Seventeen eighth grade students who will attend Marian High School, Hometown, beginning in September, will be awarded $1,000 scholarships from the Diocese of Allentown during the Bishop's Scholar Society Awards Ceremony to be held Saturday, April 20, at DeSales University, Center Valley.

In additon, two local students who will be attending Allentown Central Catholic High School will also be presented the awards.The Most. Rev. John O. Barres, Bishop of Allentown, will make the presentations during the ceremony. The scholarship recipients were selected based on their academic achievement, their school, parish and community activities, leadership roles and recommendations from their principal, an eighth grade teacher and their pastor.The honorees who will be attending Marian include: Kathleen Blozusky and Edward Kolonsky III, Trinity Academy, Shenandoah; Anthony Collevechio and Shawna McArdle, Our Lady of the Angels Academy, Lansford; Hailey Eder and Jacob Paluck, St. Joseph Regional Academy, Jim Thorpe; Sarah Grega and Anthony Salazer Jr., McAdoo Catholic Elementary School; Angela Grega, Weatherly Middle School; Z. Ethan Kuczynski and Nathan Litsch, St. Jerome Regional School, Tamaqua; Robert Middleton, SS. Peter and Paul School, Lehighton; Nicole Salerno, Lehighton Area Middle School; Devan Shimko, St. Nicholas School, Minersville; and Michaela Susko, Good Shepherd School, Northampton; and Wyatt Trantham and Camaryn Wheeler, St. John Neumann Regional School, Slatington.The honorees who will be attending Central Catholic include Dennis Lupin and Michelle McCawley, who are also students at St. John Neumann School, Slatington.At the same ceremony, the Bishop will present the annual Bishop's Catholic Scholars awards to one boy and one girl from each of the seven diocesan high schools, including Marian. The scholarships include a $500 award for post-secondary education and a plaque. The students were chosen based on academics, school involvement, Catholic faith and community service.The Marian award winners are Samantha Faust, Barnesville, and Ryan Karnish, Nesquehoning.In all, $147,000 in scholarships will be presented to 137 eighth grade students, the high school students and students who attend special Learning Centers throughout the diocese. The funding was made available through contributuions the diocese receives from parishioners through its Bishop's Annual Appeal.