Warren Central High School Class of 1985 has a message for the school’s 49 other alumni classes. They challenged each class to follow in its footsteps and set up a scholarship fund for graduating seniors of WCHS.

“We would like to challenge other classes to do the same thing as well to keep it going because this is a wonderful way to give back to the community and to our school,” said Kristie Smith-Miller of the 1985 class.

The class celebrated its 30th anniversary last weekend and gave out four scholarships Saturday night. Because of a generous donor, what they thought would be a single scholarship, turned into four.

“Our class has been fortunate enough to have generous contributors that have given us enough money that we’re not only going to be able to award four scholarships this year, but we’re going to be able to keep going,” Smith-Miller said.

Smith-Miller said they received a great education at Warren Central, and as a class they wanted to pay it forward by awarding scholarships to recently graduated students of WCHS.

Hannah Jordan, whose father Tony was a member of the class of 1985 and died a few years ago, received her scholarship in honor of the class of 1985. Katie Schroeder, Brandi Winters and Alex Stevens all received scholarships in honor of Afton Wallace, their classmate who died of Ewing’s Sarcoma after graduation.

A scholarship committee selected the three students who where awarded the scholarship. Guidance councilors and teachers nominated a group of students for the committee to review. Nominees were asked to submit a resume and participate in an interview to give them life experience in addition to selecting the recipients.

“The children were selected based on character, community involvement, grades, how well they helped out other people, basically Afton Strong characteristics,” Smith-Miller said.

In the future, they plan to have applications available in the guidance counselors’ office.

Wallace’s parents were on hand to talk about their daughter and her aspirations. Her mother Sheri Wallace shared what Afton had written in her yearbook.

“Be strong when you are weak, be brave when you are scared, be humble in victories and live with no regrets.’ As you go about your lives and the goodness that you do, may you be able to take some of these words of wisdom from a young, humble 17-year-old girl,” Sheri Wallace said.

Afton Wallace was a great friend and inspiration to Schroeder who chose to major in nursing with an emphasis in oncology because of her friend. She will purse her chosen major at Jones County Junior College this fall. Schroder is glad she can use the scholarship in memory of her friend.

“It really means a lot more to me than anybody would ever know,” Schroder said.

Stevens, who will attend East Mississippi Community College, also had Wallace on his mind when he received his award.

“It’s really special to me because Afton held a special place in all of our hearts,” Stevens said.

Winters was appreciative the class of 1985 could help her further her education. Tougaloo College is where she will be studying this fall to become a chemical engineer.

“I think it’s great that they did this for people that aren’t able to get as many scholarships as other students,” Winters said.

Jordan was honored they would think of her for the class of 1985 scholarship.

“Mine was for my dad, it was just that they thought so much of him as to want to give it to me was really sweet,” Jordan said.

She will be attending the University of Southern Mississippi this fall.

The recent graduates of WCHS were handed their scholarships in a sealed envelope and were not told in advanced how much they received.

Announcer Robert Donohue said that each of the recipients were “rock stars in the student world.” However, none of them had been offered scholarship before that night.