Blaise Scheef and Eric Post were valedictorian and salutatorian of the Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca High School Class of 2008, which graduated Saturday, May 10. It was S-D-A’s largest graduating class since 1984.

Scheef, son of Willie and Denise Scheef, will major in biosystems engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). He received UNL’s Regents Scholarship, full tuition renewable to four years; UNL’s College of Engineering Scholarship, $2,500 a year for four years; UNL’s Honors Textbook Scholarship, $500 a year for four years; $200 Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of Dollars for Scholars (DFS) Scholarship; $250 Syracuse chapter of Xi Beta Lambda scholarship; $1,500 National FFA Programs Monsanto Roadrunner Scholarship; $200 Syracuse Area Jaycees Scholarship and the $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award.

“All you have to do is dream big. If you dream big, it might come true,” Scheef said in his valedictory speech.

“No one person, event or idea should stop you from shooting for the stars,” Scheef said.

The Class of 2008 will achieve goals and bring honor to the Syracuse community, he said.

Post, son of Stan and Linda Post, plans to major in pre-veterinary medicine at UNL. He received the $1,000 UNL Alvin J. Gard Scholarship; $1,000 James Canfield Scholarship; $1,000 UNL Pepsi Scholarship; $2,000 a year for four years Ash Grove Cement Company Scholarship; $1,000 Midwest Farmers Coop Scholarship; $200 Steve Watermeier Memorial Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; $200 Otoe County Farmers Scholarship; $1,000 National FFA Program Garst Seed Company Scholarship; $432 Ervin and Ruth Gellerman Foundation Scholarship; $500 Luther Memorial Church Service Scholarship and $100 Luther Memorial Church Sunday school attendance scholarship.

“It’s a day that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. It’s a day of beginnings and ends. Whatever step we take, we’ll share the good times we had together,” Post said in his salutatory speech.

“With the knowledge we have gained, we can accomplish many great things. We need to believe in ourselves and move forward,” Post said.

Scheef, Post, Carla Emerson, Catherine McLey, Kelly Neels, Holly Sitzman and Jeremy Wilkinson compiled the Top 10 percent of the graduating class.

Forty graduates received scholarships.

Rayce Aksamit, Southeast Community College (SCC)-Lincoln: $200 Otoe County Farmers Scholarship; $500 a year for four years Syracuse Collection Point, Inc., Scholarship; $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award and $100 First Lincoln Federal Credit Union Educational Scholarship.

Alyssa Anthony, Iowa Western Community College: $1,000 Iowa Western Foundation Scholarship and $500 Massie-Richards American Legion Post No. 100, Mid-County Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post No. 5547 and their Auxiliaries scholarship.

Hilarie Arnold-Damme, SCC-Lincoln: $250 People United For Families Scholarship.

Rachel Bond, Bon Losee Academy, Provo, Utah: $1,500 Deborah Rebekah Lodge No. 63 Scholarship.

Courtney Burr, UNL: $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Alumni Scholarship; $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award and $360 Dr. Herbert H. Fechner Scholarship.

Taylor Cameron, Concordia University, Seward: $500 Maynard Jensen American Legion Memorial Scholarship; $250 Hefner Memorial Scholarship; $6,500 a year for four years Concordia Achievement Scholarship; $4,750 a year for four years Concordia Softball Scholarship and $1,500 a year for four years Concordia, Neb. The Good Life Scholarship.

Christian Cole, UNL: $500 Syracuse Lions Club Scholarship.

Karena Danner, Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa: $5,000 a year for four year Morningside Dean’s Scholarship; $2,000 a year for four years Morningside’s Travel Award; $500 Morningside’s Alumni Endorsement Grant; $2,250 a year for four years Morningside’s Athletic Grant for softball; $1,800 Alcan scholarship; $500 Tyler Clabo Memorial Scholarship; $100 Luther Memorial Sunday school attendance scholarship; $250 Zeta Omicron Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Scholarship and $1,000 Syracuse Iron Works Scholarship.

Carla Emerson: $1,000 First National Bank & Trust Scholarship and $300 Ron and Maryann Wenninghoff Scholarship.

Scott Farmer, SCC-Lincoln: $300 Lori Buchholz Memorial Scholarship.

Chelsey Hansen, University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO): $300 2007 Fred Oetgen Memorial Scholarship; $200 Preceptor Tau Sorority Scholarship and about $600 Alma Brehm Scholarship.

Benjamin Hrouda, Central Community College (CCC)-Hastings: $1,000 NMC-CAT Diesel Technology Scholarship.

Beth Isaacs, Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU), Maryville, Mo.: $1,500 NWMS Tower Scholarship; about $2,230 NWMS’s Midwest Student Exchange Program Award: $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Alumni Challenge Class of 1958 given in memory of all of the deceased in the Class of 1958; $500 S-D-A Education Association Education Scholarship and $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award.

Benjamin Johanns, NWMSU: $1,500 NWMS Tower Scholarship; about $2,230 NWMS’s Midwest Student Exchange Program Award and $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award.

William Juilfs, Doane College, Crete: $7,500 a year for four years Doane Men’s Golf Scholarship and $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award.

Benjamin Lierman, UNO: $250 Syracuse Chapter of Xi Beta Lambda Scholarship.

