Photos Courtesy of Barry Chrietzberg Photography
WETUMPKA , AL – The Board of Directors of the Joe Sewell Memorial Award and John Sewell Memorial Scholarship have released the names of winner.
The overall winners are Courtney Sides, of Elmore County High School and Gavin Baxley of Wetumpka High School.
Other senior awards were presented to:
Boy’s Leadership Award – Colton Wayne Wheeler of Holtville High
Boy’s Academic Award – Taylor Gunn of Wetumpka High.
Boy’s Church, Community and Character Awared – Samuel Allen Silas of Holtville High.
Boy’s Athletic Award – Matthew Payton Stephenson of Elmore County High.
Girl’s Leadership Award – Becca Worrell of Wetumpka High.
Girl’s Academic Award – Kiley Sisson of Wetumpka High.
Girl’s Church, Community and Character Award – Allye Justiss of Elmore County High.
Girl’s Athletic Award – Emma Renee Chavers of New Life Christian Academy.
The award program was established in 2005 to recognize outstanding high school senior athletes in Elmore County who have consistently represented the highest ideals of Christian leadership. Each year, one male and one female senior from Elmore County high schools are chosen for the top honor – the Joe Sewell Memorial Award and $3000 John Sewell Scholarship. Male and female category winners are also selected for academics, athletics, leadership, and church, community, and character, with each category winner receiving a $1000 scholarship. The Joe Sewell Memorial Award is the only program of its kind in the River Region that presents scholarship money in conjunction with the awards to overall and category winners.
Additionally, the award serves to honor the legacy of Joe Sewell, a native of the Titus community who established a very successful baseball career in the Majors from 1920-1933 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. Sewell’s athletic skill was apparent as he holds two Major League Baseball’s records including the lifetime record for fewest strikeouts in his 14 year career with only 114 in 7,132 at-bats. His outstanding character and leadership are qualities that serve as the foundation of this award. His cousin John Sewell, for whom the top scholarships are named, loved sports and spent much of his free time coaching and helping young people. Both men left a legacy in Elmore County that youth and adults alike can emulate.
This year’s 19th Annual Joe Sewell Memorial Award banquet was Tuesday, May 2nd, at 6:30 pm at the Wetumpka Civic Center.
This year’s keynote speaker was Abby Lutzenkirchen Forristall. She is the Director of Events and Opportunities with the Lutzie 43 Foundation. The Foundation, created to honor the memory of Abby’s older brother Philip Lutzenkirchen, exists to reduce the number of distracted driving incidents. Prior to joining the Lutzie 43 Foundation, Abby was a program officer at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation where she managed the work of associate-led grant making for the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, Atlanta United Foundation, and the PGA TOUR Superstore Community Fund. Abby graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. A four-year starter and member of the Crimson Tide women’s soccer team, she was named captain her senior year and was named the 2015 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Abby is married to Miller Forristall, former UA tight end and current New Orleans Saint. A limited number of advance banquet tickets are available for sale to the public at Eventbrite.com, an online ticketing website. Tickets will not be available at the door.
The Joe Sewell Board of Directors expresses their appreciation for the consistent generosity of the sponsors whose contributions allow the awarding of the program’s scholarships, as well as the opportunity to celebrate these students’ accomplishments with a formal award event each year. For more information regarding the award and scholarship program, visit http://joesewellaward.com
