Spring Grads

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke announces the following spring 2010 graduates.

Those earning bachelor’s degrees were Jeffrey Lee Miller, of Pinebluff, criminal justice; Brian Lee McKenzie, of Pinehurst, sociology; Mina M. Davis, of Cameron, business administration; Timothy R. Powe, of Cameron, mass communications; Anna Allen Frahm, of Carthage, business administration; Michael Anthony Placa, of Pinebluff, information technology; Stacy Leigh Hand, of Pinehurst, accounting; Aymee Therese Tiffany, of West End, special education; Stephanie Jean Burks, of Pinebluff, nursing.

Receiving master’s degrees were Tracy Eugene Miller, of Carthage, service agency counseling; Marc Louis Leake, of Whispering Pines, social studies education; D’Etta Marie Kyle, of Aberdeen, elementary education; Christine Miller Lowder, of Aberdeen, school counseling; Kathleen Karr Mallow, of Pinehurst, school counseling; Kimberly Sue Mason, of Pinehurst, school counseling; Brantley Edward Clifton Jr., of Pinehurst, business administration; Heidi Luebke Dent, of Southern Pines, business administration; Michael Hugh Green, criminal justice.

Dean’s List

David Christian Nestor has been placed on the dean’s list of the School of Business at Wake Forest University in recognition of outstanding academic achievement during the spring 2010 term.

Arnold Honored

Texie Arnold, of Pinehurst, daughter of Sally and Tom Wood, of Pinehurst, and Marks Arnold, of Raleigh, has been elected by her peers to serve as chair of Boarding Life at Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh for the upcoming 2010-2011 academic year.

Arnold is a rising senior at the Raleigh school.

She is one of 10 executive Student Government Association officers who serve to uphold the rules and honor code of the school. The SGA officers also plan special events and activities for the student body and assist the administration in establishing student life politics.

Founded in 1842, Saint Mary’s School is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory, boarding and day school, dedicated to academic excellence and personal achievement for young women in grades 9-12. Saint Mary’s School is the seventh-largest girls boarding and day school in the nation.

Master’s Degree

Amy Elizabeth Gibbs received her master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics at Northern Illinois University on May 7.

Gibbs graduated from South Forsyth High School and the University of Georgia.

She is the daughter of Joe and Sandy Gibbs, of Cumming, Ga., the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gibbs, of Irving, Texas, and Mrs. J.C. Stanley, of Carthage.

Rhodes Graduates

Jazzmon Shari Rhodes, of Aberdeen, graduated from Anderson University, Anderson, Ind., on Saturday, May 8.

Approximately 627 undergraduate and graduate students received degrees during the graduation ceremony. Anderson University’s commencement was conducted in the Kardatzke Wellness Center and was preceded by a baccalaureate service in Reardon Auditorium.

Commencement speaker William G. Enright, executive director of Lake Family Institute on Faith & Giving at Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University and former senior pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, addressed the graduating class of 2010.

Anderson University is a private, four-year, liberal arts institution of approximately 2,800 undergraduate and graduate students.

Leadership Event

Maris Mantle Riley recently attend the North Carolina East site of the Hugh O'Brien Youth (HOBY) Leadership Seminar presented by Raleigh Jaycees. Riley joined 150 other young leaders representing 132 high schools from Eastern North Carolina.

Riley, the son of Elizabeth and Maris Riley, represented Union Pines High School at the North Carolina East Seminar.

HOBY N.C. East was held on the campus of North Carolina State University June 11-13. This leadership seminar brings together a select group of rising juniors from public and private high schools to interact with groups of distinguished leaders in government, education and other professions to discuss present and future issues. The goal is to provide students a stimulating forum for learning about critical issues while broadening their understanding of their leadership potential and quest for self-development.

Sally Ride Awards

The Sandhills Branch of the American Association of University Women has awarded its 16th annual Sally Ride Awards in the Moore County middle schools.

Ride was the first woman astronaut, making two flights aboard the Columbia space shuttle while working for NASA. The Sandhills Branch was given permission by Ride to use her name for these awards. These awards are given each year to inspire girls in the fields of science, math and technology.

The 2010 recipients are Berenice Lopez, of Elise Middle School; Holly English, of Highfalls School; Kaitlin Facer, of New Century Middle School; Christiana Boals, of Southern Middle School; Elaine Kearney, of West Pine Middle School; and Karen Kennedy, of Westmoore School.

