ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 2, 1996 TAG: 9606030018
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: DUBLIN
The 46 seniors attending the Southwest Virginia Governor's School for the past two years have amassed scholarships totaling $534,450 for higher education in the fall.
Some of them got more scholarship aid at last week's fifth annual Governor's School awards banquet, from businesses and industries in localities which send students to the half-day school for advanced science, mathematics and technology classes.
Volvo-GM Heavy Truck Corp., which had challenged other businesses to come up with their own scholarships, awarded $500 to senior Willie Simpkins, Pulaski County. Columbia Pulaski Community Hospital accepted that challenge, awarding $500 scholarships this year to Chris Sumner, Pulaski County, and Brandon Clark, Wythe County.
Other $500 scholarships to Wythe County seniors came from Longwood Elastomers to Stephen Collins, and Sprint Telecommunications to Sally Bowles.
Giles Memorial Hospital came up with a $500 scholarship which went to Giles senior Pam Morse. Bell Atlantic awarded $500 to another Giles senior, Sarah Martin.
The $500 scholarship from Partners in Education, a parents' support group for the Governor's School, went to Rebekah Milburn, Carroll County. Dr. C.J. Blattner and Dr. Wade Peery of Galax offered a $500 scholarship which was awarded to Galax senior David Woods.
The Warner-Lambert Co. gave a $250 scholarship to Alice Spradlin, Pulaski County. An anonymous donor provided a $250 scholarship which went to Andrew Weeks, Floyd County.
Two Bland County industries, ABB Distribution Systems and American Mine Research & East River Metals, awarded $250 scholarships to Bland County students Wil Dodson and Melissa Richardson.
The senior class came up with a $100 scholarship of its own, which went to Anthony Yoder of Pulaski County.
The seniors will graduate from their respective schools this month and so are completing their final year at the Governor's School as well.
"This is kind of a sad time for me. When the juniors come into the Governor's School, the staff and I get kind of attached to them," said Margaret "Pat" Duncan, the school's director.
Besides students and their parents, some of the mentors who took on students for weekly work sessions in laboratories, hospitals, judges' offices and other places came to the awards ceremony. The mentors program sends Governor's School students once a week to the kinds of jobs the students might pursue after graduation.
Beth Alley, a Pulaski County High School student, worked at Columbia Pulaski Community Hospital but became more attached to the administrative aspect of the work. Georgie Hickam did television work in Radford University's media studies center, and is now interested in that kind of reporting.
The Governor's School is supposed to help students into science and technology fields, Duncan said. "You notice now that Beth likes business," she said, "and I think we've lost another one to communications."
LENGTH: Medium: 59 linesby CNB