NKHS ‘Memory Bricks’ sale to raise scholarship money

New Kent High School is embarking on a project to not only honor those who have passed through the school’s doors in the past, but also provide scholarship money for students who will be departing via graduation.

Dubbed the “Memory Brick” project, the school will soon begin selling bricks that will sport engraved messages. The finished bricks are then to become part of diagonal walkways approaching the main entrance to the existing high school.

An engraved message can be a former student’s name and year of graduation or, perhaps, a former teacher or administrator with their years of tenure. Messages can also be a memorial. During the Dec. 3 New Kent School Board meeting, principal Yvonne Jones said the first brick will honor Samantha Mehlbauer, a 2006 graduate who died unexpectedly in August.

A committee composed of school staff and students will screen potential brick messages to determine if the wording is appropriate.

School Board members, meanwhile, approved the project during the meeting. Jones told the board that fliers advertising the brick sale and how to purchase bricks should be ready for public distribution by January.

The bricks will be sold for $50 each. Organizers expect to net a profit of at least $2,000 from the first 100 sold. That money, and more if sales really take off, will go toward “The Moving Forward Scholarship.”

Actually, plans call for dividing the money equally among four graduating seniors. Organizers are setting a 2.5 minimum grade-point average for applicants. Doing so, Jones said, will open scholarship availability to more students.

Applicants must also be headed for a two- or four-year higher education institution or a vocational school. They will be required to submit a short written statement on how they would benefit from the scholarship. Other selection criteria include class participation, community work, and two letters of recommendation.

Work to install the finished bricks in the walkway is expected to take place by early June.

Also at the Dec. 3 meeting, board members presented resolutions of appreciation to:

–High school senior Samuel Craig for achieving finalist status on the 2008 National Merit Preliminary SAT Test;

–High school student Lily Kuhn for winning a “Yes I Can” Award from the Virginia chapter of The Council For Exceptional Children;

–Sixth grader Megan Mepham and seventh grader Alexys Gray for winning the National School Bus Safety Week essay contest at the middle school;

–High School students Ashley Rodgers, Rachel Foster, and Amanda Branch for placing first, second, and third, respectively, in the school’s National School Bus Safety Week poster contest;

–And retiring board members Cynthia Gaines (12 years) and Van McPherson (8 years) for their service on the board.