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| Luke Worthington & Mrs. Sammie Brookman |
On May 22, Boys Home of Virginia hosted its annual Spring
Awards Banquet. Serving as Masters of Ceremonies for the evening were Greg
Lemmer, Associate Director and Support Services; Sarah Hundley, Program
Director; Jodie Weidman, Boys Home School Director and Janet Lemmer,
Development Director. This is a special night for the residents because they are
recognized for their accomplishments for the year. Educators from Boys Home School and Callaghan Elementary, Clifton
Middle and Alleghany High Schools were recognized as special guests for the
evening. All of these schools serve the young men of Boys Home. A special treat
for the event was the performance of “Amazing Grace” by the newly formed
four-part vocal group, “The Four Hill-Toppers”. The group is under the
direction of houseparent Dennis Fitzgerald. The members of the group are Keondre
Carter, Sequoia Nightfeather, Austin Clay & Justin Lee.
Stephen Hodges, Tae Kwon Do instructor, handed out the first
awards of the night, with certificates of participation for Clifton Woolfrey,
Jabaurie Clagon, Johnny Flint, Hunter Wright, Luke Worthington, Keondre Carter,
Travis Estes, Justin Lee, Raekwon Kinnard, Logan Flint, Tracy Hall, Shama
Baggott, C.J. Calhoun and Liam Hundley. Other athletic awards were given by
Dennis Fitzgerald who serves as the head coach of the Boys Home Hilltoppers
basketball team. He handed out certificates of participation to Adam Bragg,
Blake Groah, Malijah Taylor, Chris Sebina, Amara Kromah and assistant coach
Luke Worthington. Fitzgerald also handed out superlative awards. Kromah
received a trophy for the best effort. Groah received a trophy as the best
offensive player. Taylor received a trophy as the best defensive player. Bragg
received honors as the most improved player. Sebina received a trophy for his
hustle. Worthington received a special trophy as the Boys Home basketball coach
of the year.
Mrs. Anita Proffitt handed out awards for the public and
Boys Home School students. Starting with the public school students, graduating
senior Milliyon Fesseha received certificates for second semester good
school citizen and second semester honor roll. B. Pressley, Keith
Kakande, Chris Sebina, Amara Kromah and Jabaurie Clagon received a certificate
and other prizes for being a good school citizen for the entire school year. Clagon
with a GPA of 3.0, Pressley with a GPA of 3.86 and Kromah with a GPA of 3.5
took top honors of having the highest GPA for elementary, middle and high
school students respectively. Clagon also took home the prize for first semester honor roll. Sebina and Kakande joined Fesseha for the second semester honor roll award. To conclude the public school awards, Pressley and
Kromah received awards for making the honor roll for the entire school year.
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| Donnie Wheatley with Milliyon Fesseha and Memory Remine |
The Boys Home School awards showcased the great improvements
these students made from the beginning of the school year. Tracy Hall was
recognized for making the highest gains in reading level with a 2.42 year gain.
Travis Estes was awarded for his 3.81 year gain in math. Along with Estes, Luke
Worthington and Ivan Jones were recognized for completing the reading portion
of the computer courses. Worthington was recognized for the most points in the
accelerated reader program with 195.4 total points, one of the highest in the
history of the program at the Boys Home School. Along with prior award winners
Hall, Estes and Worthington, these young men were rewarded for making the A/B
Honor Roll for the entire year, Johnny Flint, Logan Flint, Austin Hoy, Justin
Lee and Malijah Taylor. Estes was recognized as the school’s most improved
student. Johnny Flint was the award winner of good school citizen for Boys Home
School. The highest GPA’s for the elementary, middle and high school levels
went to the following students, Johnny Flint with a 3.68, Estes with a 3.28 and Taylor with a
3.45. Justin Lee and Keondre Carter
received awards for their contributions to the school newspaper, The Home Boys Gazette. Lee also won the
top journalist award. Worthington was recognized for winning first place for
his Batik in the Covington Women’s Club district art competition.
The Development awards were handed out by Sandra Scruggs and
Jerome Johnson. The first awards went to those residents who contributed to
Boys Home’s newsletter, “The Boys Appeal”. Receiving the editor’s choice award
was Logan Flint, Luke Worthington, Chris Sebina, B. Pressley, Keith Kakande,
Austin Hoy, Shama Baggott, Justin Lee and Jabaurie Clagon. Worthington and Hoy
each won the publisher’s sweepstakes award for turning in the best cottage
reports for the newsletter. The golden voice award went to the four young men
who performed earlier in the evening, Keondre Carter, Sequoia Nightfeather,
Austin Clay and Justin Lee.
Requirements for the senior writer award were to write an
essay on the time spent at Boys Home and his future plans. Winning a second place certificate for his essay was Memory Remine. Milliyon Fesseha won first place for his essay. The following residents won the helping hands award for
their willingness to help during special events and photo shoots, Justin Lee,
Sequoia Nightfeather, Raekwon Kinnard, Keondre Carter, Malijah Taylor, Austin
Groah and the entire BSA Troop 66.
Prior to Residential Education Day, Boys Home residents took
part in a reading and mileage challenge. The top three winners for total books
read were Logan Flint with 36, Tracy Hall with 32 and Luke Worthington with 21
Books. The top three winners for mileage were Ivan Jones with 153 miles logged,
Shama Baggott with 125.5 miles logged and Luke Worthington with 118 miles
logged. The final development award was the best foot forward award. The two
young men who won this award are always ready to help whenever needed with
enthusiasm and purpose. They were Adam Bragg and Johnny Flint.
