Rotary Club bestows two awards, two scholarships

The Rotary Club of Barnwell County ended the school year by recognizing four students for making a difference.

The club met on May 11 to award two scholarships to high school seniors and recognize two others with awards.

“One of our club’s priorities is to recognize the students who are making a difference across our county,” said Rotarian Crissie Stapleton at the May 11 meeting. “It is always an honor to recognize our local high school students who are going above and beyond to show service above self in their schools and throughout their communities.”

John McHenry Service Above Self Award

Karrie Bolen of Barnwell High and Jada Sims of Williston-Elko High were awarded the John McHenry Service Above Self Award. Both students were previously recognized as Rotary students of the month after being nominated by their high schools.

“Beginning last year, we created a special award to be given at the end of the year as a culminating annual award. This award is named in memory of one of our fellow Rotarians, John McHenry, who remarkably exemplified service to others,” said Stapleton.

Rotarian Angela Cotton spoke about McHenry and his service to the community through Rotary, the Lions Club, United Way, Animal Advocates, and other organizations. As branch manager of Regions Bank in Barnwell, McHenry taught financial literacy to students at Barnwell High School.

“Everything he did was about service above self,” said Cotton of McHenry, who was also a father, husband, and soccer coach.

Bolen and Sims were selected after writing about Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self”.

“This motto is a great guide when making decisions because it reminds me to think of others first. ‘Service Above Self’ is a motto everyone can follow. If more people lived by this motto, the world would be filled with more selfless and loving people,” wrote Bolen in her essay.

According to part of Sims’ essay, “The world would be an extraordinary place if people would care for one another and not tear each other down. It’s important to help others as you would want them to help you.”

“These are two very powerful messages from two very remarkable individuals,” said Stapleton. “Karrie and Jada, we are so proud of both of you and we thank you for the great impact you have on your schools and communities.”

Bolen plans to attend Anderson University and major in kinesiology. Sims plans to attend Lander University and major in environmental science.

John Sanders Rotary Scholarship

Every year, the club awards a scholarship to a student in the Teacher ­Cadet program. Two scholar­ships were awarded this year.

“This scholarship is given in memory of John Sanders, a long-time Rotarian who exemplified the many pillars of Rotary’s service, both locally and globally,” said Stapleton.

Applicants completed multiple questions explaining why the Teacher Cadet program is important to them and submitted an essay summarizing their work with Teacher Cadets and what they have learned.

The first recipient is Cadence Brown from Williston-Elko High School. She plans to attend College of Charleston in the fall to study secondary education. She wants to teach and eventually become a speech pathologist in schools.

“In her essay, Cadence shared about students she has worked with both babysitting and in the classroom. Her stories touched the hearts of our committee members,” Stapleton said.

She read the closing paragraph of the essay, which described how Teacher Cadets taught Brown the importance of showing her inner child sometimes. “I learned how both inside and outside the classroom, and in all stages of life, we as people simply want to have a purpose in what it is that we are doing.”

The second recipient is Kayla Peters from Barnwell High School. She plans to attend Clemson University in the fall and become an agriculture teacher.

In her essay, Peters shared how the Teacher ­Cadet program made a “tremendous impact” on her life and helped direct her future career. “Because of this program, I gained the confidence, experience, and knowledge to pursue my chosen career field.” Peters also thanked her instructor, Lisa Wyndham and Mindy Sandifer, for sharing their love and passion for teaching, which is something she hopes to do for her future students one day.

“We are so grateful for your passion for impacting the lives of children, and we have no doubt you will do great things in your future as an educator,” said Stapleton to both students.

All four students were encouraged by Rotarians to continue making a difference through service.