Frank McGrogan IV was feeling a bit nervous Thursday afternoon when he was the next student to give a presentation in his Faith and Justice class at Geibel Catholic High School in Connellsville.
Then good news intervened.
The partition in his classroom opened up to an adjoining chapel and he was presented with a novelty check for $140,000 from St. Vincent College in Unity, good for four years of tuition, room and board.
"I don't know what to say," McGrogan said. "It's a lot of money."
McGrogan is this year's top winner of the Wimmer Scholarship Examination, offered annually by the Catholic college to students in private and public schools.
"He was completely overwhelmed and excited. You couldn't ask for a better reaction," said Michael Gerdich, senior assistant director of admissions and financial aid at St. Vincent.
McGrogan of Mt. Pleasant bested 227 other elite students for the scholarship named for Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, who founded St. Vincent in 1846.
Winning full-tuition awards of $100,000 were:
• Mitchell P. Yothers of Mt. Pleasant Area Junior-Senior High School
• Chelsea A. Skonezny of Hempfield Area High School
• Elizabeth DeLyser of Baldwin High School
• Tanner L. Barnes of Canon-McMillan High School
In November, they took a three-hour competitive exam for seniors with a grade-point average of at least 3.25 who had been nominated by a guidance counselor or principal.
The exam tests three main components: writing, mathematics (no calculators allowed) and general knowledge.
"It seemed like a really hard test," McGrogan said. "The essay was pretty difficult."
McGrogan learned of his accomplishment when class was interrupted by his parents, Dr. Frank and Eleanor McGrogan, Principal Vincent Mascia, development director Brian Casey, other St. Vincent officials and members of the local media.
McGrogan, who plans to major in biochemistry, also applied to the University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania State University.
Now he has decided to go to St. Vincent, his father's alma mater.
McGrogan is president of the high school's chess club, vice president of the National Honor Society and captain of the math league. He's a member of the quiz league, Spanish National Honor Society, cross country team and track team.
Geibel students who previously won the award were Dominick Galluzzo in 1992 and Dana Newlin in 1995.
"This is a great opportunity for students to see what happens when they work hard," Mascia said.
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