On Thursday, May 18, Transylvania County Schools celebrated their 40th Annual Scholars Recognition Evening at Brevard High School, led by the Board of Education and administrators.
Board Members Tawny McCoy and Chris Weiner joined Superintendent Dr. Jeff McDaris in presenting the awards.
Transylvania County Scholars are graduating seniors who have earned the highest graduation honor conferred by the school system for maintaining an overall GPA of 3.8 weighted and 3.5 unweighted. Sophomores and juniors recognized are the highest-ranking students in their class whose academic records indicate they are on track to graduate as TC Scholars. Junior Marshals are those with very strong academic records who lead the procession at graduation.
The following Transylvania County Scholars were recognized for their academic success:
Brevard High Transylvania County Scholars:
Alexis Bailey, Victor Gomez-Flores, Lora Pace, David Baker, Meredith Hart, Verasole Pandolfo, Mackensie Baldridge, Miguelina Jimenez Tate, Mason Parlier, Michael Berry, Malorie Johnson, Aylah Salter, Julia Chapman, Avery Leland, Aria Schoenacher, Kaeden Clark, Sullivan Malo, Bronson Shepherd, Gabriel Collier, Angelena Martino, Lillian Smith, Shaniya Cook , Cora McCall, Parker Taylor, Jessie Dodson, Lucy Murray, Meridee Toler, Trey Galloway, Bailey Musser, Samuel Tynch, Grace Gentle, Preston Owen, Amelia Grace Workman, Grace Gentle, Lora Pace, Analiese Woodbury, Victor Gomez-Flores, Christopher Palafox Alyala, Amelia Workman, Brayden Grosvenor, Vera Pandolfo, Calla Harris, Mason Parlier
Brevard High Junior Marshals:
Julia Bohn, Ashleigh Grieves, Julia Hardy, Molly Knye, LeAnne Littleton, Trevor Long, Raegan Lorenz, Noah McLauchlin, Hannah Megown, Ryan Merrill, Brady Odell, Jesse Phillips, Luke Powers, Lily Rogers, Gabriel Rood, Parker Sisney, Macayle Stevens, Marley Stewart
Brevard High Junior Scholars:
Christian Anderson, Julian Arbogast, Edmond Barry, Kaya Brown, Keele Brown, Elizabeth Caroway, Jack Dinsdale, Meleah Foster, Ruby Harris, Tiffany Huynh, Makayla King, Nicole Muse, Han Gia Pham, Prudence Queen, Ava Reese, Pricilla Ruiz, Camille Scott, Ryan Sprouse, Colton Swicegood, Julia Trowbridge, Jaxon Turner, Laeela Waryono, Bronsyn Wyant
Brevard High Sophomore Scholars:
Zoe Axtell, Emma Bailey, Maxton Ballard, Annaly Baron, David Bohn, Steven Bohn, Amara Campanini, Eloise Conn, Raphaella Dabao, Lotus Draegen, Michelle Drennen, Miles Felty, Connor Fennessy, Miles Mateo Foster, Dillon Galloway, Saya Geer-Hardwick, Isabelle Gentle, Ava Gorman, Isabella Gravley, Silvan Guidry, Emma Harris, Avan Hinkle, Elsie Hobbs, Grace Hogsed, Abigail Huter, Caroline Jenkins, Madison Judy, Charles Kimsey, Brooke LaRowe, Jesus Lopez De Los Santos, Kaitlin Lovett, Elodie Malo, Elena Masters, Zander McCall, Leo Murray, Patience Pandolfo, Emma Parker, Mya Parlier, William Presnell, Addison Robinson, Christian Rojas-Zavala, Zane Romero, Adeline Schultz, William Scruggs, Addison Shober, Ezra Stubbs, Kayla Studt, Talia Toler, Kevin Valencia-Vega, Iqbal Waryono, Cooper Weaver, Judson Weaver, A’vonta Whitmire Jones, Claire Wilson
Rosman High Transylvania County Scholars:
Elijah Chapman, Reagan Chapman, Rylee Cochran, Kyndall Harrison, Kaileigh Jones, James Madden, Meadow McCall, Jackson Owen, Madisyn Owen, Quiriat Reynaldo-Enriquez
Rosman High Junior Marshals:
Alissa Cheek, Jacqueline Gillespie, Marley Metcalf, Alex Moody, Caitlyn Muniz, Myah Owen, Elisabeth Qualls, Shelby Tinsley
Rosman High Junior Scholars:
Marisa Cole, Sandy Enriquez-Vazquez, Leighanna Galloway, Austin Lee, Arianna Leonard, Emma Moretz, Jace Whited, Trinity Wilbanks
Rosman High Sophomore Scholars:
Matthew Barton, Addison McCall, Carter Mendes, Lillian Orr, Nathaniel Owen
Along with the recognition of our TC Scholars scholarships supported by many of our community organizations are presented to the students.
Board Member Tawny McCoy presented the Dorothy Bjerg Good Citizenship Scholarship, awarded in memory of Dorothy Silversteen Bjerg. This scholarship was established to encourage and recognize a young woman and a young man who has made outstanding contributions toward the improvement of the school and community. In addition to their citizenship, applicants must rank in the upper half of their class and have been accepted at an accredited junior or senior college.
