Two Wallowa County seniors Mia Ritter-Whittle of Joseph High School, and Damon Greenshields of Enterprise High School were recently selected by the Enterprise Elks Lodge as local winners of the Elks Most Valuable Student competition.

They will each receive $1,000 towards next years college tuition from the local Enterprise Elks #1829 scholarship fund. Their contest brochures were judged on scholarship, leadership and financial need.

Both local winners advanced to the district competition in Hood River on Jan. 15, where they both placed second, earning another $1,600 from the district Elks.

Damon Greenshields is the son of Randy and Jenni Greenshields of Enterprise, and is involved in student government as the ASB president, and also active in FFA, as well as varsity football and basketball.

Mia Ritter-Whittle is the daughter of Joe Whittle of Joseph and Terra Ritter Snyder of Imnaha, and is active in drama, FFA, Family CCLA, FBLA and volleyball.

Their brochures, along with all second place winners from the other six districts in Oregon, will advance to the state contest in Salem this Saturday, Feb. 1.

Neither of the Wallowa County students will receive any money at the state contest as only the seven district first-place winners are judged but Oregon is allowed to send 17 total brochures to the national contest, so the top three second-place brochures will also go to nationals. At the national competition, the minimum amount students receive is $4,000, up to a maximum of $60,000 for the first place winners.

The three Wallowa County high schools have an outstanding record of providing winners to the Elks Most Valuable Student competition. In the past 14 years, 19 local students have placed in the top three at the district level, and 14 students have advanced to the state and national level. During that time, the Enterprise Elks has had five state champions, and three second- place winners in the Oregon State Elks competition.