Jefferson Alumni awards 13 scholarships to Adams County seniors
Thirteen Adams County seniors each earned $1,000 from Jefferson Alumni, lifting the Blue Creek group’s total to 199 scholarships since 2003.
Jefferson Alumni kept its support close to home this year, awarding 13 scholarships of $1,000 each to Adams County seniors and bringing its running total to 199 scholarships since 2003. The Blue Creek-based alumni group met Saturday, May 23, to recognize graduates whose records reflect more than grades alone, tying academic success to sports, service, family history and a long memory for Jefferson County’s schools.
The steady rise in awards shows how alumni and family donors have turned local loyalty into direct help for the next class of graduates. Jefferson Alumni had awarded 171 scholarships in 2024, 188 in 2025 and 199 in 2026, a year-over-year increase that has kept more seniors on track for college, technical study and career training. This year’s scholarships also continued a pattern of named family support, including the Heinz Phipps Memorial Scholarship, the May Family Scholarship, the Don and Flo Armstrong Memorial Scholarships, two Ron and Ruth Lykins Scholarships, Jefferson Alumni Scholarships and the Dr. James & Suzanne Branham Scholarship.
Among the students highlighted, Mahayla Brown of Manchester High School stood out with a 4.0 GPA, National Honor Society membership and experience on the basketball and softball teams. She plans to attend Shawnee State University and study to become a teacher and coach, a path that keeps her future rooted in the same kind of community mentorship that helped shape her schooling.
Jed Shivener, a graduate of Adams County Christian School, was recognized for a 3.4 GPA, his basketball career and his selection as the 2025-26 SOCC Player of the Year. He plans to attend Kentucky Christian University to pursue teaching and coaching. His award package was increased by an additional $250 from the Young-Moore American Legion Unit 100 Ladies Auxiliary because he is a direct descendant of a Jefferson High School graduate who was a veteran, adding another layer of family and military tradition to the scholarship.
The Brown Scholarship recipients were Madee Koenig of Peebles High School, Colin Tolle of North Adams High School and Brantyn Vogler of Adams County Christian School. Koenig graduated with a 3.95 GPA and leadership roles in FFA, Beta Club and National Honor Society, and she plans to study criminal justice and agricultural business. Tolle finished with a 4.0 GPA, earned an associate degree from Southern State and stayed active in multiple sports and student groups; he plans to study business finance at Miami University. Vogler combined strong academics with student council leadership, National Honor Society and college credit through Southern State.
The scholarship tradition traces back to Ron Lykins and the late Ruth Lykins, whose vision helped launch the program in 2003, after an earlier start in 2002. What began with $250 awards grew to $500 and now stands at $1,000 for direct descendants of Jefferson High School graduates, while Phil and Tom Brown expanded their family’s contribution in 2022 with scholarships in memory of their brother David Brown, a 1967 graduate.
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