CHAPEL HILL—Zahria Buchanan of Maiden High School and Kytel Collins-Jackson of Scotland High School are the first recipients of the NCHSAA Scholarship Awards, which were presented at the NCHSAA Annual Meeting at the Smith Center on Thursday.
These awards are new to the NCHSAA and are presented to student-athletes who meet the academic criteria as well as athletic involvement and sound character.  The funds for the scholarships come from donations designated to the Endowment for this purpose as well as a corporate gift. Regional winners were selected and then the two overall state winners came from the regional receipients.
            Each regional winner receives a $750 scholarship to the college or university of their choice, and the overall state winners receive an additional  $1000 each.
            Buchanan was a four-year basketball player at Maiden and an excellent student, with a 3.963 weighted GPA and a member of her school’s Beta Club. She will be heading to Winston-Salem State University in the fall.
            Jackson is a four-year varsity soccer and cross-country participant at his school. He is president of the National Honor Society and sports a 4.40 weighted grade point average, and he’s also active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Key Club and the Technology Student Association. He will go to N.C. State University in the fall.
            The other regional winners included the following:
Ezekiel Martin                                  Eastern Wayne
Chinonso Ejere                                Heritage, Wake Forest
Pablo Preciado                                 Cedar Ridge, Hillsborough
Dionicia Alverez Reyes                     John M. Morehead, Eden
Juan Pagan-Gonzalez                       Southwest Guilford
Tico Crocker II                                  Kings Mountain
Devanie Cunningham                       A.C. Reynolds, Asheville