By Miles Layton

EDENTON — The applause came in waves Tuesday night, rolling through the John A. Holmes High School auditorium again and again as the Class of 2026 received scholarship after scholarship from the hands of neighbors, business owners, fraternity brothers, grieving families, and proud alumni — all of them united by a single conviction: that this senior class was worth investing in.

By the time the evening ended, dozens of scholarships totaling tens of thousands of dollars had been awarded, representing a cross-section of Edenton and Chowan County that few gatherings could match. Corporate sponsors stood alongside Greek-letter organizations. Memorial scholarships named for coaches who died decades ago mingled with brand-new awards created just this year. Veterans organizations shared the stage with youth fishing clubs.

What unified them, presenter after presenter made clear, was something harder to quantify than a grade point average.

“This is our future,” said Michelle Lewis, presenting the Christopher F. Lewis Captain’s Choice Award in memory of her son. “And folks, it’s got a lot of hope and a lot of character.”

A Pledge Against Drunk Driving

The ceremony opened with Miss Ava Bunch serving as the welcome speaker and Mr. Myles Cobb as the master of ceremonies. Early in the evening, the tone was set by a scholarship honoring a life cut short. Kristy Mize took the microphone to present the Briar James Altman Memorial Scholarship, named for her nephew, a member of the John A. Holmes class of 2023.

“We created this to honor Briar’s memory and bring awareness to the dangers of drinking and driving,” Mize told the assembled seniors. She described asking each applicant to sign a “Briar’s Buddy Pledge card, pledging a commitment to not drinking and driving.”

“Each year I pray over each one of them,” she said, “in hopes that they had the ears to hear what I said and the heart to receive the information I gave them.”

The scholarship was awarded to Jadin Welch and Morgan Nixon — the first of what would be a remarkable evening for Welch, who would go on to receive recognition from more than half a dozen organizations before the night was done.

Coaches Who Shaped Generations

Several scholarships carried the names of coaches whose influence had outlasted their time on the sidelines. Wes Mattera presented the Henry “Coach O” Overton Memorial Scholarship, calling it an honor to celebrate a man who had dedicated 42 years of his life to coaching at Holmes. Allen Browder, who presented the Pembroke Bass Fishing Club Scholarship — also established in Coach O’s memory — remembered the man in more personal terms.

“Coach O did his best to make it to as many sports as he possibly could,” Browder said. “But what many of you may not know is that as much as he loved athletics, he also loved the outdoors. There are many times that he and I would go hunting and fishing together. I would look at him telling me to look around so we can see everything that God has blessed us with and that we should be thankful for it.”

Roderick’s scholarship went to Myles Cobb, a student-athlete who had maintained a 4.0 GPA, played four years each of football and baseball, and plans to attend Lenoir Community College before transferring to NC State to major in forestry. Aces’ note — Myles will play baseball at Lenior CC before transferring to NCSU.

The Coach Jerry McGee Scholarship, presented by Wes Chesson, carried a story of its own. Chesson recalled sitting where the seniors sat, 59 years ago, and watching a young coach instill something in his players that went beyond football.

“He took that first year to instill in his players qualities he knew would be important not only as players, but throughout their lives — the qualities of commitment, teamwork, preparation, pride and mental toughness,” Chesson said.

McGee’s teams would go on to win back-to-back state championships in 1964 and 1965, capping one perfect season in which no opponent scored more than one touchdown. This year’s recipient, Taylor Overton, brought the legacy full circle: he is the grand-nephew of Charlie Overton, a tri-captain on McGee’s first championship team, and the grandson of Mike Overton, who served as co-captain the year Wes Chesson was a senior.

“Taylor, working on his family farm, learned many of the same traits and qualities that Coach McGee instilled in his players that first year as head coach,” Chesson said.

‘We Always Leave Feeling Inspired’

Some of the evening’s most moving moments came from presenters sharing stories of loss. Liza Boehling Munford presented the George and Alex Memorial Foundation Scholarship — now in its 13th consecutive year — in honor of her brother Alex and his best friend George, who died young.

“George and Alex lived with passion, purpose, and heart,” she said. “They excelled in the classroom. They gave everything they had on the court, on the field, and in the pool. Most importantly, they led by example.”

Munford described interviewing eight finalists for the award and wishing she could give it to all of them. “Interview day has become one of the best days of the year for our families and the foundation,” she said, “because we always leave feeling inspired by the applicants and all they have accomplished and what their futures hold.”

The $20,000 scholarship — among the largest single awards of the evening — went to Hailey Roberson, who had also completed more than 40 hours of service with ECU Health Chowan Hospital’s Volunteer program and planned to pursue nursing at Mount Olive University.

