Local News - June 2003

First Biggers scholar named

ELHS student plans to return as a teacher

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

Lincoln County Schools got an informal commitment from a new teacher Wednesday night — for the 2007-08 school year.

Sandenise Shropshire, a recent graduate of East Lincoln High School, was recognized as the first winner of the Sam and Annie Biggers Scholarship at the monthly Board of Education meeting.

The $1,500 scholarship, founded through a cooperative effort between the school system and the Lincoln Chapter of the NAACP, is to be given annually to a deserving African-American senior who intends to teach.

“I feel very privileged and honored to be able to except this award,” Shropshire said. “I’m really excited about teaching, and I’m even more excited about coming back and teaching in Lincoln County Schools.”

Shropshire will attend Winston-Salem State University beginning in the fall. She plans to teach history because “you can’t move forward, you can’t progress without knowing what you’ve done in the past.”

The complete cost of Shropshire’s scholarship will be forgiven if she returns to Lincoln County and teaches for at least one year. Otherwise, she will have to pay back the money as a low-interest loan.

“We are very excited for this opportunity to recognize one of the outstanding students of Lincoln County and to present a monetary scholarship to encourage their pursuit of higher education,” said Robert Hamilton, president of the Lincoln Branch of the NAACP.

Superintendent Jim Watson echoed Hamilton’s enthusiasm.

“We hope this will be the start of something that will bring many, many good prospective teachers back to their home county,” he said.

The award is administered by the Lincoln County Public Education Foundation and co-sponsored by the NAACP, BellSouth and Bank of America.

It was named in memory of Sam and Annie Biggers, who were prominent Lincoln educators for several years and charter members of the local branch of the NAACP.

—————

Staff Writer Jeremy Ashton can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jashton@ltnews.com.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions