Class of 2021 - Greenfield

Greenfield Graduation Highlights
Posted on 05/19/2021
This is the image for the news article titled Greenfield Graduation HighlightsGreenfield’s Class of 2021 received more than $850,000 in scholarships in front of a crowd of friends and family at the annual Academic Awards and Scholarship Night, held prior to graduation. Among the 43 students were 15 Tennessee Scholars, 9 with State Honors, and 20 graduating with State Distinction. Five universities offered financial assistance. Twenty-one local businesses, organizations and individuals or families rounded out the contributors. The scholarship recipients include:

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT MARTIN
ACHIEVE SCHOLARSHIP
Anastaisa Whitcomb

CHANCELLOR’S SCHOLARSHIPS
Caroline Crouse, Paige Doerr, Amy Mitchell, Maura Shelton

DEAN’S SCHOLARSHIPS
Reese Biggs, Bryce Holliman, Kaylee Simmons

ELAM ALUMNI LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP
Reese Biggs

EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIPS
William Billingsby, Blake Holliman, Sydney Morris

HAROLD CONNOR SCHOLARSHIP
Blake Holliman, Bryce Holliman


WEAKLEY COUNTY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Caroline Crouse

WOODMEN-LIFE FOCUS FORWARD SCHOLARSHIP
Jacob Floyd

WEAKLEY COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME SCHOLARSHIPS
Blaine Cooper, Maura Shelton

WYLODENE DUNN NAGEL MEMORIAL CLASS OF 1943 SCHOLARSHIP
Paige Doerr

ZACK GROOMS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Amy Mitchell

AUSTIN PEAY STATE UNIVERSITY DEAN’S SCHOLARSHIP
Angela Campbell

BARBARA SIMS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Reese Biggs

BETHEL UNIVERSITY
BASEBALL MANAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Hailey Jones, Katelyn Jones

OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS
Payton Mills, Kiah Reynolds

BELMONT UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC MERIT SCHOLARSHIP
Sarah Arnold

BEREA COLLEGE NO-TUITION PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP
Kire Tribble

CHANCE BLACK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Gunnar Black

CHRISTIE RICKETTS KIWANIS CLUB SCHOLARSHIPS
Blake Holliman, Bryce Holliman

DAVID DUNN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Blake Holliman

DONNIE ESSARY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Kiah Reynolds

ELNA HIGH COPLEY AND JERRY HIGH MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Maura Shelton

GREENFIELD ARTS ADVANCEMENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Amelia Crews, Emma Crews

GREENFIELD BANKING COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP
Sarah Arnold

GREENFIELD HIGH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION JOE AND ANITA HERNDON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Jacob Floyd

MOSSIE YOUNG ORR MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Makenzie Brock

ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIPS
Reese Biggs
Bryce Holliman

GREENFIELD ROTARY CLUB DON PITT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Kyra Tansil

GREENFIELD STUDENT COUNCIL SCHOLARSHIP
Amy Mitchell

JAMES PORTER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Kiah Reynolds

JIMMY L. CROOM MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Angela Campbell, Blake Holliman, Bryce Holliman

KATE AND LUKE COATS AND SHERYL SIMMONS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Kaylee Simmons

MICHAEL MANESS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Reese Biggs, Caroline Crouse, Sydney Morris

PARKER HANNIFIN SCHOLARSHIP
Reese Biggs

PLASTIC PRODUCTS MARLENE A. SMITH FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
William Cantrell, Jacob Floyd, Davis Leach, Tripp Smithson, Kobe Thomas

TENNESSEE LOTTERY SCHOLARSHIPS/HOPE SCHOLARSHIPS
Sarah Arnold, Katelyn Jones, Reese Biggs, Carson Miller, William Billingsby, Amy Mitchell, Gunnar Black, Sydney Morris, Makenzie Brock, Madison Pugh, Angela Campbell, Kayla Roney, Blaine Cooper, Nathan Rush, Amelia Crews, Maura Shelton, Emma Crews, Kaylee Simmons, Caroline Crouse, Kyra Tansil, Paige Doerr, Braylon Tharpe, Jacob Floyd, Kire Tribble, Blake Holliman, Ana Whitcomb, Bryce Holliman, Kaitlynn Winstead, Autumn Isbell, Danielle Witt, Hailey Jones

GENERAL ASSEMBLY MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS
Makenzie Brock, Amelia Crews, Paige Doerr, Emma Crews

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP
Makenzie Brock

THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA CHANCELLOR’S SCHOLARSHIPS
Amelia Crews, Emma Crews


Top Ten

Amelia CrewsVALEDICTORIAN Amelia Crews is the daughter of Lionel and Lori Crews. She graduates 1st in her class with an average of 100.79. She was a member of Beta Club 9-12, Key Club 11-12, FBLA 9-10, Spanish Club 10-11, Yearbook 10, Greenfield Research Team 11-12, Library Club 9-12, Class President 9, Class Secretary 10, Class Reporter 11, won 1st place in the Spanish Poetry Competition at UTM 10 and 3rd place in the TMTA Algebra competition 9, and was a member of Weakley County Youth Leadership. She works as a tutor and attends First Presbyterian Church. She plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and major in Biology.

