Anna Grace Rutledge and Chase Tolbert have been selected to represent Darlington in the 2012 High School Female/Male Scholarship Award Competition, sponsored by the Georgia Athletic Directors Association to recognize seniors who have represented their sports well in both performance and leadership. Each winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
“Anna Grace and Chase are outstanding student-athletes,” said Athletic Director Bob Stinchcomb. “Hard work in the classroom and in the athletic arena does not scare Anna Grace. She is diligent at striving to do her very best in any given situation and is among the top students in her class. Her teammates and classmates look toward her with respect as a leader. Chase has also shown substantial dedication to academic success while at Darlington. Few athletes have proven the capabilities of balancing the demands of leading a team, leading a student body, maintaining outstanding grades, and being as sociably interactive as Chase. I know that both Anna Grace and Chase will represent Darlington well in this scholarship competition.”
Rutledge is a four-year member of the varsity swim team and a three-year member of the varsity lacrosse team. An AP Scholar With Honor, she is also a member of the Cum Laude Society, Gamma Chi Epsilon, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society and Sociedad Honoraria de El Coronel. She has received the Wellesley College Book Award, the Georgia Certificate of Merit and E.L. Wright Scholastic Awards for Algebra 1 Honors, Algebra 2 Honors and Art 1. She is also a Furman Scholar, a Samford University Fellows Finalist, a Samford University Presidential Scholar Finalist and a nominee for Noon Optimist Club All-Around Student of the Year. Rutledge also serves as president of the Honor Council and vice president of the “Y” Cabinet. Additionally, she is a member of the Student Executive Committee, the Student Planning Committee, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and D-Club. She is the daughter of Carol and Ralph Rutledge of Rome.
“The traits of dedication, determination and discipline that one most cultivate to excel in a sport can be generalized to apply to most anything in life,” Rutledge said. “I have learned that when faced with an obstacle or problem, revert back to the basics, the fundamentals or techniques, and build upon those to succeed. The joy and satisfaction that lies in the culmination of all these efforts is truly something that is unparalleled.”
Tolbert is a four-year member of the varsity football team and a two-year member of the varsity wrestling and track teams. He is a member of Gamma Chip Epsilon, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, International Thespian Society and Sociedad Honoraria de El Coronel. He has received the Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award and the Darlington Players Award for Production. He is also president of the Discipline Committee and secretary of the “Y” Cabinet. He is the son of Missie Tolbert of Rome and Michael Tolbert of Kennesaw.
“High school athletics put me in unique leadership roles that cannot be experienced through any other means,” Tolbert said. “It brought me to types of emotions that I have never felt before and allowed me to create and strengthen bonds with old and new friends that can never be broken. The valuable opportunities I have received have been limitless and will never be forgotten.”
GADA Scholarship Award nominees must have participated in two sports for two years per sport, earned at least one varsity letter in each of the two sports and meet a variety of academic requirements. They are judged in the following categories: scholarship, athletic participation, leadership, sportsmanship, and honors and awards/recognition.
