Scholarship & Community Service Awards Breakfast

Mr. Daniel Forbes is described by his school counselor as being an intelligent, hardworking, reliable and prodigious young man.  This musically inclined scholar is a member of the Marching Band at Tallwood High School and was awarded the honor of playing at the District level for the last four years.  Not only does he have a strong music background, he is also a student athlete at Tallwood. He was a member of the JV Soccer team his freshman and sophomore year and is currently the captain of their newly formed Lacrosse Team.  Daniel is also a member of the Chrome Club, Men of Excellence and National Honor Society. His reach can also be found among the community at large. He has participated in the YMCA Leaders Club since the 8th grade. This program has afforded Daniel the opportunity to strengthen skills that focus on the mind, body and spirit.  He also serves as a Junior Missionary and Youth Usher at his home church, First Baptist Bute St. Recently, Daniel was given the distinct honor of being awarded the 2020 Youth of the Year at First Baptist Bute St. Academically, he is currently enrolled in AP Statistics, AP Government and Physics. Overall, Daniel has taken seven AP courses, five honors classes, earning 26 college level credits in high school.  Amazingly, he is able to balance academics, music, sports, and a part time job at Shaking Crab all while maintaining a 3.9 GPA. Daniel will be attending Virginia Tech in the Fall where he plans to major in Engineering.

Mr. Jaylen Johnson’s life goal is to make a major impact in our society.  He recently told his guidance counselor that he would rather, “change one billion lives than make one billion dollars.”  This budding philanthropist gives free piano lessons in his spare time and also assists foreign exchange students as a Spanish to English translator at Great Bridge High School.  For the last four years, Jaylen has served on the Chesapeake Youth Advisory Board and has participated in Serve The City for the last two summers. Jaylen is very active with his church First Baptist South Hill.  He is a member of the Youth Choir and Greeters Ministry. He has volunteered with Union Mission Ministries through serving meals to the homeless. He has also prepared meals for people abroad through the Lott Carey Youth Seminar and is an active participant in the Kappa League Leadership Program in Norfolk, VA.  Jaylen is also a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and Principal’s Advisory Council at Great Bridge High School. He is able to effectively juggle all of these activities and more while maintaining a 4.1 GPA. Jaylen will be attending the University of Maryland, College Park in the fall where he plans to major in Marketing.

Mr. Terrance Wilson is described by his school counselor as “diligent, focused and extremely resilient.” Terrance is the epitome of the gospel saying, “Thank God, I don’t look like what I’ve been through.”  This courageous young man has overcome a major family tragedy and has made it through victoriously. Terrance has found a passion for gaming, programming and computer engineering. He is a member of the Computer Engineering Club at Grassfield and has earned a Certificate of Completion in National Security Agency Day of Cyber Award, Envision Game & Technology Academy Achievement Award from George Mason University.  He is also a member of the Federation of Christian Athletes Club, National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National History Honor Society, and National Technical Honor Society. Terrance has also developed a knack in culinary arts. He is known throughout the Grassfield community for his awesome cake baking skills. He has volunteered over 100 hours of catering services with the culinary program at Grassfield.  He has catered several non-profit community events for Chesapeake Public Schools and within the Hampton Roads community. Most recently, he has dedicated time helping feed, play games and spend quality time with the elderly at Willow Creek Gracious Retirement Living facility. He amazingly accomplishes all of these things and more while maintaining a 4.1 GPA. Terrance will be attending William Peace University in the fall where he will be majoring in Psychology Game Design.

Mr. Carnell McElroy is described by his Virginia US History Teacher as being a young man of outstanding character, with a positive attitude, desire to learn, motivation to succeed and the ability to adapt to challenges.  In addition to his academic achievements, Carnell participated in multiple extracurricular activities including indoor and outdoor track for four years, member of the Varsity Football team for three years, and the Kappa League.  He currently serves as the Senior Class Historian and is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. He expresses his love for children by volunteering to read books at Churchland Elementary and by mentoring youth football players.  He has also volunteered at the local Food Bank and works in the main office of I.C. Norcom High School as an office assistant for two hours a day. Carnell has a 3.1 GPA and will be taking his tremendous track athleticism to Norfolk State University in the fall where he plans to major in Cybersecurity.  