Catherine McLey, Doane College: $7,500 a year for four years Doane’s Board of Trustees Scholarship and $3,000 a year for four years Doane Athletic Scholarship for women’s golf.

Jordan Mueller, SCC-Lincoln: $300 First Lutheran Church Endowment Grant.

Ellen Neels, UNL: $1,000 UNL Chancellor’s Leadership Scholarship; $1,000 UNL James Canfield Scholarship; about $480 Hilda Burton Nursing Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Otto and Carmen Wellensiek Scholarship; $200 Syracuse Area Jaycees Scholarship; $300 Dunbar Rescue Squad Emergency Services Scholarship and $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award.

Kelly Neels, University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK): $2,000 a year for four years UNK Chancellor’s Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scott Nisely Memorial Scholarship; $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award and $400 Tau Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Excellence in Education grant.

Shelby Oelke, SCC-Lincoln: $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Scholarship and $200 Unadilla Community Library Scholarship.

Casandra Oestmann, UNL: $1,000 UNL James Canfield Scholarship and $1,000 UNL College of Education & Human Sciences Advantage Scholar Scholarship.

Christopher Parde, Doane College: $500 St. John’s United Church of Christ Scholarship; $250 Syracuse Chapter of Xi Beta Lambda Scholarship; $100 Grant Lodge Masonic Scholarship; $4,900 a year for four years Doane Football Scholarship and $1,000 a year for four years Doane Baseball Scholarship.

Derek Rowe, Dana College, Blair: $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; $5,000 a year for four years Dana Academic Achievement Award; $1,000 a year for four years Dana Lutheran Student Award; $5,000 a year for four years Dana Wrestling Scholarship; $100 Luther Memorial Sunday school attendance scholarship and $500 Massie-Richards American Legion Post No. 100 and Mid-County VFW Post No. 5547 and their Auxiliaries scholarship.

Fredrick Rumery, UNL, Air Force ROTC: $300 First Lutheran Endowment Grant.

Alissa Schacht, Johnson & Wales University, Denver: $2,500 a year for four years Johnson & Wales Presidential Academic Scholarship; $2,000 a year for four years Johnson & Wales FBLA Scholarship and $1,500 a year for four years Johnson & Wales Admissions Scholarship.

Craig Sedlacek, Peru State College: Peru State Board of Trustees Scholarship full tuition for four years; $2,000 Peru State Inez M. Warren Scholarship; $500 Peru State College History Day Written Paper Scholarship and $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award.

Holly Sitzman, Park University, Parkville, Mo.: Park University Trustee Scholarship full tuition for four years; $200 Syracuse VFD Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; $500 Luther Memorial Church Service Scholarship; $100 Luther Memorial Sunday School Attendance Scholarship and $100 S-D-A Future Business Leaders of America chapter scholarship.

Andrew Snodgrass, SCC-Lincoln: $200 Syracuse VFD Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; $250 Dr. C.R. Williams Memorial Scholarship; $250 Jerry Jamison Memorial Scholarship; $300 Dunbar Rescue Squad Emergency Services Scholarship; $100 Holy Trinity Catholic Church Senior Award and $500 SCC Countryside Bank Scholarship.

Elli Spaulding, CCC-Columbus: $1,200 a year for tuition and $400 a year for books women’s softball scholarship.

Vanessa Swanson, Joseph’s College of Beauty: $1,000 Joseph’s Senior Scholarship.

Ashley Vodicka, UNK: $200 Unadilla Community Library Scholarship.

Andrew Vogt, UNL: $1,000 UNL Engineering Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; about $600 Alfred Brehm Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Alumni Scholarship; $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award and $200 Syracuse Snoflakers Scholarship.

Eric Wellensiek, enter into the work force: $100 Luther Memorial Sunday school attendance scholarship.

Sarah Wellman, Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU), Lincoln: $250 Nebraska FBLA Scholarship; $500 Countryside Bank FBLA Scholarship; $100 S-D-A FBLA chapter scholarship; $100 Nebraska Phi Beta Lambda membership scholarship; $6,000 a year for four years NWU President’s Scholarship; $1,000 a year for four years NWU Founder’s Scholarship; $1,000 a year for four years NWU Instrumental Ensemble Performance Grant; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; $1,000 Cargill Community Scholarship; $250 Kids of Nebraska State Business Education Association Members Scholarship; $400 Syracuse Area Jaycees Scholarship; $1,000 Kramer Memorial Scholarship; $500 Luther Memorial Church Service Scholarship; $100 Luther Memorial Sunday School Attendance Scholarship; $250 Syracuse Journal-Democrat Scholarship and $250 Syracuse Chapter of Beta Chi Sorority Scholarship.

Jeremy Wilkinson, UNL: $1,000 a year for four years UNL David Distinguished Scholarship; $1,500 a year for four years UNL J&M Schleiger Scholarship; $500 Syracuse Chapter of DFS Scholarship; $432 Ervin and Ruth Gellerman Foundation Scholarship and $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Senior Award.

Lance Wolken, UNL: $100 St. Paulinus Catholic Church Scholarship and $250 Syracuse Journal-Democrat Scholarship.

Amanda Worm, University of Arkansas: $400 Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association Scholarship and $4,000 University of Arkansas Academic Opportunity Scholarship.