These Page One Award winners and runners-up received more than $19,000 in cash prizes

Apr. 12—More than 200 outstanding high school seniors and teachers in the Chattahoochee Valley were celebrated Tuesday at the 48th annual Page One Awards.

Winners and runners-up in 13 student categories and one teacher category were announced in the Bill Heard Theatre at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, but all the nominees were honored on stage for their excellence in education and community service.

“We are all inspired by the accomplishments of our Page One nominees,” said Marquette McKnight, founder and CEO of Media, Marketing and More. “They belong to dozens of honor societies, have leadership positions in more than 400 clubs, organizations, community groups, faith communities and nonprofits.

“They are smart, creative and brave. They have part-time jobs. They tutor. They volunteer. They organize. They right wrongs. They do good. … Our entire community is proud of all of you, and it’s a better place to live because each of you are a part of it.”

McKnight thanked Piedmont Columbus Regional for being the Page One Awards presenting sponsor, enabling the winners and runners-up to receive more than $19,000 in scholarships this year. She also thanked cornerstone sponsor Aflac and category sponsors Columbus Technical College, FABArts, Media, Marketing and More, the Ledger-Enquirer, RiverCenter and Columbus State University.

Along with their awards, the winners receive a $1,000 cash prize, and the runners-up receive a $300 cash prize.

The Page One Awards program invites coordinators at Columbus area public and private high schools in Muscogee, Harris, Chattahoochee, Marion, Russell and Lee counties to submit the applications of their school’s nominees in each category. More than 40 community leaders serve as judges to select the winners and runners-up, based on the applications and interviews.

In addition to the teacher category, the student categories are art, athletics, career and technology, citizenship, drama, English and literature, foreign language, general scholarship, journalism, math, music, science and social studies.

As examples of the positive impact the winners of these categories make in the community, the L-E is featuring two of them here:

Journalism winner

Jaiden Parham of Smiths Station High School is the journalism category winner. Kirsten Chloe Reyes of Hardaway High School is the runner-up.

After Jaiden served as a reporter for three years with the Panther News Network, the in-school TV station, he became PNN’s chief editor as a senior.

He directed and edited a promotional video for the Alabama State Department of Education’s Math, Science and Technology Initiative. Jaiden also used his video production skills to help his church by livestreaming the services on Facebook and YouTube.

“I enjoy serving and using my interests to help others hear sermons and stay in touch with our church body even when they cannot be there in person,” he wrote in his application.

One of his teachers wrote about Jaiden in a recommendation, “He is an exemplary student, athlete and person. His outstanding leadership, journalistic and editing skills have greatly contributed to his success in the (PNN) program.”

While explaining their selection, the judges wrote, “Jaiden is a well-rounded student-athlete, leader and community volunteer, as well as having a focus in journalism. We were impressed by his demonstration of leadership skills through his hard work and mentorship of his peers.”

Jaiden won the Smiths Station football team’s Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior and is a member of the track and field team.

After receiving his award, Jaiden told the Ledger-Enquirer he was “very excited” to win.

“It means everything that they chose me out of all these people,” he said.

Jaiden enjoys producing videos that tell people’s stories because “it gives them a path to express themselves,” he said.

After graduating from Smiths Station next month, Jaiden plans to enlist in the U.S. Air Force. He expects to be stationed in San Antonio and hopes to be trained in engineering for heating, ventilation and air condition so he has a valuable skill when he ends his military career.

His ultimate goal, Jaiden said, is “just have a family and raise them up in the way they should go and be contributing members of society.”

Teacher winner

Malissa Jones, biology and physics teacher at Jordan Vocational High School, is the teaching category winner. The two runners-up are Spencer High School art teacher Tammie Brown and Brookstone School history teacher Hunter Chapman.

Jones tries to be a role model for her students.

“I want my students to see my actions, professionalism and daily attitude as an example of how to conduct themselves when they enter into the real-life world,” she wrote in her application.

Jones recalled a teacher’s support when she was a student helped her overcome what she described as a troubled childhood and earn three advanced college degrees. Now, she is paying forward that attitude of gratitude.

“I teach because every child needs an adult who will support them and encourage them even when they are making mistakes,” she wrote.

Jordan principal Ryan Hutson described Jones in his recommendation as demonstrating “selfless service and a devotion to personal improvement” and that she embodies her favorite quote: “Success is never owned. It is only rented; and the rent is due every day.”

Jones challenges her students to pursue excellence and to not let setbacks define them or prevent them from reaching their goals.

“Mrs. Jones’s journey to becoming an educator and dedication and commitment to her students is commendable,” the judges wrote. “We were moved by her conviction and passion for striving to be a role model for her students.”

After receiving her award, Jones told the L-E she was “completely surprised” to win.

“I do what I do because I’m called to teach,” she said. “I feel like it’s in me. I just want to make sure that I give the best to my students.”

Jones has been a teacher for 16 years, including the past six at Jordan. She also has taught in DeKalb, Gwinnett and Quitman counties. She graduated from Stone Mountain High School, then earned a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, a master’s degree from Strayer University and specialist’s degrees from Kennesaw State University and Argosy University.

Such academic success was impossible for her to imagine when she started high school.

“I was one of those kids who just kind of didn’t want to do school,” she said. “I felt like it was a waste of my time. I would get into trouble so I could get sent home.”

But a biology co-teacher, Teresa Scott, saw in Jones a more constructive potential than the daily fights she got into with fellow students and the disrespect she showed to faculty members.

At the end of Jones’ freshman year, Scott told her, “You are not going to continue to act like this. I’m going to come and find you every day, and we’re going to figure out what’s going on.”

Each school-day morning, Scott asked Jones how she was feeling — and insisted on honest answers. She helped Jones learn how to express herself in healthy and effective ways. The positive impact boosted Jones’ self-esteem.

“She never judged me,” Jones said. “She gave me multiple opportunities to get it right.”

Now, Jones strives to be such a caring resource for her students.

“I just try to teach them don’t ever feel like you don’t have a choice because you do,” she said, “and don’t ever feel like you don’t have a voice because you do.”

Page One Awards 2023 Winners and Runners-Up

Here are the winners of the 2023 Page One Awards, followed by the runners-up, in each category (with their high school in parentheses):

— Art: Stacie Smith (Columbus), Emily Hughes (Harris County)

— Athletics: Lauren Baker (Columbus), Aubrey Hallam (Smiths Station)

— Career and technology: Kaitlin Franck (Harris County), Autumn Gary (Central)

— Citizenship: Kaya Basnet (Columbus), Lemmon Turner (Kendrick)

— Drama: Tyler Patterson (Columbus), Tyann Miller (Hardaway)

— English and literature: Anika Sridhar (Columbus), Samantha Congdon (Northside)

— Foreign language: Charlotte Young (Columbus), Harmoni Adams (Kendrick)

— General scholarship: Luke Cason (Harris County), Neha Nakirikanti (Columbus)

— Journalism: Jaiden Parham (Smiths Station), Kirsten Chloe Reyes (Hardaway)

— Math: Beatriz Chavez-Almanza (Spencer), Melinda Belen (Northside)

— Music: Isabella Camp (Rainey-McCullers), JaReyon Feagins (Kendrick)

— Science: Shruthi Sankar (Columbus), Jacob Borkat (Brookstone)

— Social studies: Justin Lee (Columbus), William Sealy (Northside)

— Teacher: Malissa Jones (Jordan), Tammie Brown (Spencer), Hunter Chapman (Brookstone)

This story was originally published April 11, 2023, 8:59 PM.

(c)2023 the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Ga.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.