Allerheiligen scholarship awarded

Kelsey Siebrandt, left, who graduated from McCook High School this year, accepts a plaque from MHS music teacher Abbey Misfeldt, that recognizes her as the 2013 recipient of the Craig Allerheiligen Scholarship Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Kelsey Siebrandt was voted by her peers as the 2013 recipient for the Craig Allerheilgen Music Scholarship.

MHS music teacher Abbey Misfeldt said the award is given to the senior in choir who showed leadership skills and passion in music and will be pursuing music in post-secondary education,

Siebrandt graduated in 2013 from McCook High School and sang in high school and community music activities. She is attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and will major in music. Siebrandt said she loves everything about music.

"Everybody can do something with it and it reaches so many people," she said. "Music expresses so many different emotions that can't be expressed anywhere else."

Craig Allerheiligen was an 18-year-old senior at MHS when in the spring of 1988, he was in a motorcycle accident that led to his death in December of that year.

He grew up loving music and when he came to McCook in grade school, quickly became active in school and church choirs and participated in the church youth bell choir.

He learned to play the guitar and trumpet and by middle school, had vocal solos in church and school programs.

In high school, he was in the band but loved singing the most and was proud to be chosen for the All-State Choir. He loved to perform for audiences.

Among the McCook teachers who encouraged him to develop his talent were June Bickham, Marie Coffey, Carl Philo, Stan Spomer, Randy Raines and Sandy Weigel.

In funding the choir scholarship, his family wants to express appreciation for those who helped him find such joy in music and hopes to encourage others to enjoy music as much as Craig did.