NHSAEF proudly presented the 2nd annual college scholarships to talented performing and visual arts students at the NHS Baccalaureate Service on Sunday, June 7, 2009. The recipients of this year's $1000 awards are (from left to right above) Wilhelmina Cole, Travis Mann, Miranda Pister, Aubrye Carr, and Julia McClernon.

Wilhelmina Cole received the award for achievements in Instrumental Music. An honor student (as are all this year’s recipients), Cole has played clarinet in NHS Concert Band for three years. She has also taken classes in each of the other arts disciplines at Northwood. She will attend Appalachian State University this fall.

Travis Mann is the recipient of the award for Visual Arts. Mann is an officer in Art Club as well as the National Art Honor Society and attended NC Governor’s School for Art in the summer of 2008. He worked extensively on the sets & auditorium for both Grease! and this year’s Into the Woods. He will attend Savannah College of Art & Design.

Miranda Pister received the scholarship for her achievements in Dramatic Art. She is a member of NHS’ Dance Company and Dance Ensemble as well as the Acting Ensemble. Pister has appeared in both the fall plays (most recently in the lead role of Miss Barrett in Up the Down Staircase) and NHS musicals Beauty & the Beast, Grease! and Into the Woods. She will attend Liberty University.

This year’s award for choral music was presented to Aubrye Carr. Carr is a member of NHS Voice Ensemble, Concert Choir and the Northwood Singers. She is also a prize-winning poet and appeared in this year's production of Into the Woods. In her single year at Northwood, she has been extensively involved in all aspects of the arts program. Carr will study at Gardner-Webb University in the fall. 

Julia McClernon was awarded the scholarship for achievements in Dance. In addition to her many dance appearances on the Northwood stage as a member of the Dance Company and Dance Ensemble, audiences may remember McClernon from her comedic roles as Marty in Grease! and as one of the blind stepsisters in Into the Woods. Julia plans to continue her studies in both dance and theatre this fall at UNC-Asheville.

Congratulations to these talented student performers.

The NHS Arts Education Foundation was formed in the fall of 2007 and the Performing & Visual Arts Scholarships were the first priority identified by the foundation members. The foundation is working to endow these scholarships so that they can be presented at Northwood in perpetuity.

See the Join Us section of the website to become a member or make a contribution to the scholarship endowment fund. If you wish to establish a endowment in someone’s honor or memory, please contact NHSAEF president, Gina Harrison, (gina_harrison@mac.com) or NHS Arts Dept. Chair, Lori Carlin (lmajor@chatham.k12.nc.us)