News in Education s1

NEWS IN EDUCATION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Janet McCain or Dr. Susan Lockwood Phone: (334) 262-0014 or 1-877-269-0014

Students and Administrators to Benefit from $13,000 in Scholarships

Montgomery, AL., May 4, 2009 – The School Superintendents of Alabama (SSA) announces the high school graduating seniors who are recipients of the $9,000 in SSA student scholarships and the teachers who are recipients of the $4,000 in SSA administrator scholarships for 2009. The recipients of SSA’s $9,000 in student scholarships all intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree in education. The Student Scholarship recipients include SSA’s District 1 recipient: Kenneth Maxwell Cartwright from Thomasville High School, Thomasville City School System, who plans to attend Troy University; SSA’s District 2 recipient: James Dumas from Marengo High School, Marengo County School System, who plans to attend the University of West Alabama; SSA’s District 3 recipient: Trae Long from Zion Chapel High School, Coffee County School System, who plans to attend Troy University; SSA’s District 4 recipient: Tatum Brooke McCullough from Valley High School, Chambers County School System, who plans to attend Middle Tennessee State University; SSA’s District 5 recipient: Andrew McDonald from Hewitt-Trussville High School, Trussville City Schools, who plans to attend Auburn University; SSA’s District 6 recipient: Jessica Ann Blount from Jacksonville High School, Jacksonville City Schools, who plans to attend Jacksonville State University; SSA’s District 7 recipient: Ashleigh Trayvick from Central High School, Tuscaloosa City Schools, who plans to attend Alabama A&M University; SSA’s District 8 recipients to receive $500 each: Danielle Nicole Jones from Austin High School and Haley Marisa Collins from Decatur High School, both from the Decatur City School System, who plan to attend Belmont University and Southern Mississippi University, respectively; and SSA’s District 9 recipient: Michelle G. Weisenberger from Bob Jones High School, Madison City School System, who plans to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham. SSA’s four Administrator Scholarship recipients are all pursuing higher degrees in school administration. These practicing administrators will be seeking their higher degrees at the M.S./M.A., AA/Ed.S., or Ed.D/Ph.D. levels. The four administrators selected to receive $1,000 scholarships include Denitta H. Hinkle, a Kindergarten teacher at Guntersville Elementary School in the Guntersville City School System who plans to further her career in education by pursing a degree in Educational Administration from the University of Alabama; Raney Paige, a teacher at East Elementary School in the Cullman City School System who plans to pursue an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Administration from the University of Alabama; Keisha D. Smith, a math teacher and Alabama Math and Science Technology Initiative (AMSTI) Trainer at Mattie T. Blount High School in Mobile County School System who plans to pursue a degree in Educational Administration from Auburn University at Montgomery; and Pamela R. Sprinkle, a Guidance Counselor at Hubbertville School in the Fayette County School System who plans to pursue a degree in Educational Administration from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. These Administrative Scholarship recipients will be formally presented with their scholarship checks by SSA’s Executive Director Dr. Susan Lockwood during the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS) Awards Luncheon in June at the Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile. “SSA is proud to be able to offer $13,000 in scholarships to students and administrators in Alabama. Effective leadership is essential to strong public schools and the success of Alabama’s children…that is what SSA is all about,” states Dr. Susan Lockwood, SSA Executive Director. SSA’s Administrator Scholarship applications are scored by SSA’s Awards and Scholarships Committee which is chaired by Dr. Jeff Langham, Elmore County’s School Superintendent. Beginning this year, SSA’s Student Scholarship recipients were named by the nine Superintendents who were district winners of the 2009 SSA/Classworks Superintendent of the Year Award. Those Superintendents included Dr. Suzanne Freeman, Trussville City Schools, (selected as Alabama’s Superintendent of the Year and as a National Finalist); Dr. Vic Adkison, Thomasville City School Superintendent; Mr. Luke Hallmark, Marengo County School Superintendent; Dr. Linda Ingram, Coffee County School Superintendent; Mr. Leonard Riley, Chambers County School Superintendent; Dr. Eric Mackey, Jacksonville City School Superintendent; Dr. Joyce Levey, Tuscaloosa City School Superintendent; Dr. Sam Houston, Decatur City School Superintendent; and Dr. Dee Fowler, Madison City School Superintendent. Each of these nine Superintendents will have the honor of presenting the scholarship check to the recipient in his or her school system.

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