Grace Orwen is Rotary October Youth Rotarian of the Month

October 21, 2016

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SHS Senior Grace Orwen was recently recognized by the Seward Rotary Club as the October Youth Rotarian of the Month at their weekly noon luncheon meeting on Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 at the Jones National Bank and Trust Auditorium in Seward.  She was introduced, recognized for her accomplishments and presented with a packet of information on Rotary International, a Rotary Banner and a Rotary Book Scholarship.  She is the daughter of Kim and Chad Orwen.

Grace is a longtime active member of the Fine Arts Area at Seward High School. She has been a member of the SHS Marching Band and a member of their Flag Corps.  She was also involved in the SHS musical in 2016. 

Grace has been a longtime member of the SHS Quiz Bowl teams and serves as one of the Captains of the team.  She is a member of the SHS National Honor Society and always on the Honor Roll. She has participated in a variety of Writing Workshops representing SHS, as well, and was one of two representatives from SHS and a finalist for the NSAA Believers and Achievers Award.

Grace is very involved in a variety of visual art projects and mediums-including photography and has won awards at the Seward and District IV GFWC Seward Woman’s Club Art Contest.

Grace is a member of the SHS Speech team, involved in the Poetry Presentation and with the Drama Team (Oral Interpretation of Drama-OID).  She also was the SHS representative for Poetry Out Loud, won the Poetry Out Loud and was a state finalist for the Poetry Out Loud contest.  She participated in the annual VFW Voice of Democracy Speech Contest and was involved in numerous activities in the State Fair Education Division contests for many years-receiving awards in those activities as well.  She was named the State Champion in the State Optimist Speech contest as a Sophomore!

Grace has been involved in the One Act play productions at SHS since her freshman year.  She is a member of the SHS One Act Play Production competition show this year, with one of the lead roles.

She has been selected one of the SHS Ambassadors, assisting with student orientations, offering various tours of SHS for visitors, new students and alumni. 

Grace was a member of the SHS Lady Jays Basketball team her freshman year.  Grace was the Seward Rotary representative to the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) leadership program for the District last year.

She is a member of the Rock Lutheran Church in Seward and active in their Godparent program-serving as a voice of their youth in her congregation. 

Grace served as an Outdoor Education Counselor, and a camp sponsor for the Youth Frontiers Elementary Kindness Retreat.

Grace has been involved in the Sloup/Thorell Detalsseling progam and currently is employed on a part time basis at Pac and Save in Seward as a checker.

Her “Service Above Self” contribution involves the many hours devoted to assisting and guiding youth in the variety of youth activities, where she has served as a youth counselor in camps, workshops, and retreats, as well as youth educational programing. 

Grace tentatively plans to attend the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and study in the area of Fine Arts.

She will again be recognized and thanked at the Spring SHS Honors Night and honored as a finalist for the Youth Rotarian of the Year award. The Seward Rotary honors one Youth Rotarian each month of the school year. Applications are available in the SHS High School Counselor’s office or from Clark Kolterman in Room 116.