Jonathan and Kelsi Verhelst of DeWitt, Iowa are the parents of a son, Decker Lane, born June 26, 2015 at Unity Point in Bettendorf, Iowa. He weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was 19 inches long. Hid grandparents are Dennis and Renee Spain of DeWitt, Iowa and Tim and Mary Beth Verhelst of Anchorage. His great-grandparents are Leroy and Bev Jensen of Low Moor, Iowa and Richard Verhelst of Moline, Illinois. His great-great-grandmother is Leona Jensen of DeWitt, Iowa.

Nathan K. Spence, a graduate of Soldotna High School, has earned a National Merit Scholarship from the University of Oklahoma. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the Finalists in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

In addition, the University has awarded Nathan a 5-year National Scholarship award valued at $120,000. His probable career field is Mathematics.

Kelsey Brush of Soldotna, graduated from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota on May 16, 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Brush is a 2011 graduate of Cook Inlet Academy.

Mitchel Daugherty of Sterling was named to the honor roll at Southwestern Oregon Community College.

Has a new addition to your family just arrived? Where in the world is your military person and what are they up to? Got a new graduate, dean’s list student or an award-receiving youth?

Do you have a news event, activity or fundraiser you need to let the community know about? Send it to us!

Email your community events to news@peninsulaclarion.com, fax it to 283-3299, drop it off at the Clarion office in Kenai at 150 Trading Bay Drive (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or mail your information to us at P.O. Box 3009, Kenai AK 99611.

Events, wedding, engagement and birth submissions may not be older than six months. Wedding anniversary announcements are printed in five-year increments beginning with the 20th.

The Community page is a way to highlight activities and events that happen with a photo. If your group or organization has a photo of an event to share, submit the photo and the following information for print: Who took the photo, who’s in it, when and where it was taken, a brief description of what’s happening, and a name and phone number in case we have questions.

Submissions are printed as space is available. For more information, call 335-1251.