Mount de Sales student makes semifinals of a national scholarship, other Middle Georgia awards
Middle Georgia is filled with people who commit their time and effort to make the community a better place, and these community leaders, students and organizations often receive awards for their dedication.
Here is a list of people in Middle Georgia who have recently received awards.
2020 National Merit Scholarship Program
Mount de Sales Academy senior George Pearson has been named a National Merit semifinalist in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, an annual academic competition for undergraduate college scholarships, according to a news release.
Pearson was chosen out of 1.5 million students to be among the 16,000 semifinalists. He will have a chance to compete for one of the 7,600 National Merit Scholarships that amount to $31 million, according to the release.
“I got to see a few other names from other schools and once I realized that there weren’t that many, I was definitely surprised by that,” Pearson said. “I’m hopeful for sure. ... I think I have a pretty good chance.”
Pearson, who wants to study architecture in college, said he has to submit an application for the second round in the program.
Emily Brown, the college counselor at Mount de Sales, said that in addition to the $2,500 award with the National Merit Scholarships, receiving the scholarship opens the door for other opportunities.
“It really does open up many many other scholarship opportunities,” she said.
National Merit Scholars are chosen based on academics, SAT or ACT scores, extracurricular activities, awards, leadership skills and an essay competition. The winners will be announced in February, according to the release.
2019 Golden Radish Awards
At the 2019 Golden Radish Awards at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Bibb County school district was recognized among 90 other districts for its efforts to involve farm to school programming, according to a news release.
The awards were hosted by Georgia Organics, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, and the Georgia Departments of Education, Agriculture, Public Health and the Department of Early Care and Learning.
Districts were recognized at five levels, including Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorary awards, according to the release. Bibb County’s district received a silver recognition, according to the release.
2019-2020 Governor’s Teaching Fellows
Two Wesleyan College professors have been chosen for the 2019-2020 Governor’s Teaching Fellows, a program created by Zell Miller, former governor of Georgia, to provide higher education faculty with the opportunity to develop their teaching skills, according to a news release.
Tyler Schwaller, assistant professor of religious studies, and Holly Cole, assistant professor of psychology, are two of only 18 faculty members from institutions across Georgia to be chosen for the program.
Board of Education Honors Years of Service
The Houston County Board of Education plans to honor employees who have served for more than 30 years on Tuesday, according to a news release.
Honorees will be presented with an award at the 1 p.m. meeting by Superintendent of Schools Mark Scott and members of the Board, according to the release.
Nutrina Whitehurst, at Hilltop Elementary School, is the only employee that will be honored for 40 years of service. Ronnie Collier, in the maintenance department, Yvette Singletary, in the teaching and learning department, and Hillard Turner, at Morningside Elementary School, will be honored for 35 years of service, according to the release.
Employees who will be honored for 30 years of service are as follows:
- Kevin Kinsler, Northside High School
- Wanda Lane, Transportation Department
- Tonia McDermott, Quail Run Elementary School
- Sharon Thompson, Warner Robins High School
- Kelly Voss, Kings Chapel Elementary School
- Kimberly Waters, Kings Chapel Elementary School
- Leigh Woodyard, Centerville Elementary School