Ryan Summers stayed sober and won

JUDITH SCOTT - JSCOTT@SIERRASTAR.COM

Ryan Summers is set after winning a car,
$100 savings bond and a gift certificate to Ducey’s

JUDITH SCOTT/SIERRA STAR
Ryan Summers, Sober Grad grand prize winner, stands proudly next to his 1990 Toyota Camry donated by Oakhurst Auto.

Sober grad night saw the largest number of students in the history of the event, according to Linda Heinbach, Sober Grad coordinator and Yosemite High School teacher. “At least 200 kids were there [and] a lot of staff was involved,” she said. This number does include senior graduates and their guests.

Ms. Heinbach commented that the evening was a success. In fact, the majority of the students that showed up stayed the entire evening. One of those students was Ryan Summers.

Ryan Summers, an 18-year-old YHS senior, attended the Sober Grad Night celebration. When he entered the event, he wrote his name on two separate pieces of paper. Each piece of paper was put into two drawings. One drawing was to win a $100 savings bond and a $25 gift certificate to Ducey’s. The other drawing was for a 1990 Toyota Camry donated by Madera Auto.

At dawn on Thursday, Mr. Summers was announced as the grand winner. Not only did he win the car, but he also won the $100 savings bond and the $25 gift certificate to Ducey’s. Mr. Summers said that the person who drew the name announced first that the student was orginially from Wasuma Elementary School. Then proceeded to ask the audience if they thought it was a boy or a girl? When it was announced that the winner went to Wasuma Elementary School and was a boy, that was when Mr. Summers started thinking, “Someone from Wasuma ... it’s a boy ... maybe it’s me!” When his name was finally announced, he said that he yelled.

Mr. Summers is so grateful to Madera and Oakhurst Auto for the donation of the car. When he picked up the automobile, he was assisted by Dominic Patagni of Oakhurst Auto. Mr. Summers stated that everyone was so good to him. When it came to the car, the whole vehicle had been detailed including the engine. A new CD player had been added, a new paint job, brand new tires, and the tax and registration fees were paid.

Mr. Summers will start a new job this summer at Ducey’s boat rental, and in the fall, he will be living in the dormitory at California State University, Fresno. He plans to major in business.

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