Emma CrewsSALUTATORIAN Emma Crews is the daughter of Lionel and Lori Crews. She graduates 2nd in her class with an average of 100.58. She was a member of BETA Club 9-12, FBLA 9-10, Spanish Club 10-11, KEY Club 11-12, Yearbook 10, Library Club 9-12, STEM Club 9-10, Dual Enrollment 10-12, Greenfield Research Team 11-12, Class Secretary 9, and Class Reporter 10. She was awarded 3rd place in the Spanish Postcard Competition 10, attended the Tennessee Governor's School of the Humanities 11, and received a National Merit Scholarship Program Letter of Commendation 11. She works at and attends Greenfield First Presbyterian Church. She plans to attend UT Chattanooga and major in English.

BrockTrinity Makenzie Brock is the daughter of Ben Brock and Ashley Harrington. She graduates 3rd in her class with an average of 100.24. Makenzie was a member of Beta 9-12, FBLA 9-12, Student Council 10-12, Spanish Club 10-11, Yearbook Staff 9-11, Softball 9-12, and Class Vice President 9-12. She was awarded All A’s 9-12 and Best Personality 12. She attends Bethel Baptist Church in Greenfield and works at Tate Family Foods. She plans to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and major in Engineering.

SheltonMaura Shelton is the daughter of Jamion and Laura Shelton. She graduates 4th in her class with average of 100.21. Maura was a member of Beta 9-12, FCA 9-12, FBLA 9-12, Spanish Club 10-11, Student Council, 10-12, Class Secretary 9, Class President 10-11, Tennis 9-12, Youth Leadership 10. She was awarded in school All A’s 9-12, Most Likely to Cure Cancer 12. She attends Bethel Baptist Church in Greenfield. She plans to attend University of Tennessee at Martin in the fall and plans to major in Biology.

MitchellAmy Mitchell is the daughter of Derek and Jan Mitchell. She graduates 5th in her class with a 99.86 average. She was a member of Beta Club 1,2,3-Vice President, 4-President; FBLA 1, 2- Treasurer, 3, 4- Vice President of Communications; FCA 1,2,3,4; Spanish 2,3- Vice President; Student Council 1,2,3,4; Yearbook Staff 1; Dual Enrollment 3- Music, History, 4- Math, Speech, Sociology, English, Psychology; Basketball 1,2,3,4; Tennis 1,2,3,4- Co Captain; Cross Country 4; Youth Leadership 2; All A’s 1,2,3,4; Project Graduation 4- President; Gold Honor Roll 1,2,3,4; Senior Class President. She was awarded the ACT 25 and Above; Who’s Who Best All Around; Basketball Best Teammate Award 2,3,4; Homecoming Court 1,2,3,4- Queen; Tennis Hustle Award 1; Tennis Most Dedicated 2. She attends church at Meridian Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin and major in Finance.

CampbellAngela Campbell is the daughter of Scott and Anne Campbell. She graduates 6th in her class with a 99.27 average. Angela was a member of Beta 9-12, FCA 9-12, FBLA 9-10,12, Spanish Club 10-11, Student Council 10-12, Golf 11-12, Key Club Vice President 11-12, and was heavily involved in theatre companies, including Weakley County Playhouse, Jackson Youth Acting Academy, Jackson Children & Teen theatre, and Nite Lite Theatre. She was awarded in school for Honor Roll 9, All A’s 10-12, Most Likely to Become Famous 12 , Student of the Month 12, and Golf Regionals Competitor 11-12. As well as these, she received Best Actress 2020-2021, Best Acting in The Crucible 2020-2021, Best Senior 2020-2021, and Best Style 2020-2021. She attends First Baptist Greenfield. She plans to attend Austin Peay State University in the Fall and major in Criminal Justice.

ArnoldSarah Arnold is the daughter of Brent and Julie Arnold. She graduates 7th in her class with a 98.79 average. She was a member of Beta Club 9-12, FBLA 9-12, Student Council 10-12, Spanish Club 10-11, Yearbook 9,11,12, Key Club 11, Class Treasurer 10-12, and Softball 9-12. She attends the Greenfield Church of Christ. She plans to attend Belmont University and major in Music Business.


