Dexter Lions Club Announce Scholarship Winners

An annual tradition supported through the club’s efforts with the fall athletic programs, five graduates from Dexter High School have been named this year’s scholarship recipients, including the winners of the Ron Raiford Scholarship and Louie Ceriani Scholarship.

Dexter Lions Scholarship chairperson Gail Girbach announced the 2026 Scholarship Recipients as:

Claire Beneteau
Avery Hoeft
Raiden Kipfmiller
Kera Root
Amelia Musleh
Kaden Murrel

In their selection process, the Lions Club looked at more than 50 Dexter seniors, who had better than four-point grade averages. The club said selections were also based on the activities of the individuals in and out of school, leadership skills they displayed and a statement about their life goals.   

The individual scholarships went to Claire Beneteau, who was awarded the Ron Raiford Scholarship and Amelia Musleh with the Louie Ceriani Scholarship.

In her statement, looking ahead to college, Beneteau, who was a student representative on the Board of Education and has been an active Girl Scout, said through her post, secondary education, she hopes to eventually earn a law degree and then shift to public policy. Her main goals are to give back to those who did so much for her, especially her teachers, by defending the educational system and standing up for teachers in schools through the law and through advocacy for adequate funding, higher pay and supporting resources.

In her statement to the club, Musleh said she wants to keep her love for music alive, and help bring music’s passion to others, by continuing her education and going to the University of Michigan for a degree in music education. Playing three instruments and singing in several choirs, Musleh said music has had a huge impact on her and she wants to share these experiences with other teens that might not have had the same opportunities. One of her goals is to help provide a safe space for young people to express themselves through music and allow it to profoundly impact their lives.

Lions Scholarships Program

These scholarships are big part of what the Lions do each year. According to the club, every summer members of the Dexter Lions Club solicit local businesses for their support through advertisement in the local fall athletic program. Under the guidance of Terry Walters, the club said pictures of the various athletes and teams are taken for the programs to be created.

Then during the football season, the programs are handed out at football games for a donation. It’s from this effort that the scholarship program is funded each year. The club said they truly thank the businesses that that continue to support this program during the economic slow-down due to construction.  

Another big part of this effort for the Lions is the members who help throughout the years. The club has lost some of these members, who will be truly missed, including Bruce Forshee and Rex Reeve, along with James Warden.  

Photo 1: The 2026 Scholarship Recipients. Photo courtesy of the Dexter Lions Club