Mr. Michael Giles has never been your A-Typical young person.  He is a leader in every sense of the word. Michael has assumed leadership positions inside and outside the walls of Oscar Smith High School and Greenbrier Christian Academy.  For the last two years, he was the Varsity Boys Basketball Captain at Greenbrier Christian and as a sophomore, he was the JV Basketball Captain at Oscar Smith HS. Last year Michael qualified for state track competitions in the 200, 400, and 4x400 relays and was also a member of Greenbrier Christian Academy’s Varsity Soccer Team.  Not only is he a stellar athlete, he is also a servant in our community. Micheal has completed over 5,000 hours of community service, many of which have been through organizations that he created. For several years, Michael’s mother has struggled with the physical and emotional effects of living with cancer. Michael realized that he was not the only child that battled with supporting a parent or loved one fighting cancer.   Consequently, in 2015, he created the Annual Kids FUN Day, a day in which children with parents diagnosed with cancer could get together, release stress and have FUN. In May 2018, Michael also founded SWS Kids Link, a non-profit organization created to support children affected by cancer and other life-altering illnesses through activities, workshops, and group outings. Since 2016, he also volunteered feeding the homeless with Veterans HomeFront. Michael has received numerous awards for his community leadership including the 2019 & 2016 13 News Now Making a Mark recipient, the 2017 Best Youth Citizen of Hampton Roads Award, and the 2017 Teens with a Purpose-Move Maker Leadership Award, just to name a few.   He has also volunteered at the Teen Issachar Conference and the Christmas Bike Giveaway at his home church, The Mount Chesapeake. Amazingly, Michael has been able to balance all these activities and still maintain a current GPA of 3.9. Michael will be attending Liberty University in the Fall where he plans to major in Sports Management.  

Like his fellow scholarship recipients, Mr. Jaylen Parham has an impressive resume.  He has excellent grades, has been enrolled in rigorous courses all four years of high school, participates in sports and volunteers for several organizations but what resonated over the phone and in his recommendation letters was his kind heart and enthusiastic spirit.  Jaylen has been a member of the Landstown Varsity Football team for several years. He has been a student in the AVID program since the 7th grade. AVID, an acronym for Advancement via Individual Determination is a nationwide college readiness program designed to identify and support young people who may be first-generation college students or those who are from groups who have been historically underrepresented in colleges and universities.  He also has served food to the homeless during the Thanksgiving season with his family. Jaylen has a 3.1 GPA. He will be taking his football talents to Alderson Broaddus University in the Fall where he will major in business management.

Mr. Wayne Cochran is more than your average student athlete; he is a step master, honor student, community volunteer and star Varsity football player.  As the team captain, he steps for KAOSS Entertainment, a local youth outreach organization. Wayne led his team to several first place national step championships.  His choreography is so phenomenal that it has been selected and used by various college Greek fraternal organizations for their own award winning step show performances.  He has spent countless hours volunteering in his community with the March of Dimes, Knights of Columbus and Maryview Hospital. As a volunteer at Maryview Hospital, he worked in the ER setting up patient rooms, communicated with patients and doctors, and replaced rooms with supplies.   Wayne is a member of his school’s Beta Club, National Honor Society, and has received the Academic Achievement Award each year of his high school career. This scholar is also the Captain of Nansemond River’s Varsity Football team. He has participated in all of these activities and more while maintaining a part time job at AMF Bowling Co. and has a 3.8 GPA.  Wayne will be attending Norfolk State University in the fall where he plans to major in Biochemistry- Pre Medicine.