BiggsReese Biggs is the daughter of Jake and Jennifer Biggs. She graduates 8th in her class with a 98.61 average. Reese was a member of Beta 9-12, FCA 9-12, FBLA 9-12, Spanish Club 10-11, Student Council 10-12, Basketball 9-12, Softball 9, Cross Country 12, Weakley County Youth Leadership 10, and Secretary of the Class of 2021. She was awarded in school for Honor Roll 9, All A’s 10-12, Most Athletic 12, Class Favorite 9-12, Homecoming Court 12, and Miss GHS 12. She attends First Presbyterian Church in Greenfield. She plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin and later become a Speech Language Pathologist.

DoerrPaige Doerr is the daughter of Paul Doerr and Rachel Anderson. She graduates 9th in her class with an average of 98.54. She was a member of the Beta club all four years, Key club in 11th and 12th, Spanish Club in 10th and 11th, the Library Club 11th and 12th, and was a member of the GHS Cheer Squad all four years. She works at the Martin McDonalds and plans to attend UTM and Major in Elementary Education.

CrouseCaroline Crouse is the daughter of Stephen and Tiffany Crouse.  She has two siblings, Jackson and Ramsey. Caroline ranks as number 10 in her class of 43 at Greenfield High School with an average of 97.61. Caroline has attended Greenfield School all of her life. When Caroline graduates, she plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin. Caroline has received many honors in high school. She has been on the honor roll every six weeks and earned all A’s during her senior year. Caroline played on the Lady Jackets basketball team throughout high school and made a trip to the State tournament for three years including a State Championship her freshman year. Caroline is the reporter for her senior class and has also been involved in the Beta Club, Student Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America, Spanish Club, Yearbook Staff, and Project Graduation. She was also selected to participate in the Weakley County Youth Leadership program.  When Caroline graduates she will have 30 hours of college credit through the dual enrollment courses that are offered at GHS. Caroline’s hobbies include riding horses, baking, and waterskiing.  

Valedictorian and Salutatorian Speech

I would like to preface this by saying that--since we’re twins--we’re combining the valedictorian and salutatorian speeches this year. It is our hope that we can accurately encompass our K-12 experiences with a single speech, instead of two separate ones.

This year has been pretty weird, hasn’t it--having to suddenly wear masks, social distancing, google classroom, et cetera. But we made it! We did it, and I’m so proud of all of you. Over the past years and this year especially, I think we’ve learned some interesting lessons and I want to share some advice for the future that I’ve picked up along the way.

We’ve come a long way since our kindergarten graduation. On the surface, they’re pretty similar events, because they’re both graduations. Sure, we wore pint-sized white caps and gowns and took our silhouettes instead of drapes, and we danced the tootie tah instead of accepting our diplomas, but the sentiment was similar. The real difference comes from us and the thirteen years of experiences we’ve had at this school.

I’d like to start out with a quote from Bruce Lee: “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely made some choices that I regret: procrastinating on my speeches in speech class, being angry or irritable towards people for no reason, and actively choosing to do things on my own instead of hanging out with other people. If I could go back and change how I acted in those times, I most certainly would. It would save me a lot of worry and stress.

However, something that I think I’ve learned especially over this school year is that if you own up to the things you’ve done and apologize, most people will just forget about it and go on with their day. This is not to say that you should go around actively making bad decisions, but more so as a word of comfort and advice. If you take the time to sincerely apologize, many people will go out of their way to help right things with you. Too often we get wrapped up in others’ perception of ourselves and fail to realize that most other people are concerned about the exact same thing. A sincere apology goes a long way, and mistakes are just lessons in disguise.

“Every person you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.” —H Jackson Brown Jr. This may sound kind of obvious, but I think it’s important to integrate into your life. This is kind of why we’re at school, right? We’re learning from people who learned professionally about their subject, and look where it has got us! This is going to be especially important as you move on into college, technical school, the military, or the working world; you’re going to meet all kinds of people from all walks of life and all corners of the world, even for those of you staying here in Weakley County. Everyone has a different story to tell and a different experience from life and have been through things you may never have to go through. Getting to know these people can and will give you valuable advice for your future, even if it’s just something small like a good restaurant recommendation. Taking these lessons learned from other people will allow you to apply them to your own life for a more fulfilling and accepting future.

Paula Cole once said: “I think it’s important to find the little things in everyday life that make you happy,” and that’s something that’s become especially relevant during the pandemic (anyone remember the toilet paper shortage?). As I’ve mentioned before, we have a tendency to get caught up in what other people think of us, and the same thing happens with the world.

There always seems to be something we’re missing, something we can never achieve, something that we really want but cannot have. It’s sometimes hard to concentrate on the world around us over the turmoil of our mind, I get that. But if you can take a bit of time every now and then to find something commonplace that you’re grateful for, you’ll be much better off in the long run. You’ll have something to return to as a comfort when times get difficult. It’s nice to take a bit of a break from the world and just focus on yourself. Take care of your mind and your body, as they are the ones that will take you where you need to go.

