Special moment and music award to Trevor Belaen

Over $30,000 in Dollars for Scholars money and thousands of dollars from businesses and groups were handed out, along with special awards to Minneota Seniors Sunday night.

One of the special events came when the Donny Belaen Memorial Scholarships were handed out.

Belaen was the 4.0 School Bus Director and friend of everyone at the school when he passed away. His sister Rose and wife Deb handed out scholarships to Mitchell Rost, Isaac Laleman, Lydia Sussner and Ty Lipinski.

Then, they announced the final scholarship, to Donny’s son Trevor. He accepted the award and got a hug from his mother Deb.

Trevor Belaen was also the recipient of the prestigious Anderson-Christianson Music Award handed out by Director John Voit to the top musician in the senior class. He also won one of the five Thurmond T. Thurmond Scholarship winners.

The winners were:

• American Legion School Awards: Isabelle Hennen and Noah Johnson.
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Scholarship: Sydney Larson and Shawn Buysse.
• Roland “Doc” Kotowski Educational Scholarship: Ty Lipinski, Mitchell Rost and Rachel Engels.
• Ivanhoe Public School Scholarships: Ty Lipinski and Mitchell Rost.
• Andersen-Christianson Athlete Award: Lydia Sussner and Thomas Hennen.
• Anderson-Christianson Music Award: Trevor Belaen.
• Dale Yost Memorial Baseball Scholarship: Sam Buysse, Jaymes Moon.
• Minneota Wrestler Booster Club Scholarship: Cole VanOverbeke.
• Universal Forest Products Achievement Scholarships: Nate Ludwikowski, Josh Laleman.
• Educator of Tomorrow Scholarship: Jared Josephson.
• Franz Nelson Scholarship (Swede Home Lutheran Church): Layne Lozinski.
• Nels and Junina Nelson Scholarship (Swede Home Lutheran Church): Isaac Laleman.
• Friends of Swede Home Lutheran Church Scholarship: Sydney Larson.
• Marjorie A. Pesch Teacher’s Scholarship: Ashlynn Monnet.
• Joseph Fischer Memorial Scholarship: Landon Rolbiecki.
• Curt Breyfogle Memorial Scholarship: Shawn Buysse.
• Knights of Columbus Scholarship: Ryan Vlaminck.
• Southwest Sportsmen’s Club Scholarships: Teddy Pesch and Jaymes Moon.
• Donny Belaen Memorial Scholarships: Mitchell Rost, Lydia Sussner, Ty Lipinski, Isaac Laleman and Trevor Belaen.
• PEO Chapter AS Scholarship: Jasmine Clark.
• Lyon County Farm Bureau Scholarship: Cole Hanson.
• Minneota Rotary Educational Scholarships: Lizzy Gillingham, Mitchell Rost, Jared Josephson.
• Prairie Winds Wellness Scholarships: Mariah Muhl.
• Rev. Richard & Mavis Erickson and Family Scholarship in Memory of Mark and Mary Ann Full: Lydia Sussner.
• Minneota Manor Scholarships: Sydney Larson, McKinley Hasert.
• Minneota Family Dental Health Science Scholarships: Lizzy Gillingham, Mitchell Rost.
• Ruth M. Przymus Memorial Scholarships: Isabelle Hennen, Emily Pohlen.
• Eagles Scholarships: Grace Jeremiason, Nate Ludwikowski.
• State Bank of Taunton Scholarship: Ryan Vlaminck.
• Bank of the West Employees Scholarship: Zach Van Keulen.
• 4.0 Bus Service: Austin Sorensen.
• Musser Environmental Consulting Inc. Scholarships: Ashlynn Monnet and Lydia Sussner.
• Thurmond T. Thurmond Scholarships: Tanner Sterzinger, Morgan Kockelman, Trevor Belaen, Thomas Hennen and Rachel Engels.
• Ufkin Family Memorial Scholarships: Teddy Pesch, Sam Buysse, Shawn Buysse.
• Emily Ufkin Memorial Scholarship: Brooklyn Nelson.
• Dollars for Scholars Scholarships: Sam Buysse, Rachel Engels, Lizzy Gillingham, Thomas Hennen, Grace Jeremiason, Jared Josephson, Morgan Kockelman, Sydney Larson, Ty Lipinski, Kody Moorse, Jaymes Moon, Mariah Muhl, Landon Rolbiecki, Mitchell Rost, Tanner Sterzinger, Austin Traen, Zach Van Keulen and Cole VanOverbeke.

Photo: Senior scholarship winners at Awards Night Sunday were: (front row, left to right) Lizzy Gillingham, Brooklyn Nelson, Mariah Muhl, Sydney Larson, Morgan Kockelman, Ashlynn Monnet and Grace Jeremiason. Second Row: Isabelle Hennen, Tanner Sterzinger, Isaac Laleman, Shawn Buysse, Cole VanOverbeke, Ty Lipinski, Josh Laleman, Jaymes Moon, Trevor Belaen, Rachel Engels and Emily Pohlen. Back Row: Lydia Sussner, Mitchell Rost, Austin Sorensen, Thomas Hennen, Jared Josephson, Ryan Vlaminck, Zach Van Keulen, Sam Buysse, Landon Rolbiecki, Layne Lozinski, Nate Ludwikowski and Teddy Pesch.