A Brief History of SSSF, the Senior Scribes and the Teens they helped Darke County Ohio

A look back...
A Brief History of CNO, SSSF, the Senior Scribes and the Teens they helped

The Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund was an evolution. The group started several years ago as the Senior Advocates. Their goal was to have a similar forum in the Daily Advocate as the Teen Advocates, which was started by Bob Robinson, the editor at the time. It was successful with weekly pages designed by and for Darke County Seniors under the leadership of volunteer Senior Editor Lyn Bliss.

The Senior Advocates and Robinson’s Teen Advocates, under the leadership of volunteer Teen Editor Jordan Pridemore, began performing community service activities together, creating a bond between young and old.

When Jordan began her college search in her senior year - her fourth year as Teen Editor - she was as yet unaware of her “army” of followers of all ages. This unofficial group, led by the late Jeanne Morris, established a scholarship fund and surprised her with a donation in excess of $2,000 to help with her college expenses.

Shortly after Robinson retired from The Advocate, the senior group voted to take advantage of the additional publishing opportunities offered by the Early Bird and moved to the weekly newspaper with the new name, Senior Scribes. By this time, the Scribes had caught the “scholarship bug” and continued their fundraising to help young people planning on a career in communications to meet their college tuitions. The group established a 501c3 non-profit organization and began fundraising in earnest.

The rest is history. More scholarships were awarded and additional fundraising opportunities addressed. County News Online is the latest and promises to be the most rewarding over time. A brief few months after CNO went online in 2011, the News and Information Service contributed $1,500 to the $5,000 in scholarships that were awarded. In 2012, CNO presented a check for $3,500 as its portion of the $6,000 awarded last April.

More than $17,000 in scholarships have been awarded by the Senior Scribes since the program began. Shown below are the Darke County youth who have benefitted from Senior Scribes scholarships.

Jordan Pridemore, Franklin Monroe High School

Jordan was Teen Advocate Editor from 2005 to 2008. Jordan’s weekly columns attracted a huge audience of Advocate readers as she prepared for a career in journalism with a degree from Ball State University. During her college career she interned at the Dayton Daily News. Since that time Jordan’s plans have evolved into a more personal level of service as she will be graduating in 2012 with a double degree: English and English as a Second Language. She received SSSF Scholarships in 2009 and 2010.

Margaret Prakel, Versailles High School

Margaret Prakel was the 2011 recipient of the Debbie & Darrel Biddlestone Fred Wright Memorial Scholarship. Margaret is seeking a Communications degree at Notre Dame.

Jessica Transue, Greenville High School

Jessica is a talented young photographer who covered a variety of events for County News Online in 2011. She also created the rotating banners that readers see at the top of CNO Topic pages. In her senior year at GHS, she built and maintained Digital Waves, IMTV’s sub-domain on County News Online. The site was updated daily with news and events at Greenville High School. She plans to attend Edison Community College while preparing for a Communications degree at an as yet undecided four-year institution. Jessica received the Fred Wright Memorial Scholarship in 2012.

Kayla Lemar, Home School

Kayla led the Teen Advocates after Jordan left for Ball State. Her dream was to be a novelist. She attended Edison Community College and Bowling Green before deciding that writing would be an avocation as she answered a call to serve through her faith. Kayla was a scholarship recipient in 2011.

Sam Armstrong, Mississinawa Valley High School

Sam, a 2010 graduate, is an English Communications major at Cedarville University and has been a regular contributor to County News Online’s Teen Scribes pages. He has received SSSF scholarships in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Kent Holmes, Greenville High School

Kent was third in his graduating class in 2011. In addition he was President of the GHS Key Club and involved in a variety of other student organizations and activities, including the high school’s drama group. He and fellow senior Simon Hoying produced and directed a series of videos and stage performances, many of which were presented to the public. He is a sophomore in Communications at Ball State University. He has received scholarships in 2011 and 2012.

Simon Hoying, Greenville High School

Simon and Kent are working together at Ball State on their Communications degrees. In addition to their work while at GHS, they have a weekly radio show that they produce for the Ball State student population. Simon received scholarships in 2011 and 2012.

Jessica Barga, Versailles High School

Jessica will be beginning her sophomore year at Miami University in Communications this year. She received a scholarship in 2011.

Tiffany Beimer, Greenville High School

Tiffany was a Teen Advocate during her junior and senior years and attended Edison Community College in preparation for Communications degree. She received a scholarship in 2011.

John Liette, Ansonia High School

John Liette is the recipient of the inaugural Delbert & Louise Blickenstaff Scholarship. John was chosen for the 2012 award because, according to Blickenstaff, he has overcome hearing challenges to achieve academic excellence.

Ashley Studebaker, Franklin Monroe High School

Ashley is planning to pursue a career in sports writing. She approached County News Online about writing for the News & Information site in January. Since then, she has published a number of articles for both sports and community news. She is a 2012 scholarship recipient.