Awarded Over $400,000 To Date to Students in Monterey’s Salinas Valley
SALINAS, California – June 1, 2023 – Scheid Family Wines is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Scheid Writing Contest. Now celebrating its 35th year of the program in Monterey’s Salinas Valley, Scheid Family Wines has donated $415,000 of scholarship awards to local high school students.
The total scholarship distribution for the 2023 Scheid Writing Contest is $17,900. The Senior winners from King City High School are: Elsy Hernandez-Monroy – 1st Place; George Roberts – 2nd Place; Michael Conricode – 3rd Place; Hannah Ettinger – 4th Place. The Senior winners from Greenfield High School are: Denessa Sims – 1st Place; Maya Avalos – 2nd Place; Anaelia Martinez-Gonzalez – 3rd Place; Carmen Morales – 4th 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.
“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. 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. 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, Mr. 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.
About Scheid Family Wines
Scheid Family Wines, a family-owned and operated wine company founded in 1972, is ranked among the top 25 largest wine producers in California. Based in Monterey County, Scheid is uniquely integrated to bring high quality estate grown wines to the marketplace from its sustainably certified vineyards and grower partners throughout the Central Coast. Scheid’s innovative, luxury-level winery is powered by 100% renewable wind energy generated by a 400-foot-tall wind turbine, which also supplies energy to many homes in the local community. The Scheid Family Wines globally distributed brand portfolio includes Scheid Vineyards, Sunny with a Chance of Flowers, VDR (Very Dark Red), Grandeur (made with organic grapes), Fog & Light, Metz Road, District 7, Ryder Estate, and HOXIE, a premium wine spritzer. Scheid Family Wines sells internationally to 30 countries and is one of the largest producers of nationally distributed exclusive brands.
