FPS staff report
June 29, 2009
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| Jim Pyles Ohio State University Scholarship recipients Austin Kirk and Chelsea Bates are show with Gail Pyles (center), wife of the late Jim Pyles. |
Carrollton 2009 grads Austin Kirk and Chelsea Bates are the first recipients of the Jim Pyles Ohio State University Scholarship.
Austin is the son of Dan and Val Kirk of Carrollton and plans to major in Environment and Natural Resources at OSU.
Chelsea, daughter of Michelle and Eric Roberts of Carrollton, will major in Audiology.
Both grads received $500 towards their college expenses.
Jim Pyles passed away June 20, 2008 following a two-year battle with cancer.
Pyles taught and coached for 32 years in the Carrollton school system and was a proud graduate of CHS and The Ohio State University.
At Carrollton, Austin played football and ran track, was a member of the Student Council, National Honor Society, Chamber Chorus, Academic Hall of Fame, Spanish Club, STAMP and Ohio Reads.
He attended post-secondary classes, was a Northeastern Buckeye Conference Scholar Athlete and served as an officer of the Carrollton Chapter of Future Farmers of America.
“The Ohio State University is the only school I applied to. As a child and since then, I have been an avid Buckeye fan,” noted Kirk, “As I began considering college and schools that would be good for me I found that Ohio State was an excellent school with endless opportunities and it seemed to be good fit.”
“The current environmental issues facing Ohio, America and the world interest me and I desire to help make a difference by receiving a degree in environmentally related studies,” finalized the scholarship recipient.
At Carrollton, Miss Bates was a member of the cheerleading squad and played softball in the Lady Warrior program. She was a member of SADD, Caring, Helping, Sharing Club, Spanish Club, National Honor Society and as a STAMP mentor.
“Attending The Ohio State University has always been a dream of mine,” said Chelsea, “Not only will I be joining the Buckeye nation, I will be fulfilling my educational and career goals at one of the most credited institutions in the country.”
She continued: “Being one of the top schools in Ohio for audiology, Ohio State has much to offer - a guaranteed education, diverse population and an atmosphere that is admirable.
“I chose audiology because when I was eight years old my younger brother, Zachary, was diagnosed with a bilateral sesorineural hearing loss. Zachary was referred to an audiologist where he was fitted for binaural hearing aids. After adjusting to all the unfamiliar sounds (having never heard them before), Zachary’s eyes lit up - sparkling with amazement - for he was now able to hear.
“It was at this point in time I knew I wanted to pursue a career in audiology,”
In a effort to build funding for the Jim Pyles OSU Scholarship, a 4-man scramble golf tournament will be held Saturday, Aug. 29, at Carroll Meadows Golf Course just north of Carrollton. The event will coincide with the induction breakfast of the Carrollton High School Athletic Hall of Fame when the class of 2009 is inducted.
For details on the tourney contact Scot Spears at 330-324-6028 or Mark Spears at 330-324-1254. |
