Two Bellbrook High School Students and their teachers were honored by McAfee Heating and Air with their You Can Count on Me Scholarship awards, recently.
Seniors Alexis Holding and Emma Jenkins and teachers Josh Craig and Katie Bills-Tenney were the award recipients out of hundreds across the Dayton region. A total of 10 student winners were selected – two from Bellbrook.
The You Can Count on Me scholarship program is designed to recognize high school seniors who have a desire to pursue post-secondary education and/or training. Each Spring, 110 students are chosen to receive a $2,500 scholarship. A donation of $250 also is made to the teacher each recipient wishes to recognize.
The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial support for students who have demonstrated a strong work ethic and who wish to pursue opportunities to better themselves through college courses and/or post-secondary training programs. Emphasis is placed on students who demonstrate that they can be truly "counted on" by their family, in their community, and in their schools.
Holding has been recognized several times for her work in helping to fund the EagleLand 2 project along with Emme Volmer and Alyssa Pernush. She also is a member of Supportive Peers and was a large part of the State of the Schools Performance put on by the district in November.
One letter of recommendation for the Scholarship read: “Teenagers, raising $140K on a project they had no tie to other than a person they barely knew asked them for help. It ought to be mentioned that Lexie achieved all this while aiding her mother who was in kidney failure and underwent a transplant and is now back to nearly full health. She’s a rock in the storm.
"She is a person you want on your team. She is a person who truly embodies the tenets of the You Can Count on Me Scholarship. Lexie won’t let you down and this year, she just scratched the surface of what she is capable of.”
Emma Jenkins’ resume also reads impressively.
Her extracurriculars involve a multitude of activities, including school, dance, and church, as well as a part-time job. She volunteers and works around the studio by teaching younger dancers and working at events.
At school, she’s involved in student government — elected senior class president — where she takes part in planning school dances, spirit events, talent shows, and volunteering her time for events like freshman orientation. She’s also the Kindness Club leader, she has organized food drives for the local support center, made holiday cards for nursing homes and Dayton Children's Hospital and made blankets for the St. Vincent de Paul homeless shelter. She’s a three-year member of the National Honor Society and a member of the HOSA club. She’s a peer tutor, part of Eagle Excellence (a group dedicated to mentoring freshmen), and on the academic team. She’s a volunteer Sunday school teacher, plays piano during church service and more.
In 2024, she was a Student Visionary of the Year for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This philanthropic leadership program is a nationwide fundraiser to fight blood cancers. She helped raise $25,000 in seven weeks.
“This campaign has reinforced my desire to do good in my community and encouraged other community members to become more involved and generous,” Jenkins said in her letter.
Congratulations to Lexie and Emma, two shining examples in the Bellbrook community who can always be counted on.