Pardee awards scholarships

Pardee Homes recently awarded $13,500 in scholarships to nine local students interested in careers in home building and community development, according to Klif Andrews, Southern Nevada Division president of Pardee Homes. The students each received a $1,500 scholarship from the builder, which began the scholarship program in 2002 in conjunction with its 50th anniversary of building homes in Southern Nevada.

The Pardee Homes' Community Building Scholarships are for local high school seniors who plan to attend an accredited Nevada college or university and demonstrate an interest in home building and community development.

"We believe that these scholarships are good investments," said Andrews, a member of the Clark County Public Education Foundation. "The 2007 Pardee Scholars show the promise of leadership for future development of our community."

Working with the Clark County Public Education Foundation, students were invited to submit an essay related to development in Las Vegas. Each student also had to demonstrate a strong record of academic achievement as well as involvement in extracurricular community and student activities. Scholarships were presented during a luncheon at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in May.

This year's scholars will receive $1,500 for each of four years that they continue to qualify for the funds. Recipients include Miles Boulton of Durango High School; Eric Kelly, Eduardo Choto and Jose Cepeda of Advanced Technologies Academy; Jessica Choe of Clark High School; Victor Oliva, Anthony Aguila and Diana Cosio of Las Vegas High School and Jayson Vorce of Southern Nevada Vocational Technical Center.

Pardee has built homes for more than 30,000 families in the Las Vegas Valley since 1952.