Another outstanding group of students applied for both the P. Buckley Moss Society-Anne and Matt Harbison Award and the Judith Cary Scholarship. The Harbison applicants represented 16 states, and the Cary applicants represented five states. Once again, a difficult challenge faced the selection committees.

2001 Harbison Award
Charlie Tucker of High Point, North Carolina, is the 2001 recipient of the P. Buckley Moss Society - Anne and Matt Harbison Award of $1,000. A senior at Southwest Guilford High School, he earned a cumulative GPA of 3.056 with four years of hard work and diligence.

In 1988, Charlie was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and a learning disability in written language. Problems with writing, organizational skills, and processing information have made school harder for him since kindergarten. Assignments usually required more time to complete, and he often needed extra help from his teachers or his mother.

As he proceeded through school, Charlie developed strategies to deal with these difficulties. He asked for copies of teachers' notes to insure that he did not miss important information. Teachers allowed him extra time to complete tests in order to compensate for his slower processing. Dutifully keeping a calender of due dates and reminders of long-term assignments helped him turn assignments in on time. Becoming proficient with a computer reduced his difficulty expressing written thoughts.

Charlie's school counselor stated, "This student is one of our most conscientious, motivated, and hard-working seniors at Southwest Guilford High School." His sophomore English teacher added, "Charlie is much more than a responsible, diligent student; he possesses a fine character which is exemplified through his philanthropy and love of animals.He could be counted on to be a good example to his peers. Charlie exemplified behavior that all students should strive to show."

That philanthropy was exhibited through his many hours of community service as well as his church's religious activities. He has worked on Habitat for Humanity projects and has participated in two mission trips to rural mountain areas of North Carolina to improve living conditions of the elderly. He also served on the teen leadership team at his church during the past two years.

Charlie is the eldest child of Charles and Nancy Tucker. His brother Andrew is 13 and his sister Leah is 11. He plans to attend Wingate College in Wingate, North Carolina, to begin work on a degree in computer technology, graphic design, or computer information systems. He hopes to pursue a career that may involve designing web pages or creating graphic design projects involving 3-D visualization.

Penney Zanenghi of Westchester Art Gallery in High Point is the Society member who nominated Charlie.

Harbison Renewals
The 1999 and 2000 recipients have been granted renewals of their scholarships. Ariel Mann has completed her sophomore year at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She will be moving out of the SALT (Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques) program and into the DRC (Disability Resource Center) for her last two years. She expects to graduate in the spring of 2003 with a major in Social Sciences, including an emphasis in Business, and a minor in Sign Language/Deaf Studies.

Ariel initially enrolled in Sign Language to fulfill her foreign language requirement. She discovered that she has a talent/skill for "signing" and intends to complete course work over the next two years to become a certified interpreter.

She held two internships for "service learning" experience. The first is working at the Tucson Rape and Crisis Center. She completed 60 hours of intense training and will be "on call" on an on-going basis. The second is with the OASIS center. Her responsibilities include women's health advocacy, education programming, and support for on-campus sororities.

Lissie Richmond, the 2000 recipient, said, "The most important thing that I have learned is that I no longer want to be an interior designer. Having never taken interior design courses in high school, I was discouraged to learn that interior design is much like architecture in that it involves a lot of math." Lissie is now thinking about majoring in elementary education, with a concentration in learning disabilities, but since she is just finishing her freshman year, she does not yet have to declare her major.

Judy Cary Scholarship
Michelle Fouts of Gahanna, Ohio, is the recipient of the 2001 Judith Cary Scholarship of $1,000. She has completed her junior year at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, as a special education major and expects to graduate in 2002 as an Intervention Specialist for students with moderate to intensive educational needs.

Michelle has always wanted to be a teacher. After working with the special education classes in high school, she decided to concentrate on teaching children with special needs. She stated, "I want to make my classroom a welcoming and safe environment as well as provide a stepping stone of advancement for each active learner.I want to make the education process for children with special needs an exciting adventure, not a failing experience."

An active Alpha Delta Pi Sorority member, Michelle has focused her attention on its philanthropic activities. She has arranged a walk-a-thon and a pop-tab collection to benefit the Ronald McDonald House, the sorority's national philanthropy. This past year she organized the making of dinner for the families at the Ronald McDonald House, collecting change for UNICEF, collecting non-perishable food items for the Ashland food bank, and collecting blankets for the homeless.

Since she was five years old, Michelle has been involved with the Camp Fire Boys and Girls. During summers she has counseled at both the day camp and resident camp where she has worked with various ages of children. Currently, she is assisting in planning a special program for children with special needs in grades one through six at Camp Wyandot. She will be one of the counselors implementing the program. The camp's director said, "She nurtures children, allowing them to feel safe and secure, while challenging them to learn something new about themselves, others, and the awesome outdoor environment."

During her sophomore year, Michelle was accepted as one of the tutors in the America Reads Program. She assisted fourth grade students who were having difficulties with reading and writing and would be likely to fail the Ohio Proficiency Tests. This past year, she tutored a fourth grade girl in all academic areas because of her risk of failing. She spent hours organizing activities for the child to help motivate her to learn and develop her basic skills.

Her spring 2000 college field experience was with the multi-handicap classroom at the nearby high school. She wrote detailed case studies and developed and taught lessons. The fall experience was to assist in designing and participating in an after-school program for students at risk and with special needs. The spring 2001 activity was to spend mornings with a seventh grade LD teacher and her students; she assumed the responsibility for the Social Studies class.

The daughter of Mike and Cheryl Fouts, Michelle has two brothers, Nick, 20, and P.J., 12. In what little spare time she has, she is an avid reader. She has also taught several types of dance to children of all ages. This past year, she volunteered her time to be Tuffy, the Ashland Eagle, the college mascot at the men's basketball games and other events.

Michelle was nominated by her mother, a long-time Society member.

Article from : Sentinel : Vol 15, No 3 : July 2001