The support services awards were given out by Mrs. Alisa
Hayslett. Justin Lee won the award for Tree Farm worker of the year. Abe
Ashebir was named the Farm Crew worker of the year. The Grounds Crew worker of
the year was broken up into two groups, elementary/middle school and high
school. The elementary/middle school winner was Hunter Wright and high school
winner was Malijah Taylor. The vo-tech student of the year honor went to Blake
Groah.
The named awards were given out by Boys Home Executive Director
Dr. Donnie E. Wheatley. Mrs. Sammie Brookman presented the David C. Hall
Memorial Award in memory of her brother. The winner of this award personified
his never give up attitude. The award went to Luke Worthington.
The Steven Rogers Memorial Award is given to a resident who
struggles with difficulties common in young men. Mr. Rogers turned his life
around once entering the military and that success continued once he started a
career. Mr. Scott Massey, houseparent
and Mr. Rogers’ brother, presented this award to Justin Lee for the progress in
his life.
The Barry D. Mays Award was presented to a senior who lived
in the Experiential Living Apartment. That individual needed to show the desire
and ability to learn and perform skills of self-sufficiency. The winner was
Memory Remine.
The 1st Lt. Joshua Charles Hurley Memorial Award
was presented by his mother, Christine Hurley. On November 1, 2003, Hurley lost
his life while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hurley loved his family,
life, friends and serving his country. The winner of this award, Memory Remine
wrote an essay on what “service” means to him.
The Sam Cunningham Award is an award given to a Boys Home
student participating in athletics with a high level of dedication, a positive
attitude. The Donald “Pete” Dimick
Memorial Scholarship is the highest sports honor for a Boys Home resident. Mr.
Dimick was an outstanding athlete for Boys Home and Covington High School
during his time as a resident. The recipient of Mr. Dimick’s scholarship has an
all-expenses paid week to a sports camp of their choice. Keith Kakande was the
winner of both of these awards.
The Jhakee V. Avant Honorary Scholarship was presented by
Jhakee, a recent alumnus, and his mother Mrs. Wanda Avant. This scholarship was
established to reward a senior who continually grew as a person, in character
and in self-motivation, just as Jhakee did during his time at Boys Home. The
Bill & Lang Wilson Scholarship Award was established in recognizing the
value of an education and the importance of a “helping hand” in critical junctions
of one’s life. It was also established to help promote further education for a
graduating senior while supporting Dabney S. Lancaster Community College’s
mission. The winner of these two scholarships was Memory Remine.
The Joseph D. & Hilda C. Dent Memorial Award, the
Matthew Foster Honorary Scholarship and the Berlin & Frances Lineberry
Scholarship were the final three scholarships handed out in the evening. The
Dent Memorial Award, presented by Mr. I.B. Dent, is given in memory of long
time Boys Home supporters who had a keen interest in education. The Foster
Scholarship, presented by his father Terry Emerson, is given in honor of
alumnus Matt Foster. He overcame many obstacles during his time as a resident
and grew from a rebellious teen to a self-confident young man who turned two
years of high school into one to graduate on time. The Lineberry Scholarship, presented by Berlin
and Frances Lineberry, provides for a graduating senior who is pursuing higher
education at a vocational or community college. The senior who received these
three scholarships was Milliyon Fesseha.
The Think About Contest is intended to stimulate original
thought. All participants pick an original quote and write about what it meant
to them. Winning third place for his essay on, “Attitude is a little
thing that makes a big difference” was Malijah Taylor. The second place
winner for his essay on, “Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but
for yourself” was Sequoia Nightfeather. Winning first place for his
essay on, “We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, to learn
it is God who is shaking them” was Keondre Carter.
The Tice Environmental Award is one that is presented in
recognition of efforts to curb wastefulness, encourage creativity in recycling
and to sow seeds of conservation and respect for the things that really matter-
God’s creatures, resources and the beauty of the world. The participants
completed a required project and wrote an essay about their work explaining
what it meant to them. The third place winner for a honey bee
environment project was the residents of Watkins Cottage. Taking second place for his recycling project was Austin Groah. The residents of Jack Gordon
Cottage were the first place winners for cleaning up the new boat ramp
area of the Jackson River.
The Tice Volunteer Contest is intended to help young men
develop a sense of selflessness and to encourage them to become a contributor
in society. Participants of this contest are required to perform volunteer work
and write an essay about what it meant to them to serve others. Chris Sebina
won third place for his work and essay on helping a missionary group,
mentoring younger Boys Home residents, helping with the Heritage and Chocolate
Festivals. Justin Lee won second place for his essay on his work at the
Christmas Mother Shop and his work towards his Eagle Scout Badge. Malijah Taylor took home first place
for his essay on working with the Christmas Mother Program, the Cultural
Festival and the Pancake Supper at Covington High School.
The final two awards of the night are among the highest of
honors for a Boys Home resident. Those awards are the Michael Folland Award and
the George Floyd Rogers Award. The Folland award is given to a senior who was
voted on by their fellow residents. This award winner shows his fellow
residents that he took advantage of his time at Boys Home by working to reach
his potential. The George Floyd Rogers Award is named in honor of the Boys Home
founder. This honor voted on by staff and presented to the resident who by
their spirit, example and overall outstanding citizenship exemplified the
ideals of Boys Home and its founder. Graduating seniors Milliyon Fesseha and
Memory Remine were co-winners of both awards.
Boys Home of Virginia, founded in 1906, continues to help
young men ages 6-18 who have great promise, but limited opportunities.
“A successful man has to start somewhere…
All successful men were once boys. But not all boys become
successful men. Sometimes, they’re missing positive role models or a supportive
quality of life.
So we provide both…and successful men are the result. Men
who will take care of their families. Men who will contribute their gifts. Men
who will be role models for the next generation of men.
At Boys Home of Virginia, we show our boys that each day is
a step toward that success.”
