Columbus celebrates Page One Award winners, runners-up at return to in-person ceremony
After two years of virtual ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Page One Awards returned to an in-person event Tuesday night at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.
For the 47th consecutive year, the Ledger-Enquirer conducted its annual program celebrating outstanding high school seniors and teachers in the Columbus area.
This year’s 199 nominees from across the Chattahoochee Valley competed in 13 student categories and one teacher category.
The student categories are art, athletics, career & technology, citizenship, RiverCenter Drama Scholarship, English & literature, foreign language, Columbus State University General Scholarship, Tucker-Wilder Journalism Scholarship, math, music, science and social studies. The teacher category is the Sara Spano Top Teacher Award.
The journalism winner receives $1,500. The other winners receive $1,000. The runners-up, including two in the teacher category, receive $300.
That amounts to $19,000 and brings the program’s 47-year total to $667,000 in cash awards to teens and teachers displaying excellence in education and community service.
Heather Williams, head of print revenue and subscriptions for the L-E and its parent company, McClatchy, thanked Piedmont Columbus Regional for being the Page One Awards presenting sponsor and its “continuing investment in these exemplary students.”
Williams also thanked the program’s judges, 40 community leaders and experts in their categories, who interviewed the nominees via videoconference after reading their applications, which include essays and faculty recommendations.
“I know we are all inspired by the accomplishments of our Page One nominees,” Williams said. “They belong to dozens of honor societies; have leadership positions in more than 400 clubs, organizations, community groups, faith communities and nonprofits.
“They are smart, creative and brave. They have part-time jobs. They tutor. They volunteer. They organize. They right wrongs. They do good. And even more so during the last two years, these students have persevered (through the pandemic) for almost half of their entire time in high school — an incredible accomplishment. Our entire community is proud of all of you, and it’s a better place to live because each of you are a part of it.”
Journalism winner
With an extra $500 going to the winner, the Tucker-Wilder Journalism Scholarship is the most prestigious Page One Award category.
The journalism scholarship is named after three former editors of the Ledger or Enquirer, when they were separate newspapers: W.H. Tucker, W.C. Tucker and Bruce Wilder.
And this year’s winner is Ellison Laney of Central High School. The runner-up is Eli Hardegree of Columbus High School.
Ellison leads the sports department for Red Devils Television. She also has produced coverage of live sporting events for the Alabama High School Athletics Association and videos for other organizations. She is an Adobe Certified Professional in visual design.
Her memberships include National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society and SkillsUSA.
Ellison is a three-time recipient of the Principal’s Award, four-time recipient of the Coach’s Award and honorary captain of the varsity girls softball team.
She mentors younger students to help them learn the skills necessary to continue the school’s productions after she graduates.
“I am passionate about teaching others how to do what I love,” she wrote in her Page One Awards application.
Ellison plans to attend Troy University. Although she isn’t certain about her career path, she wrote, “I do know that I will continue to share people’s stories with the world.”
The judges noted her accomplishments are beyond most students her age.
“Ellison’s work in sports journalism is impressive, and she is as close to newsroom-ready as you can get in high school,” they wrote. “Her resume matches that of a more experienced college journalist, and she has a bright future.”
Her commitment to play with her Central softball teammates for the regular-season area championship kept Ellison from attending the Page One Awards ceremony. She ended up winning at both venues.
“This was monumental as we haven’t won the regular season championship in 5 years, and we will now host the Area Tournament in May,” she told the L-E in an email. “I checked my phone in between innings and saw that I had received a text from my sponsor Mrs. Sasser that simply read ‘You won!!!!’ I immediately turned around to my teammates and coaches that were in the dugout and shouted ‘I won Page One!’”
Ellison explained what the honor means to her.
“Winning this award was not so much for the monetary benefit, but more for the representation of my school in my community,” she said. “There is no way that I could be this successful without all of those who have provided me with opportunities along the way.”
Teacher winner
Polly Ann Propst Everritt, a Spanish teacher at Jordan Vocational High School, won the Sara Spano Top Teacher Award. The award is named after the late L-E food editor, who also was a teacher and a Muscogee County School Board member.
The runners-up are Columbus High School math teacher Mikel Anna Hill and Central High School television production teacher Tim Loreman.
In her Page One Awards application, Everritt emphasized the importance of student-teacher relationships.
“I hope the healthy social skills my students shape and develop in my classroom carry over into their personal lives,” she wrote. “I want to have a positive effect on how they treat co-workers on the job, strangers in the street, and the future families they will grow.”
In his recommendation of Everritt, Jordan principal Ryan Hutson described her as a “consummate professional in everything she does for our students. She is truly an agent of change, building a positive school culture and making sure the very best of Jordan is on display at all times.”
The judges noted in their written comments that Everritt works with students to help them understand how a “present and prepared student looks, acts and learns, not only in the classroom but in the community and in the workplace. She is passionate about communicating how important public education is to the community, the workplace and to the individual student.”
Everritt earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Judson College, a master’s degree in secondary history education from Columbus State University and a certificate in Spanish literature from the Costa Rican Language Academy.
After receiving her award, Everritt told the L-E, “I’m astounded — I mean, just blown away.”
Then she explained what the award means to her.
“I feel like the community understands the importance of a public educator and what we do every day,” she said.
And celebrating excellence in education in a public ceremony, Everritt said, “is amazing. I’m so glad we’re back to somewhat normalcy.”
WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP
Here are the winners of the 2022 Page One Awards, followed by the runners-up, in each category (with their high school in parentheses):
- Art: Lilly Jankowski (Northside), Abigail Haines (Columbus)
- Athletics: Sa’Mirra Pharrams (Hardaway), Taniya Averett (Kendrick),
- Career and technology: Joy Edwards (Northside), Margaret “Maggie” Fontaine (Columbus)
- Citizenship: Jackie Boyanchek (Brookstone), Xander Russell (Harris County0
- Drama: Annalise Eagle (Northside), Jocelyn Peebles (Harris County)
- English and literature: Eva Cheraisi (Columbus), Kerwin Cannon (Northside)
- Foreign language: Emily “Nicki” Howard (Columbus), Lia Guerrero (Northside)
- General scholarship: Pranati Yadlapalli (Columbus), Race Williams (Harris County)
- Journalism: Ellison Laney (Central), Eli Hardegree (Columbus)
- Math: Ray Toma (Columbus), Maddox Fenell (Pacelli)
- Music: Tennyson Smith (Calvary Christian), Sheily Puc (Kendrick)
- Science: Paige Miller (Columbus), Riley Radney (Northside)
- Social studies: Mary Christian McCoy (Columbus), Jonathan Mimy-Matthews (Shaw)
- Teacher: Polly Ann Propst Everritt (Jordan), Mikel Anna Hill (Columbus), Tim Loreman (Central).
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 8:51 PM.
