‘It was a really neat experience’: Students in Middle Georgia receive awards

When the principal of Mount de Sales Academy Upper School called Benjamin Smith into his office, Smith said his mind immediately wondered what he could have done wrong.

“He was like, ‘Follow me,’ and I was like, ‘Oh,’ ” Smith said with a laugh.

Mike Franklin called Smith, a junior, to his office to present him with a silver level President’s Volunteer Service Award by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.

“It was a really neat experience,” Smith said. “I wasn’t really like thinking it was going to happen, and it was kind of ... it was a shock.”

Smith received the award for his volunteer service to his school and community, according to a news release.

Smith said he helped head up the school’s recycling program that spans across the campus. He and three other people collect the recycling every two weeks and set it outside to be picked up, he said.

“Throughout the volunteer work, it’s not just myself that does it,” he said. “There’s four of us that do it.”

Smith said he also volunteers with the school’s Cavalier Ambassador program, which involves him speaking to prospective students, and with Vineville Baptist Church’s youth group. He said he helps clean the street and park beside the church, and he has gone on mission trips with his church and school.

“Benjamin has a servant’s heart and he surrounds himself with people who share that characteristic. His and his friends’ dedication to our school’s recycling program is at a level I have rarely seen in my 30-plus years at our school,” said Paul Midkiff, an Upper School counselor, in the release.

Distinguished Young Women of Monroe-Bibb County

Cicely Jackson, of Macon, was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Bibb County 2020, and Jasmyn Perry, of Macon, was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Monroe County 2020, according to a news release.

Jackson received $1,300 in cash scholarships, and Perry received $1,250. The entire program gave away $4,000 in scholarships, according to the release.

The girls competed in the countywide scholarship program for high school girls that was held at Stone Edge Church in Macon, according to the release.

August Wilson Monologue Competition

Perry High School senior Trajan Clayton won first place in the state at the August Wilson Monologue Competition in Atlanta, according to a news release.

Clayton will advance to the national finals in New York in the spring. He also won a cash prize as well as an all-expense-paid trip to New York to take a master class with Broadway director Kenny Leon, according to the release.

Gilman Greatest Growth Institution

Mercer University was named a Gilman Greatest Growth Institution, which recognizes institutions that broaden the number of students who study abroad overall as well as in areas of priority achievement, for the 2017-2018 academic year, according to a press release.

“This recognition represents an important strategic alliance among the Office of International Programs, Mercer On Mission, the Office of Financial Planning and the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships to make transformative international study experiences available to all students,” said David A. Davis, the director of fellowships and scholarships at Mercer, in the release.

The university was recognized in the small colleges and university category, the STEM students category and the ethnic and minority students category, according to the release.

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship allows students with limited financial means to study abroad, and Mercer had 10 Gilman Scholars for the 2017-2018 academic year, according to the release.

“This scholarship makes it possible for students with high financial need to participate in programs such as Mercer On Mission in Vietnam, summer abroad in Greece or a semester studying in Hong Kong. These experiences have a powerful impact on the students, and Mercer wants as many students as possible to be involved,” Davis said, in the release.

This story was originally published March 8, 2019 at 6:02 PM.