merhoff
Arlo Naegle
Scott Neupert
Ryan Nork
Juan Perez
Alexander Prosnik
Lillian Purkhiser
Destiny Rowley
Chase Weaver
Valedictorians/Salutatorian
Salutatorian: Dean Garlitz
Valedictorians:
Lahna deGroot
Linnea Gebauer
Carson Joyner
Cassidy Mahan
Stephen Maurer
Scott Neupert
Juan Perez
Faculty Cup
Nominated: Bailyn Amos, Ramiro Garcia Silva, Dean Garlitz, Linnea Gebauer, Fernando Gutierrez, Avery Joyner, Carson Joyner, Emalie Lemieux, Cassidy Mahan, and Juan Perez.
Oregon Community Foundation George Ferrell Memorial Scholarship: Ramiro Garcia Silva, Linnea Gebauer ($2,901).
Athletics
KU Female Athlete of the Year- Cassidy Mahan
KU Male Athlete of the Year- Lincoln Peterson
The Pelican Grit Award is given to athletes who show tenacity and grit by joining a sport when they are freshmen and continuing to play for four full years.
The 4 year Letterman Award is given to students who have earned more than one and up to four varsity letters in one or more sports
The Scholar Athlete or Activity Scholar Award is given to student athletes and those who have participated in OSAA activities such as band, choir or orchestra, have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, and receive a varsity letter.
