LCHS students' college acceptances close to $11.5M in scholarships

SUBMITTED BY ANGELA CROSLAND

Lee County School District

BISHOPVILLE - Almost $4 million of the nearly $11.5 million in scholarships amassed by the students of Lee County School District can be attributed to five students, and the awards are still rolling in. Juanita Hickmon, $1,452,520; Shakira Brailsford, $921,160; Amir Jackson, $781,928; De'ablo Halley, $718,000; and Kei'shan Scott, $695,500, are among the 78 scholarship recipients at Lee Central High School.

More than half of the graduating class of roughly 145 students will walk away with funding for their education.

"I am so proud of our students for reaching their academic goals and their display of stallion pride that defines our school community," says Wanda Andrews, Lee County School District superintendent. " and the year isn't over. Our hope is that they will greatly exceed even our expectations of them."

Leading the pack is Hickman with acceptances yielding nearly $1.5 million in scholarship money. Hickman has a tough decision to make this spring upon graduating. She'll be choosing from a stack of acceptances including Campbell University, Charleston Southern University, Coker College, East Stroudsburg University, Francis Marion University, Hartwick College, Lenoir Rhyne University, Limestone College, Miles College, Stetson University, Susquehanna University, Wingate University, Winthrop University and many others.

The stories of students accumulating massive amounts of money to attend college abound in the news. They originate in some of the most populous cities in the nation, such as Houston, Texas; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Baltimore, Maryland. Uncommon are stories like these generating from such places Lee County, where the current average annual income is $31,169 or less per year compared to the national average of just above $59,000.

LCSD Board Chairwoman Sonya Moses adds that in Bishopville (the county seat), from which most of the students hail, the average annual income is $22,000.

" which is below the poverty line in South Carolina," says Moses. "That family earns about $423 per week."

For students whose families fall into this category, the guidance counselor's office at LCHS has been invaluable. The latest money entering the database is a $1,000 scholarship from the South Carolina Association of Title I Administrators, Region 6 addressed to Scott. Like those awarded to other students, the allocation is based on the student's leadership skills, academics and extracurricular endeavors. The students earn them, says Andrews.

Among Scott's choices for college are Morehouse, Newberry, the University of South Carolina (Columbia and Aiken), Bethune-Cookman and a dozen others.

The $11.5 million is already the highest amount the district has seen to date, and the expectation is that the total will increase as more scholarships come and when the HOPE and Life Scholarships and Palmetto Fellows are conferred.