CHAPEL HILL – Paige Robertson of Creswell High School and Joel Newton of Person High School are the recipients of the eighth annual Clary Medals awarded by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
The two outstanding student-athletes will be recognized at the NCHSAA’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 2, at the Dean E. Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Clary Medal is made possible through the generosity of the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation through the NCHSAA Endowment. It annually recognizes an outstanding male and female student-athlete, who will each receive a $2,000 scholarship to further his or her education at the college level.
To be eligible for the award, a student must be a senior at an NCHSAA member school, participate on at least two athletic teams, maintain at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, and demonstrate excellence in athletic participation, extra-curricular activities and community service.
Robertson has been an excellent three-sport athlete at Creswell, competing in volleyball, basketball and softball. She has earned all-conference honors in all three sports during her career and has served as captain of all three teams. She was the Tideland Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Year in 2012.
She has excelled academically while serving as president of the Creswell chapter of the Future Farmers of America. She has been very active at Zion’s Chapel Church of Christ in Roper and has been on mission trips to Ecuador and Peru. Robertson plans to continue her education and will also be a college athlete at Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City.
Newton has played linebacker for the Person football team and catches for the baseball team, playing both sports for four years.
The Person student-athlete has been a four-year member of the Key Club, president of the newly formed Pep Club, and is a member of the National Honor Society. An active member of Clement Baptist Church, Newton is an Eagle Scout and has volunteered with a number of charities, including Samaritan’s Purse. He is undecided on his choice to attend college.
The award is in memory of Wilburn Columbus Clary, a member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame who was an outstanding coach and game official. He served as the executive secretary of the old Western North Carolina High School Activities Association from 1948 through 1977, when its schools joined the NCHSAA. Clary was also the first collegiate football official to be inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
“Both of these award winners are exemplary citizens and student-athletes,” said Davis Whitfield, NCHSAA commissioner. “Paige and Joel are outstanding selections for the Clary Medals, one of the top awards the NCHSAA can present to a student.”