May 22, 2017

Scholarships Awarded to PACS Students During Honors Day Ceremonies

Prince Avenue Christian School is blessed to enjoy the faithful generosity of friends and alumni who make scholarships for Prince students possible.  Twenty PACS students were awarded scholarships for the 2017-18 school year during the recent Honors Day ceremonies.

The William H. Ricketts Scholarship, established by the school to honor the pastor of Prince Avenue Baptist Church, is awarded to a student who demonstrates a commitment to his or her walk with the Lord, a commitment to a local church, and a desire to serve Christ in his or her daily walk.   The $1,500 scholarship was awarded to sophomore Chria Sharp.

First grade student Noah Rhodes is the recipient of the Christopher Lee Newcomer Memorial Scholarship.  The $200 scholarship award honors the life of a young PACS student who passed away in an airplane accident in 2010.  Teachers nominate elementary students who exemplify Christ-like characteristics and a passion for learning for this scholarship.

The $1,000 Kathy Stamatinos Geyer Memorial Scholarship was awarded to sophomore Abby Frost.  The recipient is selected by a committee which established the scholarship to honor the memory of  former Prince Avenue teacher Kathy Geyer who showed a passion for teaching and a love for her students.  This scholarship was presented by Mrs. Geyer’s son, a senior, Alex Geyer.

The family of Ward Asher Elrod recently established a foundation and scholarship to honor a young family member who was born with hydrocephalus.  Asher is an Old Testament name meaning “blessing or happy”.  The mission of this foundation is to “bring happiness and blessings to others both physically and spiritually”.  This year, the Asher Foundation has awarded a $2,000  scholarship to junior Annie McElhannon.

The Jon Desso Scholarship was established to remember and honor the life of Jon Desso, a graduate of PACS Class of 2000 and the University of Georgia.  Jon went home to be with the Lord on November 3, 2004.  His friends and family desire to use this tragedy to bring honor to the name of the Lord.  This $4500 scholarship is given to two PACS students each academic school year and was presented by one of Jon’s friends, Mr. Bill Simpson.  The recipients for the 2016 -2017 school year are junior Addie Lee Frierson and senior Marlan Adams.  The recipients for the 2017-2018 school year are freshman Kathryn Anne Frierson and junior Addie Lee Frierson.

The Chick-fil-A Christian Service Scholarship was created by the Shane Todd family to honor a student who shows extraordinary Christian service in his or her community.  The $2,000 scholarship was awarded this year to eighth grader Anna Hardwick.

The Reg Gattie Sing Strong Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of the former Prince Avenue Baptist Church worship minister, who passed away five years ago after a long illness.  The Reg Gattie Scholarship Committee honors a student who uses his or her God-given musical talents to glorify the Lord through Christian character and leadership and desires to major or minor in music in college.  The $1,000 scholarship was awarded to freshman Riley Wilson.

Major A.D. Reynolds established the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation and the Missionary Emergency Fund Scholarship  and in 1920 to recognize students who are passionate about sharing the gospel at home and around the world.  This $1,000 scholarship was presented by Ms. Elizabeth McLaney to first grader Zion Hill, second grader Dioni Perea, third grader Graycen Grooms, and fourth grader Noah Wade Snow.

Seventh grade student Nate Grooms was awarded the Ruby Evelyn Brown Scholarship, a $1,000  scholarship given in loving memory of Mrs. Ruby Evelyn Brown, a former member of Prince Avenue Baptist Church.

In addition, the Shoff Foundation Scholarship, established by Mr. Richard Mason and family in loving memory of Mr. Sheldon T. Shoff, was awarded to second grader Deja Smith, fourth grader Rory Smith, fourth grader Lukas Smith, and fifth grader Sam Smith. 

Three new scholarships were awarded at this year’s PACS Honors Day ceremonies.  These scholarships honor the memory of two PACS staff employees and one PACS graduate.   All were very special to the PACS community.

The Melissa Stokes Tyler Memorial Scholarship was lovingly established by her family in her memory after Melissa was tragically killed in a car accident.  The recipient of this award is a senior who will be attending the University of Georgia, Melissa’s Alma Mater.  This $1,000 scholarship will be awarded annually.  Melissa’s husband Mike Tyler and her mother Barbara Stokes presented this year’s scholarship to senior Baylee Rogers.

The Candace Coles Todd “Climb Every Mountain” Scholarship was established by PACS to honor long time and admired teacher Candy Todd.  Candy passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer.  The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded each year to a student that has shown a spirit of joy through trials and has persevered.  This year’s scholarship was presented to sophomore Patrick Brannen by Candy’s husband Garry Todd and son Adam Yelton.

The Megan Twist Memorial Scholarship was established to remember and honor the life of Megan Twist who died this year in a tragic accident.  Megan was a 2011 National Honor Society PACS graduate and winner of numerous academic and extra-curricular awards.  The PACS faculty submitted nominees, and many students were outstanding finalists.  However, senior Jasmine Hawkins emerged as the one nominee that was most reflective of Megan’s heart for people and family.  It is the hope of the Megan Twist Scholarship committee that this yearly $10,000 college scholarship will bring glory to Christ and encourage others to love more intentionally as God has shown his love. The founding donors of this memorial gift wish to remain anonymous.

 

     

William H. Ricketts Scholarship                                        Christopher Lee Newcomer Memorial​
Chria Sharp and Richard Ricketts                                     Scholarship
                                                                                                          Noah Rhodes and Becky Callaway

 

     

Kathy Stamatinos Geyer Memorial Scholarship            Asher Foundation Scholarship
Alex Geyer and Abby Frost                                                      Kimberly Elrod, Annie McElhannon, Brian Elrod,
​                                                                                                             and Ward Elrod

 

     

John Desso Scholarship 2016-2017                                   John Desso Scholarship 2017-2018
Bill Simpson, Marlan Adams, and Addie Lee                 Bill Simpson, Kathryn Anne Frierson, and 
​Frierson                                                                                         Addie Lee Frierson

 

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Chick-fil-A Christian Service Scholarship                       Reg Gattie Sing Strong Memorial Scholarship
Anna Hardwick                                                                           Riley Wilson

 

     

Richard S. Reynolds Foundation                                       Ruby Evelyn Brown Scholarship
Zion Hill, Noah Wade Snow,                                               Nate Grooms
Ms. Elizabeth McLaney, Graycen Grooms,
and Dioni Perea

 

     

Shoff Foundation Scholarship                                              The Melissa Stokes Tyler Memorial Scholarship
Sam Smith, Lukas Smith, Deja Smith, and                      Mike Tyler, Amelia Tyler, Baylee Rogers, and 
Rory Smith                                                                                    Barabara Stokes

 

     

The Candace Coles Todd “Climb Every Mountain”     The Megan Twist Memorial Scholarship
Scholarship                                                                                    Luke Hixson, Collin Hixson, Lenny Bernotas, 
Garry Todd, Patrick Brannen, and Adam Yelton           Barbara Bernotas, Jasmine Hawkins, Jane Hixson,
                                                                                                            and Roy Twist.

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