Two Coweta County School System middle school students became the newest Coweta recipients of the Georgia REACH Scholarship, at a signing ceremony at the Nixon Centre on October 23.
Kristen Gutierrez of Madras Middle School and Summer Lampkins of Lee Middle School signed commitments during the ceremony, pledging to maintain good student records and graduate from high school. When they do, they are eligible for a $10,000 scholarship toward attending a Georgia HOPE Scholarship-eligible college or university.
It was the 10th year of Coweta’s REACH scholarships, which is a competitive, needs-based mentoring and scholarship program supported by state and local private funding. The local selection committee and the school system have now selected 20 students over the decade of the college scholarship program.
Joined by family members, community dignitaries and school officials Tuesday, Lampkins and Guitierrez pledged to maintain high standards throughout their upcoming high school career. The two students join other Coweta County REACH scholars who have been selected since the scholarship program was launched in Coweta in 2015.
Superintendent Evan Horton told Gutierrez and Lampkins achievement in education will happen for them because of the qualities that they bring to their education and schools. “You bring energy… you’re goal-oriented, you’re resilient, you have tremendous character, you’re disciplined, you operate with integrity at all times, you’re hard-workers,” he said.
Educational success will also happen, said Horton, because of the support they will receive, through their schools and their scholarship. “You already have a bond with a supportive family… now you have the strength of a community who’s right behind you,” he told Lampkins and Gutierrez. “Today represents something very powerful, when a community and a school system come together and won’t take no for an answer, and are willing to do whatever it takes to realize educational achievement.”
In Coweta County, local donors Bob Coggin (Bob and Millie Coggin Trust Fund), Steve and Marie Swope, and the Edgar B. Hollis Foundation, represented by Robert Hancock, combine funding with state funds provided through the Georgia Student Finance Commission for the scholarships. The Patrons of the Centre work with the school system to manage the program, and a local selection committee interviews applicants.
REACH is a needs-based mentoring and scholarship program supported by state and local private funding. The program was started in 2012 by Governor Nathan Deal, as a part of his Complete College Georgia initiative. REACH is designed to ensure that academically promising students have the academic, social, and financial support needed to graduate from high school and complete college.
Scholarship students sign contracts during the REACH ceremony pledging themselves to maintain their grades and excellent conduct during middle and high school. They are paired with mentors who will help them succeed as they start high school and begin work towards graduation next year. The Coweta program is overseen by Assistant Superintendent Marc Guy.
REACH scholars who successfully meet all requirements through graduation with a $10,000 scholarship which is often matched by HOPE-eligible colleges or universities the students attend.
The students’ current middle school and high school principals also attended Tuesday’s ceremony, along with family members.
