KING CITY — Scheid Family Wines has announced the student winners of the 2023 Scheid Writing Contest.
Now celebrating its 35th year of the program in Salinas Valley, Scheid Family Wines has donated a total of $415,000 in scholarship awards to local high school students. The total scholarship distribution for the 2023 contest is $17,900.
“Scheid Family Wines takes great pride in supporting our community through the long-running Scheid Writing Contest started by my father, Al Scheid,” said Heidi Scheid, executive vice president of Scheid Family Wines and a member of the annual judging team. “The opportunity to help local high school students in King City and Greenfield pursue further education is a way for us to give back.”
The senior winners from King City High School are: Elsy Hernandez-Monroy, first place; George Roberts, second place; Michael Conricode, third place; and Hannah Ettinger, fourth place.
The senior winners from Greenfield High School are: Denessa Sims, first place; Maya Avalos, second place; Anaelia Martinez-Gonzalez, third place; and Carmen Morales, fourth place.
Winners of the contest are chosen based on their ability to research and write an essay on a given topic.
This year’s topic was “Social Media and Teen’s Mental Health.” Participants were asked to discuss both the benefits of social media and the negative impacts on mental health. They were also asked to discuss whether the government should regulate social media corporations and what responsibility parents and guardians have to monitor their children’s screen time, as well as their own personal experience with social media.
“Each year, we choose a timely topic. My father believed that the ability to research both sides of an issue and effectively communicate your opinions was a necessary skill for success,” Heidi Scheid said. “We are honored to award this year’s winners for their hard work and achievements.”
The Scheid Writing Contest was created by Al Scheid in 1984 for his high school alma mater, Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio. He launched the contest to give back to the community and aid motivated high school students who wanted to attend college.
Four years later, convinced that the local schools in the Salinas Valley could benefit from the contest, Al Scheid brought it to King City High School. Greenfield High School — built on land that was formerly vineyards owned by Scheid — was added to the program in 2001.
