New FFA scholarship created in memory of Alumni member

The Clarke FFA Alumni group has formed a new scholarship opportunity for senior FFA members of Clarke Community High School. After the January FFA Alumni meeting the Jean Kent Memorial Scholarship became official.

Kent was a Speech Language Pathology Assistant for Green Hills AEA for over 30 years, which serves Clarke and many school districts around it. She was involved in all aspects of the FFA Alumni including fundraising, the FFA Banquet, scholarships and the concession trailer. Her family is involved in FFA, 4-H and the Clarke County Fair. Kent passed away in 2018.

“Jean was a valued member of the Alumni,” said FFA Alumni member Linda Abbott. “She was a good friend and mentor to many.”

The scholarship amount has yet to be determined by the FFA Alumni. The amount of money that will go into the scholarship is dependant upon the amount of money donated to the Alumni before their March meeting. The Alumni will match however much is donated.

“It came about when some of us were visiting and brainstorming ways to help keep Jean in our memories. The scholarship is one that was bounced around the most,” said Abbott.

To be eligible for the scholarship students must be in their senior year of high school at Clarke and be involved in FFA. The Clarke Big Chief FFA adviser, Brandi Boyd has the applications available. The applications are similar to other local Ag scholarship applications. They want to know how many years the applicant has been involved in FFA, whether they’ve held any officer positions, etc.

This scholarship is a way for the Alumni and friends of Kent to remember her and share her giving spirit with students into the future.

“We want them to know that she truly cared about the youth in our community,” said Abbott.