2008 COAL CREEK SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION RESULTS
Coal
Creek Watershed Foundation awards three college scholarships
to help
educate a new generation of community leaders
Jonathan Sharp, Kimberly Carroll, and Jessica Hayes receive awards
Coal Creek Scholar Jonathan Sharp
Graduates from
Eastern Kentucky University
UPDATE: October 2014
Another successful
Coal Creek Scholar!
L to R: Jonathan Sharp, Carol Moore, Barry Thacker, PE
Today we completed our very first business deal with one of our 36 (to date) Coal Creek Scholars! We signed over our business insurance to Jonathan who is now an agent with MIG in Oak Ridge. Really proud of him! We love to see the Briceville students work hard and succeed in life.
Thanks for making us look smart for our investment in you, Jonathan!
We first met Jonathan Sharp, Kimberly Carroll and Jessica Hayes in 2000 when they were fourth graders at Briceville School. Time flies and they are now each taking an important step in making their dreams a reality by planning to attend college.
According to Barry Thacker, P.E., a professional engineer and president of CCWF, "I met the winner of our 2008 Nantglo Scholarship 8 years ago when I was fishing in Coal Creek. Out of the blue, he marched up to me and said, You know we have a lot of caddis flies in the creek this year. If you turn over the rocks, you’ll see where they have used little pieces of wood to build their casings. I remember thinking to myself, who is this kid? It is my pleasure to award a scholarship to that kid, my fishing buddy, Jonathan Sharp."
Jonathan Sharp receives his $10,000
Nantglo Scholarship from Barry Thacker, PE
Jonathan Sharp is receiving the $10,000 Nantglo Scholarship, named in honor of the Welsh miners who settled Coal Creek after the Civil War. Nantglo is Welsh for Coal Creek and our 2008 scholarship winner will attend Eastern Kentucky University on a football scholarship. Jonathan hopes to be a football coach and teacher or an athletic trainer. Jonathan has volunteered on many bank stabilization projects and watershed clean-up events over the past eight years. He has also joined in water quality sampling and bug hunting with us in Coal Creek.
In an essay on improving the quality of life in the watershed, Jonathan says, “A better educated community will mean a better life for everyone. I want to lead the way by example to show Briceville students what they can accomplish if they are determined. Setting goals are very important because you are working toward an achievement.”
Jonathan Sharp (far left)
helped collect
trash along the Fraterville Miners'
Memorial Highway in 2007
Jonathan Sharp stands on top of
gabion baskets while assisting
on Coal Creek's first bank
stabilization project in 2001
Jonathan Sharp (Center) learns
to tie flies with Clinch River
Trout Unlimited's Buzz
Buffington at Coal Creek
Discovery Day 2000
Jonathan Sharp (left) and
brother Richerd search for bugs
in Coal Creek with Clinch River
Trout Unlimited's John
Thurman in 2000
Kimberly
Carroll was
awarded $2,500 to assist
with funding her education
Click on image for Kim's 4th grade dreams:
Kimberly Carroll and Jessica
Hayes
will receive Rev. Roy Daugherty Memorial
Scholarships, named to honor one of our founding board members who
passed away in 2006.
Ms. Hayes will receive an award of $5,000. She plans to attend East Tennessee State University and major in education with a specialty in speech pathology. In her essay, she stated, "Going to college is something that has been important to me for as long as I can remember."
Ms. Carroll will receive an award of $2,500 towards her college education. She plans to study for her nursing degree and become a health teacher beginning at Roane State Community College. She stated in her essay, "I want to be able to teach the students about their bodies and how to keep them healthy. I also want to teach health science, anatomy, and therapies at a high school."
Ms. Carroll and Ms. Hayes assisted CCWF with their research about the Welsh history of Coal Creek for a book that is being written by Dr. Eirug Davies from Harvard University. Ms. Hayes also assisted in collecting trash from the Fraterville Miners' Memorial Highway during our clean-up event this year.
Click to view Jessica's 4th grade dream:
Kimberly Carroll (second from right) and
Jessica Hayes (far right) assisted with Coal
Creek history research at the East
Tennessee History Center
The Nantglo and Rev. Roy Daugherty Memorial Scholarships are offered to graduates of Briceville Elementary School to assist them in attending college. Requirements to earn the scholarships include participation in community service projects organized or sponsored by the Coal Creek Watershed Foundation, competing in an essay contest on improving the quality of life in the watershed, and being a mentor to current Briceville students. CCWF's goal is to give Briceville students the incentive to excel in middle school and high school, knowing that they have the potential to get a college education. Since 2002, eighteen students from Briceville have received CCWF scholarships as described at http://www.coalcreekaml.com/ScholarsProgramPage.htm.