The Bjerg Scholarship awards each recipient $750 per year for a total of $3,000 as long as the student remains on track toward a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college. McCoy awarded the 2023 Bjerg Scholarships to Rosman High School students Elijah Chapman and Reagan Chapman.
VISION Transylvania Executive Director Angela Owen presented the VISION Leadership Award. VISION Transylvania is a community leadership development program committed to building a network of informed, capable and committed leaders. This program is a collaborative effort with Blue Ridge Community College, Brevard College, Heart of Brevard, and the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce. VISION Transylvania recognizes that leadership begins early and that we have a responsibility to prepare the youth of today to be the leaders of tomorrow.
The Annual VISION Leadership Award, presented in memory of Joe F. Tuttle, VISION Director 2001-2009, to recognize a Transylvania County student from each high school. Owen awarded the 2023 VISION Leadership Award to Davidson River student Adien King, Rosman High student Kaileigh Jones and Brevard High student Miguelina Jimenez Tate.
Dr. Farash presented the Hendersonville Pediatrics and Pisgah Forest Rotary Resiliency Scholarship to Brevard High School student Aria Schoenacher.
Patrick Cafferty, the Conserving Carolina board president, presented the Ruth Jones Scholarship. The Ruth Jones Scholarship was established in 2015 by Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, now Conserving Carolina, in memory of life-long Transylvania County resident and Brevard High School graduate Ruth Elaine Jones. This award emphasizes academic achievement but also includes participation in community service and extra-curricular activities that exemplify Ruth’s service
to others.
Cafferty awarded the 2023 Ruth Jones Scholarship to Brevard High student Aria Schoenacher and Rosman High student Reagan Chapman.
New for 2023 was the Tammy Moman Medical Scholarship - Sponsored by the Patton Foundation. Tammy Moman has been working for 25 years at Transylvania County Schools, 17 years at Rosman High School, and 8 years at Brevard High School. Career and Technical Education Director Kerry Putnam stated, “Moman strived to create a positive and meaningful impact in every student's life and committed to creating a learning environment for all to succeed.”
The Tammy Moman Medical Scholarship will be a $1,200.00 dollar scholarship to assist a student who is going to continue their education in the medical field at Blue Ridge Community College or another local community college.
The 2023 Tammy Moman Medical Scholarship was awarded to Brevard Highl student Abreanna Deshauteurs.
Gay Coffin, Ed Mazzetta, and Cindy Cast of the Connestee Falls Property Owners Association presented twenty-seven Connestee Falls Scholarships. In its 35th year, the scholarship program has raised over $1.3 to support Brevard College and Blue Ridge Community College students and to fund awards for graduates selected by Transylvania County Schools to use at the college of their choice.
Both merit and financial need are considered in awarding Connestee Falls Scholarships to graduates based on written applications and interviews. The 2023 Connestee Falls Scholarship winners were presented to:
Brevard High School
Elizabeth Chapman
Annie Kessinger
Penelope Threlkeld
Alexis Bailey
Lucy Murray
Trey Galloway
Malorie Johnson
Casey Strickland
Parker Taylor
Jessie Dodson
Caroline Ramsey
Arianna Gandolfo
Gabriel Collier
Avery Leland
Angelena Martino
Aria Schoenacher
Jacob Stockton
Davidson River School
Jeffrey Payne
Rosman High School
Kaeden Galloway
Jackson Owen
Quiriat Reynaldo
Esperanza Hernandez
Kaileigh Jones
Rylee Cochran
Elijah Chapman
Madisyn Owen
Reagan Chapman
To conclude the evening, Transylvania County Scholars are given the opportunity to name an individual in the school system who gave them special inspiration in their educational experience. “Memorable educators” are invited to the ceremony and learn who is honoring them when the student or students welcome them to the stage and present a token of their appreciation.
This year’s Memorable Educators are:
Tyrea Allen Mark McCann
Maura Brouwer Tamera Moman
Candice Burchill Benjamin Morgan
Charles Burchill Kelly Muse
Katerina Canter Connie Newman
Amanda Chapman Andrea Odom
Sarah Clayton Katherine Reinhart
Tammy Hall Katrina Ronneburger
Adria Hardy Richard Ronneburger
Andrew Jimeson Nancy Sanders
Hazel Ketchum Amy Schoenacher
Tammy Kiser Josh Tinsley
Tony Lance Vincent Warren
Meredith Licht Missy West
Andrew Lindsey Lewis Whitesides
Dr. Jeff McDaris, Superintendent of Transylvania County Schools, congratulated our 2023 TC Scholars and stated, “Tonight’s ceremony shines a light on the importance of each individual. They are more than analytics or statistics. They are our future. They have worked hard and persevered. They have learned from great teachers, grasped control of their own learning, received encouragement from their parents and friends, and become leaders for our community. From many backgrounds and great schools, we are justifiably proud of these students and their triumphs.”