Wilkes County Hall of Fame Grants Largest Amount to Date to Wilkes Schools

The Wilkes County Hall of Fame Governing Board (WCHOF) recently announced $23,989.37 in grant monies to be spend in the areas of art, music, drama, band, physical education, and athletics in the Wilkes County Schools. This makes the largest amount the WCHOF has given in grants to Wilkes County Schools. The WCHOF board presented checks to fund 32 projects at the Stone Family Center for Performing Arts on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. The check presentations were made by Shana Williams, President of the WCHOF. During Williams’ opening remarks, she told of the history and mission of hall of fame which includes inductees who have excelled in Leadership, Sports, Arts & Entertainment, and Enterprise. Before checks were presented to each grantee, Williams thanked all of those who applied for a grant and encouraged them to apply again next year. She also shared how funding for grants is made possible by local businesses and community members who support the Hall of Fame’s annual Induction Gala, which serves as a fundraiser to their grant fund. The following grantees were chosen from funds received from the eighth annual Wilkes County Hall of Fame Gala:

Elizabeth Craft, C.B. Eller Elementary School, received $725 to purchase ukuleles for music classes.

William Pearson, Roaring River Elementary School, received $400 to purchase volleyball equipment.

Carol Huffman, Millers Creek Elementary School, received $893.70 to purchase drum lids for music classes.

Colin Whiteley, East Wilkes Middle School, received $1,000 to purchase percussion equipment for the band program.

Joanne Schwab, West Wilkes Middle School, received $900 to purchase supplies for Peter Pan drama production.

Kendall Steelman, Central Wilkes Middle School, received $424.94 for a flag football unit.

Daven J. VanHoy, Wilkes County High School Theatre, received $1,000 for technical theatre class equipment.

Brandon Bell & Daniel Sluder, Wilkes Early College High School, received $933.24 to purchase sports equipment for various activities.

Dr. Kelly Pipes, Wilkes Early College High School, received $270 to create a student work area and counseling room.

Chuck Cannon, Wilkes Central High School, received $1,000 to purchase shoulder pads for the football team.

Chuck Cannon, Wilkes Central High School, received $1,000 to purchase additional portable fencing for the football stadium.

Dustin Anderson, Wilkes Central High School, received $500 for bumper plates to be used in the weight training facility.

Eli Boles & Brandon Shore, Wilkes Central High School, received $1,000 to purchase batting helmets for the baseball team.

Nicole Compton, East Wilkes High School, received $500 for new hydration equipment for all athletic teams.

Beth Poplin, East Wilkes High School, received $550 to upgrade equipment in the Piano Lab.

Colin Whiteley, East Wilkes High School, received 1,000 to acquire a classroom set of tuners and contact microphones for the band program.

Dwayne Berrier, West Wilkes High School, received $1,000 for “Tackling Wheels” for the football team.

Jacob Wood, West Wilkes High School, received $1,000 to recondition football helmets.

Scottie Greene, West Wilkes High School, received $1,000 to purchase new football helmets.

Kathryn Leslie, West Wilkes High School, received $640 to upgrade equipment for the tennis team.

Christie Holman, West Wilkes High School, received $500 to purchase mat rollers to help store and move safety mats.

Drew Ward, West Wilkes High School, received $470 to purchase supplies for the baseball team.

Allison Greene, West Wilkes High School, received $849.50 to purchase basketballs for the women’s basketball team.

Anthony Benson, West Wilkes High School, received $250 for curriculum for the chorus program.

Sarah Privette, North Wilkes High School, received $1,000 to host a Dinner Theatre for the chorus program.

Anthony Blankenship, North Wilkes High School, received $1,000 for maintenance work on the softball field.

Tanner Lyons, North Wilkes High School, received $192.99 to purchase new corner flags for the women’s soccer team.

David Wojtecki, North Wilkes High School, received $1,000 for supplies for physical conditioning classes.

Brandon Milam, North Wilkes High School, received $540 to purchase supplies for the women’s tennis team.

Noah Johnson, North Wilkes High School, received $1,000 for golf balls and push carts for the women’s golf team.

Crystal Carlton, North Wilkes High School, received $450 for a new high jump bar for the track and field team.

Steven Phillips, North Wilkes High School, received $1,000 to purchase basketballs for the women’s basketball team.

The Wilkes County Hall of Fame is a 501 (c) (3) non- profit. The Mission of the Wilkes County Hall of Fame (WCHOF) is to promote and honor the excellence of the people of Wilkes County in order to encourage and inspire the youth and citizens of Wilkes. The 10th Annual WCHOF will be Thursday, May 16, 2024 in the Stone Family Center for Performing Arts. For more details visit: www.wilkecountyhalloffame.org. For additional information contact Morgan Mathis, 336-667-1121 or email: mathismo@wilkes.k12.nc.us

Wilkes County Hall of Fame Hosts 5th Annual James Cook Leadership Breakfast

The Wilkes County Hall of Fame hosted the fifth annual James Cook Leadership Breakfast on Monday, November 14, 2022.  James Cook was a devoted board member of the Wilkes County Hall of Fame from 2014-2017.  After James’ passing in 2018, the Wilkes County Hall of Fame board named the breakfast in his memory because of the love he had for reaching and inspiring the youth of Wilkes County.  Student leaders from all Wilkes County middle and high schools attended the event for breakfast and words of inspiration and hope from Wilkes County Hall of Fame inductees.

The family of James Cook sponsored the breakfast and were in attendance to speak with students.  Mark Cook spoke of why this breakfast was so important to his late father and his family.  He highlighted the inductees that were present and challenged students to listen and take as much advice from them as they could.


WCHOF President, Shana Williams led the event by speaking with students about the characteristics of a leader.  She shared that a leader doesn’t have to be the CEO of a company; they could be a mom, dad, teammate, or a friend.  Williams then introduced 12 members of the Wilkes County Hall of Fame that were present and eager to speak with students.  Students were randomly selected for groups and got to speak with 4 different inductees for 15 minutes each about a specific leadership characteristic.  Each inductee was given a leadership characteristic to focus on as part of their journey to share with their table. Topics that students were exposed to were: overcoming challenges, resilience, responsibility, dependability, open-mindedness, creativity, visionary, delegator, patience, tenacity, developing a team, making hard decisions, authenticity, self-awareness and integrity. 


To conclude the event, students from each group shared what they learned about each leadership characteristic with all attendees.  Williams then challenged students to go back to their communities and study, research, and find someone worthy of being nominated to the Wilkes County Hall of Fame.  She stated, “We know that this room is filled with potential future Hall of Fame inductees as well.  You are the future legacy of leadership here in Wilkes County!”  Before students dismissed, WCHOF Board Member Revis Felts led a closing activity for attendees.  She asked all in attendance to close their eyes and envision the best leader they’ve experienced and the worst leader they’ve experienced.  She asked them to think about the reasons that person came to mind, and how they treated them.  Felts then challenged everyone in the room to go out and be the better leader.   

The Wilkes County Hall of Fame’s goal is to recognize the human capital of Wilkes County and remind the citizens of the stories and excellence of the individuals’ lives, inspiring students to pursue their goals by being encouraged by the accomplishments of those before them.

Oct 8, 2018

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