Students receive GEAR-UP scholarships

Students throughout the school district are being rewarded in a big way for their commitments to excellence.

More than 100 seventh- through 12th-graders have received scholarships through the federal GEAR-UP grant.

GEAR-UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, offers support and programs to encourage students to attend college.  

The district is in the first year of this three-year grant program.

Five schools in the school district are targeted in the grant – South Middle, A.R. Rucker Middle and Andrew Jackson Middle, Lancaster High and Andrew Jackson High schools.  

The selection is based on economic data tied the number of students who received reduced-price meals.

Students at those schools receive mentoring, take college tours and have the chance to vie for special scholarship money.

Based on grades, attendance, behavior and a number of other factors, all students at those schools have the chance to earn as much as $2,000 per semester until they graduate high school.

Reggie Lowery, the district’s GEAR-UP coordinator, stresses to the students how beneficial that money will be.

“This money is realistic,” Lowery said. “It will help you get into the college of your dreams.”

Following are the students who recently received scholarships through GEAR-UP:

A.R. Rucker Middle

$1,000 award winners

Bryce Blanton, Yushica Carter, Kimberly Ghent, Amber Pelham, Jerell White

$500 award winners

Diannara Apao, Patrick Bedwell, Peyton Brumfield, Jordan Caroway, Shanerra Covington, Emma DeVenny, Kenya Duncan, Benjamin Dunlap, Allen Gonzalez, Alexis Johnson, Hannah Moseley, Brooke Penegar, Georgianna Scott, Mischa Soekoro, Adam Whetstone

$250 award winners

Clarence Cunningham, Jonathan Fauser, Jazmyne Jones, Jason Plexico, Logan Plyler, Katherine Rivers, Merissa Robidoux, Jordan Shrum, Evan Simpson, Mary Sizemore, Ryan Snipes, JaQuannah Steward, Christian Tarque, LaQueshia Thompson, Ladarius Wright

$100 award winners

Devin Baker, Russell Barrentine, Brady Collins, Korickio Cunningham, Arshad Frazier, Latrice Hood, JaNae Jones, John Kennington, Chandon McIlwain, Kimani Myers, Savannah Reynolds, Mitchell Robinson, Stephanie Robinson, Patrick Rutledge, Tatyana Sowell, Evthokia Spears, Tyesha Vinson

Khayree Whetstone, Marina Witherspoon, Christian Wright

South Middle

$1,000 winners

Zakerra Killian, Hannah Knight, Aubren Lynn, Jameisha McWhirter, Erica Moses, Kellyn Shook, Shania Stradford, Lori Vernon, Amanda Wright

$500 winners

LaToya Ballard, Andy Campos, Sherry Chappell, Aliyah Davis, Dajah Douglas, Lyric Drakeford, Tenika Grier, Kayland Hagwood, Dondre’ Hall, Jackson Howey, Maria Hurst, T’Aria Ingram, Robert Kirkland, Eira Larios Carrasco, Tyesha Miller, Michaella Oswald, Erica Reed, Emily Richards, Korickio Robinson, Shareese Ross, Bre’Onna Sanders, Jennie Sims, Tyler Thompson, Raekwon Wright, Kaisha Young

$250 winners

Mary Belk,  Taynesia Brace, Caitlan Brady, Kanesha Clyburn, Adrienne Eller, Alexander Evatt, Mary Gaston, Brittany Gibson, Tyrell Gill, Sequioa Grier,

Haley Kee, La-Deanya McGee, Odeth Mendoza Quintana, Emiliano Morales Campos, Jerry Outen, Aubaney Patterson, Lakendra Rice, Alicia Sanders, Satchel Vanvield, Kasey Wheeler, Robert White, Jason Wright

$100 winners

Se’Kueriaz Barnette, William Benton, Akieana Clyburn, Tykeyana Duncan, Dionka Foster, Montel Frazier, Kaylen Frazier, Darius Izzard, Bryron Johnson, Daziya’l McGriff, Albert Parks, Preston Robinson, Nathan Spencer

Andrew Jackson High

$1,000 winners

Ashleigh Aiello, Kathrynne Caldwell, Crystal Catledge, Patricia Hicks, Chakerria Southern