Ride was born in California. She received a doctorate in physics from Stanford University, where she was an outstanding tennis player. Since leaving NASA, she has taught and done research at Stanford and at the University of California at San Diego. She has developed the Sally Ride Math and Science Foundation to encourage students to seek careers in these two fields.

The goal of AAUW is advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research. Anyone interested in AAUW may contact Lois McCarthy at (910) 295-2871.

Scholarship Given

National Gardens Clubs, Inc. announced the awarding of the organization’s 2010-2011 college scholarships to 35 recipients in the amount of $112,500. One of the recipients is Maegen Williams.

Williams graduated from North Moore High School in June 2008. She is a rising senior at N.C. State University, majoring in agricultural education with a minor in horticultural science. She is currently completing a summer internship with Carolina Farm Credit in Carthage.

After completing her bachelor’s degree, Williams plans to continue her education at N.C. State University and earn her master’s degree. She is the daughter of Edwin and Ruth Williams, of Robbins.

The NGC scholarship program offers financial aid to students and promotes study in agriculture education, horticulture, floriculture, landscape, environmental concerns, economics, environmental conservation, city planning, wildlife science, habitat or forest/systems ecology, land management and/or other related or allied subjects.

National Garden Clubs, Inc. is nonprofit organization with its headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. For more information on NGC, visit www.gardenclub.org.

MCMS Scholarships

The Moore County Music Society has awarded scholarships in the amount of $1,200 each to two Union Pines graduates who plan to study at the Hayes School of Music of Appalachian State University in Boone.

Both Murphy Pilson and Claire Margaret Wilkins were highly recommended by their music and classroom teachers and had extensive musical experiences and leadership roles while at Union Pines.

Pilson’s musical activities included playing trumpet, piano and violin, band and chorus. She was the head drum major for the marching band and held memberships in the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Interact Club, Tri-M Music Society and also won auditions for All-County Band, All-District Band and All-County Chorus. Pilson also was involved in the community as Habitat for Humanity coordinator for Robbins First Baptist Church, Angel Tree Coordinator for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, UNICEF, Relay for Life, Operation Christmas Child, Crop Walk, Moore County Parks and Recreation children’s event volunteer and many others.

Her parents are Greg and Betsy Pilson, of Carthage.

Wilkins’ musical activities included playing flute and piccolo in the marching, concert, and symphonic bands and wind ensemble, where she was the flute section leader. She also studied flute privately with June Infantino. Wilkins was a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Junior/Senior Mentor Program, Tri-M Music Society, Key Club and women’s track team. She is a member of the United Methodist Youth Fellowship and Girl Scouts of America. Her community involvement included Habitat for Humanity, mission work, hospital visitations and Special Olympics.

Her parents are Stephen and Madgeleine Wilkins, of Whispering Pines.

Both Pilson and Wilkins have been accepted into the music industry studies program at Appalachian. Pilson’s performance major will be trumpet, while Wilkins’ will be flute. Both have just returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., where they marched with the award-winning Union Pines Marching Band in the Independence Day Parade.

Grants Awarded

Dixie Canady, of St. Pauls, and Gwynnisha Stubbs, of Aberdeen, have recently received program for continuing education grants from P.E.O. International in the amounts of $1,000 and $500, respectively.

Both women were sponsored by Chapter BY in Pinehurst and were honored at a luncheon on July 20. Canady is in the therapeutic massage program and Stubbs is in the LPN program. Both attend Sandhills Community College.

This grant will assist both women with tuition, books and transportation during their fall and spring semesters at Sandhills.

P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization that reaches out to women pursuing educational goals in the U.S. and Canada.

Attends N.C. Central

Jermisa LaSalle’ Stroud, daughter of Lynette Alexander, of Southern Pines, will be attending N.C. Central University, in Durham. Her intent is to become a pediatric dentist.

She is the granddaughter of Bernice McLeod, of Wilmington, Del., and Hulene Morrison, of Taylortown. She has two brothers, Jamode Allbrooks and Kalard Alexander, and a sister, Ashley Fairley, and shares a close relationship with aunt, Dachel Alexander, and cousins, Chantay McCoy, Crystal Williams and Jermaine Alston.