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The association wanted to recognize students who were well-rounded, said Liz Barker, who chairs the WBA scholarship committee.
"It's not just academics; it's what they do to give back to the community," Barker said. "I don't know how they have enough hours in the day to accomplish all that they do."
Scholarship applicants had to be high school seniors and residents of Whitemarsh Township. Additional requirements included a GPA of at least 3.5, plans to attend an accredited post-secondary school, the recommendation of a PW faculty member and extracurricular activity at school and in the community.
Paul Bily of Plymouth Meeting has a 4.91 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. He has not missed a day of school in four years.
In 2006, Bily was voted best musician in the PW Marching Band, and he is currently the band's secretary and treasurer. His other school activities include Jazz Band, Choir, the Robotics Club, the Science Olympiad and the Future Business Leaders of America.
Bily is an eagle scout and senior patrol leader for Barren Hill Troop 12 of the Boy Scouts of America, and for the past four years he has been a lector at Epiphany of Our Lord Church.
In the fall, Bily will study computer science at Pennsylvania State University.
Phoebe Cornog of Lafayette Hill has a 4.93 GPA and is a College Board AP Scholar. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Art Honor Society.
Cornog is captain of the girls' varsity swimming team at PW, and her other school activities include the PW Steering Committee, Interact Helping Hands and junior varsity soccer and lacrosse.
In 2005, Cornog organized a swim-a-thon that raised $5,000 for child victims of the tsunami in Indonesia, and for the past three years she has volunteered 15 hours a week at the Spring Mill Presbyterian Village. She has also been involved in Philly Cares Day, the Philadelphia Mural Arts Project and the Relay for Life cancer walk. Cornog is also a self-employed jewelry designer.
In the fall, Cornog will study computer science at the Pratt Institute in New York City.
Megan Hufnagel of Conshohocken has a 5.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is a College Board AP Scholar and a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.
Hufnagel is president of the Community Service Association at PW and captain of the girls' varsity field hockey and lacrosse teams. Her school activities also include Students Against Destructive Decisions and the Medical Careers Club. She has worked as a babysitter and also at the Greater Plymouth Community Center as a lifeguard.
As youth group president for the Saint Philip Neri parish, Hufnagel has had a positive impact on younger students and the community at large. She was also captain of a Walk for the Cure team to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
In the fall, Hufnagel will study biology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Emily Jedinak of Lafayette Hill has a 4.070 GPA and is a College Board AP Scholar.
Jedinak is secretary of the National Honor Society and president of the PW Student Council. Her other school activities include the PW Steering Committee, Latin Club, the Town Crier newspaper and the girls' swimming team.
In addition to helping Phoebe Cornog organize the 2005 tsunami swim-a-thon, Jedinak has participated in the Relay for Life cancer walk the past three years and volunteered with the Special Olympics. She has also volunteered at the Episcopal Community Services' day camp for homeless children.
In the fall, Jedinak will study international relations at Fairfield University in Connecticut.
Michelle Jordan of Lafayette Hill has a 4.707 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society.
As a member of the Health Occupations Students of America, Jordan won a gold medal in a biomedical debate competition. Her school activities include the Poetry Club, Interact Helping Hands, the Colonial Players and the girls' basketball team.
Jordan is an administrative assistant at Caparo Real Estate and is also active in her community. She has done mission work and community service with the Roxborough Presbyterian Church, and she has also volunteered with Philly Cares Day, Spring Mill Presbyterian Village and the Lupus Foundation of America.
In the fall, Jordan will enter the physician's assistant program at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa.
Philip Weisgold of Lafayette Hill has a 4.630 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Weisgold has been treasurer of the Class of 2008 for three years, and his other school activities include Students Against Destructive Decisions, Key Club, the Colonial Players and the PW Steering Committee. He is an employee of the Giant supermarket, and he has also been active in the community through the Best Buddies program, which allowed him to have a profound impact on the boy he mentored.
In the fall, Weisgold will study communications at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.
David Pyle of Lafayette Hill has a 4.62 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.
An accomplished musician, Pyle performs not only with the PW orchestra but also with the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 11 band and orchestra and the PMEA all-state concert band. Pyle's school activities also include both indoor and outdoor varsity track and field, Latin Club and the Medical Careers Club.
Pyle is a waiter at the Hill at Whitemarsh. He has served the community with his youth group at First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, which helped to renovate a dilapidated church in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.
In the fall, Pyle will study pre-dentistry at the University of Iowa.
Brittany Silver of Lafayette Hill is a member of the National Art Society and has shown her work in student exhibits at Drexel University and Montgomery County Community College.
The WBA art scholarship is the third award Silver has received for her work this year. She also won the Lewis and Clark Foundation photography contest and took first place for digital photography at an art show sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
Silver is president of the National Art Society at PW and vice president of the Photography Club. She is also involved with Interact Helping Hands, French Club and the girls' swimming team.
Silver has assisted with reading and art projects at the William Jeanes Memorial Library and volunteered at Spring Mill Presbyterian Village and Merion Springs Acute Rehab.
In the fall, Silver will study photography at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
