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Thursday, June 6, 2019
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Volume 85 • Issue 23
Thursday, June 6, 2019
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Congratulations to our 2019 area graduates
East Gaston graduating senior Leann Crotts golfed her way to the top
MICS grad Jake Hawkins receives Morehead-Cain Scholarship
South Point graduating senior Sarah Neil a leader in and out of the marching band
By Alan Hodge
By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
By Alan Hodge
alan@cfmedia.info
The ancient Greek genius Archimedes said “give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the world”. Well, that same adage slightly modified might well apply to East Gaston High graduating senior Leann Crotts and her golf clubs. Leann is the daughter of Dallas and Allison Crotts and took up golf at an early age. “My dad taught me how to play when I was three years old,” she said. Leann’s talent on the links grew as time went by. In middle school she was the only girl on the golf team. “The coach said I was meant to be a golfer,” Crotts said. “I guess I’m pretty good at it.” At East Gaston she was captain of the golf team. She recently took part in the Tar Heel Cup tournament held in Wallace, NC, and was one of just six girls from the western region of our state to compete. She has also taken part in top regional competitions for the past three years. In addition, she’s a member of the Tar Heel Golf Assoc., the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Interact Club. According to Crotts, golf helped her round out as a person. “Golf has taught me patience and social skills,” she said. Her talent and hard work on the 18 holes has paid off in other ways too. Crotts has earned a scholarship to Mars Hill College where she will study business and biology. See CROTTS, Page 9
During his time at Mt.Island Charter School, graduating senior Jake Hawkins achieved an amazing level of success, with perhaps his top accomplishment being the fact that he’s the first student from that school to receive the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill. The son of Ken and Lisa Hawkins, Jake has attended MICS since fourth grade. “I’m so honored and blessed to have received the scholarship,” Hawkins said. “It’s such a good thing for my family and the school.” The full-ride scholarship is worth around $24,000 a year and pays for four years of undergraduate tuition, room and board, and other expenses. It is the first merit scholarship program ever formally established in the United States, and has been awarded each year since 1951. Hawkins was guided through the application process by school counselor Michelle Honore’. “I had to go through several levels of interviews which were given by previous winners and people at UNC,” Hawkins said. The scholarship also funds a variety of experiences designed to broaden the horizons of recipients. That includes summer leadership training, a discovery fund to research a major project of the student’s choice, as well as a paid study-abroad program. “I plant to spend a month backpacking in Alaska,” Hawkins said. See HAWKINS, Page 9
Stuart Cramer grad J.R. Chacon is a Renaissance man By Alan Hodge
alan@cfmedia.info
alan@cfmedia.info
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South Point graduating senior Sarah Neil is talented musically and knows how to lead. So she took those two attributes and put them to exemplary use as a member of the Red Raiders marching band- and that’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding her achievements at the school. “I play clarinet in the marching band and have always been interested in music,” she said. Her musical talent comes naturally. Her father Peter Neil played clarinet as well and her grandfather the late Donald Worick was a guitarist. “He would play traditional and folk songs,” Sarah said. Her uncle William Neil composed music and Sarah even got to play a solo in one of his works “High on the Mountain”. “We are a musical family,” she said. Being a member of the marching band added another layer to Neil’s already vibrant personality. “Being in the marching band taught me how to show respect and be part of something bigger than myself,” she said. “Growing up, I went to South Point football games and told myself one day I would be on that field in the band.” According to Neil she doesn’t have one favorite type of music, but is eclectic in her tastes. “I like all types,” she said. “Music is the great equalizer. Everyone has something unique to bring to the table with it.” See NEIL, Page 10
A Renaissance man is a guy who is gifted in a variety of ways and excels in each one of them and that pretty much describes Stuart Cramer High graduating senior J.R. Chacon. Chacon lives in Mt. Holly with his mom Mallory Goodman and stepdad David Goodman. He attended Mt. Holly Middle School before coming to Stuart Cramer where his many talents bloomed. Music is one of Chacon’s passions- especially the drums and chorus. “I really enjoy music,” he said. “I’ve been playing the drums for seven years and have been in chorus since my freshman year including two years on varsity chorus.” Music has brought Chacon some memorable moments. “I was able to play the drums live at the International Foursquare Convention global broadcast,” he said. “I also sang in a production of ‘Elijah Rock’ by Moses Hogan.” Chacon loves what his musical talent and the chorus does for other folks. “I enjoy working as a team on the chorus to bring the joy of music to other people’s hearts,” he said. In addition to his artistic side, Chacon is also a gifted athlete excelling on the tennis court and the football field. “Some friends talked me into trying tennis and I really enjoyed it,” Chacon said. “I’ve been playing three years and qualified for the regionals.” See CHACON, Page 9
Fly-In & Open House June 15 • 2019 • 10 untilil 2 Tour the Facilities • JAARS offering Flights $ 25 Airplane Rides - $30 Helicopter Rides FAA Safety Event • Blue Oval Ford Club Car Display
N o A ir S h ow Ac ti v it ie s
830 COLLEGE AVE • SHELBY • NC
Identifier: EHO
Unicom: 122.8 Phone: 704-487-1161
Food & Gourmet Snowballs • Aircraft & Military Vehicles on Display • All Aircraft Fuel reduced 25¢ per Gallon