$500 winners

Caitlin Blackwell, Rusty Byrd, Kendal     Carnes, Brianna Carter, Jacob Dutton

Cherese Ealy, Nolan Faile, Abby Faulkenberry, Maxie Gaither-Boulware, Christopher Harris, Jerry Hilliard, Jordan Hinson, Tremaine Jackson, Andrew Miles, Erin Neal, Daniel Reeves, Jonathan Tammen, Jordan Truesdale, Oliver Wall

$250 winners

Kyle Cantu, Lauren Cash, Austin Coats, David Evans, Carlie Faile, Kirenski Fletcher, Haley Gainer, Anna Harvey, Kevin Hyatt, Rebecca Johnson, Katherine Killingsworth, Allison Mackey, Larry Martin, Christopher Miles,

Darius Reddick, Tara Roberts, Tyler Rodgers, Keenan Shropshire, Austin Soltow, Kayla Starnes, Cheyenne Varney, Kathryn Ware

$100 winners

Hannah Blackmon, Sara Dicola, Jasmine Ealy, Lily Graves, Christopher Hoffman, Thomas Holt, Kayla Horton, Holly Ingram, Jacqueline Lee, Candace McCarroll, William Morris, Branan Pate, Kayla Steele, Gina Steele,

Tyler Stover

Lancaster High School

$1,000 winners

Timisa Criss, DeQuana Jones, Tamaria Wright, Shannon Truesdale, Kelsey Baker, LaQueshia Blackmon, Lakendra Clyburn, Katherine Lalla, Andrea Rangel, Rebecca Sizemore, Reagan Thompson, Nebreika Cunningham

$500 winners

Brenshay Mingo, DeMarius Shaw, Carly Strickland, Conner Weisner, Kiara Alvarenga, Anoquesha Gaither, Joleishet McCoy, Carrie McManus, Ty’Keyana Mickles, Evander Wilson, Lorenzo Scott, La Shaveria Benson, Savon Davis, Shemeka Evans, John Nelson, Shelley Craver, Sarah DeVenny

Jonathan Jeffery, Keondra Mingo, James Williams, Forrest Woodard, Chery Workman, Brittany LaChapelle, Ervin Moore, Caitlin Sitte, Taylor Brown, Ezra Cunningham, Ti’Anna Fletcher, Lena Pringle, Andrea Saxon, Dedrick Strain, Briyonna Cunningham, Katherine Cauthen, Kaysia Grow, Sholanda Stradford, Jane Tomlin, Reco Faulkner, Gabrielle Jeffers, Zachary Lingle, Kiana Richardson, Meghan McDaniel, Jarvis McGriff, Brandon Smiling

$250 winners

Angel Cox, Dylan Crawford, Whitney Cunningham, Courtney Davis, Holly Ellis, Rakiya Faulkner, Raven Richardson, Kendall Caskey, Aries Hood, Ronald Trapps, Raven Massey, Sarde’ Crockett, Tyski Ingram, Mia Mingo, Hanna Pate, Meagan Rogers, Zackery Rollings, Jasmine Taylor, Tiesha Tyson, Xavier White, Dustin Belk, Hannah Catoe, LaTiesha Lightfoot, Taylor Mills, Elizabeth Nobles, Shondra Pratt, Jasmine Rice, Christopher Saxon, Dequaintia Stradford, Gizelle Tatah, Kaitlyn Vrooman, Kayla Clark, Jairus Frazier, Parker Quinlan, Jessica Haigler, Raegan Bailey, Jasmine Cousar, Darius Cureton, Chassity Davis, Demond Dawkins, Zekeemia Grier, Gerrick Hagwood, Antonio Hammond, Tiandra Massey, Juliana Reyes, Samuel Watts

$100 winners

Dai-Quinton Ingram, Shaquana Brown, Andrew Burn, Ali Culp, Bailey Faile

Tiffany Ghent, Jennifer Hill, Makina Horton, Madison Morgan, Drashti Patel,

Claudia Simental, Jakeem Brown, Iris Rhodes, Jameshlia McClinton, Kayla Cauthen, Christan Chappell, La’Quesha Coffey, Decutio Foster, Kyanna McDow, ,Keshawn Sanders, Marquisha Stevens, Ji Tavious Thompson, Andrew Joseph Plaza, De’Earnte Adams, Otis Alexander, Lauren Barnes, Austin Blackwell, Vanessa Bradley, Kathryn Culp, Robert Douglas, Max Emory, Daniel Foster, Paris Harris, Julius Hood, Jessica Martin, Tiffani McCowan, Whitney Stevenson, Jessica Taylor Jerika Tolliver