For me, what I remember most about elementary school--more than my classes, even!--is the old playground. I spent many a sweltering spring afternoon sitting in the shade of the old evergreen tree, or huddled in the orange tunnel. If you picked through the gravel, you might find an old seashell or two. When the teachers weren’t looking, we’d tip over the garbage cans near the path back to school and steal the roly-polies from underneath! This...led to the cans being chained to the fence. So many of my memories were made there, it’s strange to remember that it’s called the “old playground” for a reason. In fact, it was right here where we’re standing. It was...upsetting, at the time, to think that something so vital to my school experience was completely written over. No more evergreen tree. No more seashells. No more orange tunnel. But--as you can tell--we didn’t just lose the old playground. We gained the new gym! Sometimes, you have to let go of the old in order to embrace the new. Change can be frightening, but it’s necessary if you want to grow as a person.

Speaking of change, I think I speak for all of us when I say that the transitions into and out of junior high were weird times. I’m going to be honest--I don’t remember much of my three years in there, except Mrs. Lee Ann’s class. She was the first one to really teach me how to write an essay, and thank goodness for that! I think we would have died in high school if not for her. (I’ve written more essays now than I can count, with many more in the future, unfortunately.) For many of us, too, junior high was where we started to mature into young adults. I’m afraid we’ve still got a long way to go before we’re done--and there’s no telling what sort of curveballs life will send heading our way. Life has a lot more to throw at us than a couple of five-paragraph compare-and-contrast essays. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay to fail a couple of times before you learn to roll with the punches. I have every faith that we will come out the other side stronger people.

And so, finally, we’ve arrived at high school. (Well, technically, the end of high school, but we’re reminiscing here.) Maybe it’s just because the memories are fresher, but it feels like more happened these past years than in all elementary school and junior high combined! For some of you, the most important event of the past four years was winning the 2018 State Championship--which, of course, is an incredible achievement. For some, it all started with being shoved into quarantine March of last year. And for some, maybe it’s graduation itself. All of these events mark big turning points in each of our lives. They’ve shaped us into who we are today. Everything that I’ve talked about today has culminated into the group of unique people that make up the class of 2021. And yes, the future has time for our memories, but we can’t spend too long stuck in the past. We’re just getting started with our lives--who knows where we’ll go from here?

There are some people here that I think really need to be thanked. They have done so much for us over the years and they deserve recognition for that. Could all of the parents and grandparents please stand up? Let’s give them a round of applause. These are the people that got you out of bed for school in the morning and probably have helped you with a few last-minute projects. Can any siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, et cetera also stand up? These people were here for you, providing emotional support and love the whole way. I’d also like to applaud our school faculty. None of us would be here graduating today without you. Whether it was small things like listening to Ms. Farmer play the piano or trying to catch Mrs. Sherry as she hurried around completing all of her duties or larger things like club activities and competitions, you all have experienced our schooling with us and have been mentors this whole time. Thank you so, so much for that.

As we’re finishing up, we’d like to say that we’re going to miss all of you. We as a class have made a lot of memories and have been through a lot together. You’re all going on to do amazing things, and as Henry David Thoreau says, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” Now go on and take a bit of a break before you have to move on with your life. Spend some time with the people you love. You’ve earned


Greenfield Class of 2021

The Greenfield High School Academic Awards and Scholarship Night was held Tuesday night before Friday’s graduation. As part of the tradition organized each year by counselor Sherry Page, representatives from universities and the local businesses, organizations and families of those providing memorial scholarships were present to shake the hands of the young recipients. Principal Jeff Cupples commended the group on the depth of the financial assistance. More than $850,000 in scholarships were distributed that evening. Attending the event were (front row, left to right) Payton Mills, Davis Leach, Braylon Tharpe, Gunnar Black, Jacob Floyd, Amelia Crews; (second row, left to right) Kire Tribble, Blaine Cooper, Blake Hollim an, Bryce Holliman, Carson Miller, Emma Crews; (third row, left to right) Danielle Whitt, McKenzie Brock, Amy Mitchell, Kyra Tansil, Sydney Morris, Autumn Isbell; (fourth row, left to right) Kaylee Simmons, Reese Biggs, Maura Shelton, Angela Campbell, Sarah Arnold; (fifth row, left to right) Paige Doerr, Caroline Crouse, Tripp Smithson, Ana Whitcomb, Katie Winstead, Keylon Thomas; (sixth row, left to right) Hailey Jones, Katelyn Jones, Nathan Rush, William Cantrell, Kiah Reynolds, David Jenkins.
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