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Glenwood sophomore awarded Ford Explorer

Ryan Summerlin
rsummerlin@postindependent.com
Glenwood Springs High School sophomore Kevin Ayon was the this year's lucky student to win an SUV from Glenwood Springs Ford, a local dealership that's been giving a free vehicle to Glenwood students each year for three years.
RYAN |

Kevin Ayon was the lucky Glenwood Springs High School student who won an SUV from Glenwood Springs Ford during the school’s final assembly Friday morning.

This was the third year that the local Ford dealership gave away a car to a Glenwood student meeting high attendance and grade point average standards. The high school’s nearly 1,000 students crowded into the auditorium for the last school assembly of the school year to hear who would win the vehicle.

To be in the drawing for the SUV, students had to maintain an attendance record of at least 95 percent and a grade point average of 3.5; they could otherwise qualify if they significantly raised their GPA and cut their absences between the first and second semesters.



Assistant Principal Pat Engle announced that 164 students were in the running for the vehicle, a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport with about 106,000 miles. This is a very special thing for Glenwood Springs High School, said Engle. “There’s no way schools can function without valuable community partners,” he said.

“We really believe in education and like to partner with local schools, and this is a good way to help keep kids focused on their grades,” said Steve Nilsson, the dealership’s general manager.



This is an incentive for students to improve their attendance and academic achievement, said Jeff Carlson, owner of Glenwood Springs Ford.

In the previous two years the dealership gave a couple of students a Ford 500 and a Ford Fusion.

“I didn’t even know I was in the running for the car, so at first I thought I was being pranked,” said Ayon. “And when I realized I had actually won, it was pretty amazing.”

The timing of this win works out perfectly, as Ayon just turned 16 on Tuesday and is set to get his driving permit next week. He said his first trip in his new Explorer is going to be taking his mother out to eat.


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