At its annual Scholarship Fundraising Dinner on March 20, the board of Catch the Spirit of Appalachia in Jackson County awarded three scholarships to three deserving applicants. In the presence of over 100 attendees in the fellowship hall of Cullowhee Baptist Church on the campus of Western Carolina University, the following awards were presented:

• The Annie Lee Bryson Memorial Scholarship was presented to Blake John-David Ward of Whittier. Ward is a member of the show choir at Smoky Mountain High, a member of student council, FCA, Crossfit Swerve, and varsity football, wrestling, track and field. He helps work with kids at Riverside Cove youth camp, and helps his family on the farm raising cattle and with the family garden. 

• The Mary Jane Queen Memorial Scholarship was presented to Connor Luckey-Smith, from Clyde. Luckey-Smith is enrolled at Four Oaks Academy, plus dually enrolled in the Jackson County Early College and Haywood Early College. He began playing at an early age, and has come into contact with many gifted musicians. He and his brother, along with the band Productive Paranoia, play at area nursing homes, benefits, fundraisers, and more. 

• The Elmer & Irene Hooper Memorial Scholarship was presented to Grace Ella Morris, from Cullowhee. Morris goes to Smoky Mountain High and Jackson County Early College. An avid fiddle player, Grace spent countless hours performing with the Community Appalachian Music group, playing “Old Time Music” at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. She has been going on mission trips since 2012, spending time with senior adults in the community, and is a current member of the Jackson County Bible club. She came up through JAM in Haywood County, volunteered with the Jackson County Junior Appalachian Musicians and is now a teacher with the organization.

Catch the Spirit of Appalachia’s scholarship program is supported, in part, from the Catch the Spirit of Appalachia Endowment, a component fund of the North Carolina Community Foundations.