Nine area students have been chosen to receive a $1,000 scholarship courtesy of the Bo Tkach Under The Helmet and Hat Foundation.

The students were honored Wednesday night at a dinner following the foundation's annual gold tournament at Blue Shamrock Golf Course in Palmerton.Candidates do not need to be athletically or academically talented, but do need to be extraordinary in other ways. The recipients are well-rounded, community-minded, and have a sincere concern for others.Faculty members at the individual schools choose the scholarship recipients.Gunnar RehrigMarian CatholicRehrig is credited by as principal as living by the motto, "helping others and expecting nothing in return."He is active in the Advocates for Students with Disabilities Club and the Marian Green Team.Rehrig organized the SKIP cleanup for Earth Day and planned a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with the proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society.Outside of high school, he volunteers with students at St. Joseph's Special learning Center.Rehrig will be attending King's College to major in elementary education and play football.Wyatt DelansNorthern Lehigh"If anyone would give a homeless man money in the Class of 2017, it would be Wyatt," a Northern Lehigh staff member said of Delans.Delans is currently ranked first in his class academically. He qualified for the district swimming competition each of his four years and the state swimming competition his last two years.Delans volunteers with Relay For Life, Special Olympics, Wreaths Across America, Breakfast With Santa and numerous others.He will be attending Rennselear Polytechnic Institute and will major in engineering.Brendan CarrollJim ThorpeCarroll provides peer tutoring for students who need additional help.Additional examples of his behavior include encouraging teammates in their athletic pursuits, ensuring all members of the teams feel included and spending extra time watching game films.In addition to being a leader in his first year on the football team, Carroll was also a member of the basketball and track teams at Jim Thorpe.Carroll will be attending Sacred Heart University and majoring in physical therapy.Miguel GonzalezLehightonGonzalez's principal noted his "zest for life that is unmatched by any other student."After a very serious surgery and follow-up treatment at age 8, Gonzalez embraced the challenges and turned them into opportunities.He is well-known for a weekly wardrobe schedule including Texas Tuesday, Watermelon Wednesday and Fancy Friday.This year, he offered to dress up as Molly the Cow for a cafeteria promotion in an elementary school.Gonzalez will be attending Northampton Community College for hospitality management.Jonathan BlaineNorthwestern LehighBlaine's principal called him a "natural leader, polite, respectful and accepting of others."A soccer player in high school, Blaine plans to continue the sport at Lehigh University, while majoring in business.He was instrumental in the planning and success of the school's annual blood drive for the past three years. He has also taken a personal interest in an elementary student who has cancer, enabling the student to become an honorary member of the high school boys' soccer team for two years.Brendan MorgansPanther ValleyMorgans has earned a reputation for selecting special needs students for his teams in physical education classes.He has played football, basketball and baseball at the high school level and is the first to rush to the side of an injured player.Morgans volunteers with a summer lunch program that ensures disadvantaged children receive a nourishing meal each day.He plans to attend Moravian College in the biochemistry program and intends on becoming a pediatrician.Nalani LowmanWeatherlyLowman has earned the respect of her peers, having been named captain of her soccer team and voted homecoming and prom queen.She is active in National Honor Society and Teens Against Tobacco Use.She will begin her college at Luzerne County Community College with plans to transfer to a four-year institution and major in nursing.Jacob SnyderCarbon Career and Technical InstituteSnyder is under consideration for salutatorian of his graduating class. He has more than a dozen certifications which he earned in the electronics field during his program at CCTI. An Eagle Scout, Snyder had a day named after him by Nesquehoning Borough for his extended community service in May 2016. The service, comprised of 173 hours, included building two flag retirement benches and a pit for retired flags, complete with a flagpole.Snyder will be attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and majoring in Aerospace Engineering.Hailey MunizPalmertonMuniz has a passion for Angel 34, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to awareness and education, research and funding, financial assistance and recreational opportunities for pediatric cancer patients and the families of those patients.She volunteers at Muhlenberg Hospital, where she is certified in the Pediatric Oncology Center and provides a valuable service to very sick children.Muniz was a member of Student Forum and instrumental in the organization raising over $10,000 for Angel 34. She volunteers around the school, works with struggling students in class and is involved in additional student clubs and activities.She will attend Widener University for nursing.