Isabella Donaldson

A Sarver 17-year-old who carried a straight-A average in her senior year, assisted widows with yard work, and volunteered at first-responder fundraisers has been awarded a Nebraska insurance company’s top national scholarship of $25,000 and has chosen Butler County Community College to pursue her dream of educating children.

“I love little kids,” said Isabella Donaldson. “I love shaping their minds, helping them to love to learn. They are just a joy to me.”

The teen graduated Friday from Calvary Academy in Butler, where she has earned straight A’s in 11 of her 12 years of school.

WoodmenLife, a member-owned not-for-profit fraternal life insurance company based in Omaha, presented one $25,000 scholarship from among 625 high school and college student applicants nationwide.

Isabella was among students who submitted transcripts and a list of activities and volunteer efforts and wrote an essay about patriotism.

WoodmenLife also awarded single scholarships of $20,000 and $10,000 as well as 10 scholarships of $1,000 each and hundreds of $500 scholarships, according to the company’s announcement.

Isabella will study early childhood education at BC3, where her father, Paul, studied business management in 1995 and 1996. She plans to transfer to Slippery Rock University after completing her associate degree at BC3.

Isabella learned about the WoodmenLife Focus Forward Scholarships from recruiting sales manager Zachary Kile, of York, who worked 10 years in Butler and whose wife graduated from BC3 in 2007 with an associate degree in elementary education. “Isabella,” Kile said, “always has a smile on her face and wants to encourage and be an example to others around her.”

Isabella has been named to Calvary Academy’s “A Honor Roll” every year since first grade — with the exception of her sophomore year. That year, a single “B” in algebra led to her being named to the school’s “B Honor Roll.”

Isabella’s honor is likely the single-largest scholarship awarded to a Calvary Academy student in the school’s 37-year history.

“She has worked really hard to make sure she has gotten straight A’s and kept her grade-point average up,” said Joel Ward, principal.

Her activities and volunteer efforts include judging a pet parade in Saxonburg in each of the past four Julys, working at fish dinners benefiting the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company twice a year since 2017, and performing yardwork, painting and cleaning for widows who are members of her church, Calvary Baptist.

Patriotism, she wrote in her 154-word essay, “does not mean that we all have to look alike to be under one nation. Everyone has their own personality. But what makes a nation strong is when people come together despite their differences and learn to work together for the greater good.”