The Tynch family presented scholarships of $1,000 each to Tucker Seal and Reese Seal in memory of Aubrey D. Tynch, a man who had worked 36 years with Albemarle Electric and spent his evenings reading his Bible and his electrical code books side by side.

“We pray you will always thank God for your talents just like Daddy did,” a family member said from the podium, “and that you use your talents to bless someone else, just like Daddy did.”

‘Rah Va Mil’

JROTC instructor, Lt. Colonel Neil Parks announced that Robert Layton has been selected to receive a National Army ROTC scholarship worth roughly $100,000 to attend Virginia Military Institute.

Parks cited Layton’s meritorious academic record, extracurricular involvement, and athletic activities as factors in his selection, along with what was described as exceptional leadership potential and a desire to serve as a United States Army officer.

“As the name implies, Virginia Military Institute embodies the ideals of military excellence and leadership, rooted in values such as honor, duty,” he said. “Honor, integrity, just to name a handful. It gives me great pleasure to present the National Army ROTC scholarship on behalf of the United States Army Cadet Command valued at roughly one hundred thousand dollars for this individual to attend this storied institution,” Parks said. “Layton has achieved a meritorious academic record in studies, extracurricular participation, athletic activities and has demonstrated exceptional leadership potential as well as a desire to become a United States Army Officer.”

Institutions With Deep Local Roots

The evening’s largest institutional delegations brought their own sense of community gravity. The State Employees Credit Union “People Helping People” Scholarship, presented by Chowan County Sheriff Chief Deputy John McArthur, carried a value of $10,000 and was backed, he noted, by nearly three million credit union members statewide. The scholarship — one of 85 million dollars the credit union has distributed over 21 years — went to Jayla Phelps.

The Rotary Club of Edenton marked a centennial milestone, presenting its scholarship — valued at $4,500 — for the hundredth time. A cup inscribed since 1927 to honor the senior “most distinguished in scholarship, citizenship, and extracurricular activities” now bears generations of Edenton’s most accomplished names. This year’s recipient, Bailey Elizabeth Banks, had maintained a 4.197 weighted GPA while pursuing an associate’s degree through the College of the Albemarle, completed an internship in outpatient rehabilitation, and — inspired by her own recovery from multiple hip surgeries — planned to pursue a career in physical therapy and return to Edenton to serve her community.

The Lambda Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority presented a scholarship valued at $7,521.38 to Jadin Welch, whose evening of recognition drew a standing ovation more than once. The Roanoke Chowan Alumni Chapter of NC A&T State University also honored Welch with its inaugural countywide scholarship, with chapter president Nicole Ballance reminding the audience that in Aggieland, “Aggies are always doing and never done.”

New Awards, Familiar Values

A new scholarship made its debut Tuesday. Susan Brothers took the microphone to present the first-ever Carol Taylor Bond Memorial Scholarship in honor of her late sister, Carol Vaughn, a licensed cosmetologist who owned Hair Paradise Beauty Salon and spent her Mondays reading to students at Deal Parker Elementary School as a book buddy.

“She was an advocate of education,” Brothers said simply. “She loved for children to succeed.”

Jean Bunch presented the Agent of Change Scholarship — now in its fifth year — funded by the unspent campaign contributions of her daughter, Emily Bunch Nicholson, after an unsuccessful run for the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2020. Bunch challenged every senior in the room with words she said had guided her daughter: “Love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.”

And the Cole sisters — Dr. Tracy Cole and Dr. Gerri Cole — presented the Ralph B. Cole Sr. Educational Leadership Scholarship in honor of their father, an educator in the Chowan County school system for 37 years.

“Dad truly loved serving children, their families, his faculty and staff, and the community at large,” Dr. Tracy Cole told the audience. “Because he strongly believed that education opened doors for individuals, he made it his life’s mission to educate, to encourage and to support others.”

This year’s $1,500 recipient, Aimee Hoffer, planned to attend Elizabeth City State University — her late honoree’s own alma mater — and major in education.

‘You Are the Future’

Near the ceremony’s close, Ronnie Bates of MyCustom Swag delivered remarks that drew knowing laughter before turning earnest. He told the seniors that when he and his wife had reviewed the applications, they had covered the pages in yellow highlighter.

“You didn’t get here alone,” he told them, “and I think it would behoove all of us to show a little bit of character for the people that got you here — your parents, your friends, your educators.”

He had planned to present one scholarship. He presented two to Holden Ford and Harper Evans.

“You are the moment,” he said. “You are the future. And in a time that can be questionable or a little bit scary at times — we’re depending on you to raise the bar.”

The John A. Holmes Class of 2026 will hold its commencement ceremonies June 5 – more coverage to come.