Five members of the 2016 Harlan County High School graduating class will be inducted Thursday into the Harlan County School District’s Frank Brittain Academic and Athletic Hall of Fame.
Named in honor of longtime Harlan County School District teacher and administrator Frank Brittain, the hall of fame was established to honor the district’s best and brightest students who qualify by meeting stringent admission criteria.
The hall of fame is funded entirely by the generous donations of local businesses and individuals, said Superintendent Mike Howard. It is located in the school district’s administrative office building. The induction will be held at the central office conference room, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
“We are very pleased to add five students to the hall of fame this year. This is the highest number we have added in a single year since its inception in 2002. We have very deserving students and I am pleased that the selection committee selected these excellent students.”
Honorees this year are Jerry Blake Blevins, Logan Scott Burris, Alanna Sacra Cavins, Andrew Kade Hensley and Alisha Lyric Rhymer.
Blevins was a valedictorian of his senior class with a 4.0 grade point average and a 32 composite score on the ACT. He was a member of the academic team, Beta Club, National Honor Society, cafeteria committee, Appalachian Educational Talent Search, Spanish National Honors Society and Gifted Leadership. He accumulated many hours of community service and received numerous awards in the Kentucky Governor’s Cup and academic classes.
He compiled more than 20 dual credit hours. He was a member of the winning business team of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute his freshman year. He was a Rogers Scholars and Kentucky Governor’s Scholar. He received the Harlan County Community Scholarship and the University of Kentucky Presidential Scholarship. He chose the University of Kentucky to pursue a major in finance and pre-law. He was selected to the UK Honors Program.
Blevins is the son of Jerry and Nikki Blevins and Stephanie and Dan Mosley.
Burris was a valedictorian of his senior class, compiling a 4.0 grade point average while taking dual credit classes. He was twice named a Kentucky Torchbearer. He was a Kentucky Governor’s Scholar, a member of the National Honor Society, tennis team and academic team and president of the Beta Club. He participated in many church, community and school plays, pursuing his passion for drama. He won top honors in martial arts, having studied Shotokan karate for four years. He was honored at the Washington Journalism Media Conference in 2014.
An avid guitarist and pianist, Logan is very active in his church, having participated in the basketball league, praise team and assisted with and taught the Children’s Bible class. He selected Eastern Kentucky University to pursue a career in sign language interpretation. He was awarded the Founder’s Scholarship and Harlan County Community Scholarship.
Burris is the son of Scott and Chrissy Burris.
Cavins compiled a 3.96 grade point average on a 4.0 scale while taking dual credit classes. She was a member of the academic team, Upward Bound Math Science Program, National Honor Society, Beta Club and the award winning Community Problem Solving Team, which won second place in the state and third in the international competition.
She was named to the Ventures Scholars Program, National Society of High School Scholars and a Commonwealth Ambassador for Kentucky. She participated in the STARS project designed to engage the youth of the Appalachian region in solving various issues. She was a founder, charter member and secretary of The House of Readers, high school book club. She received several scholarships including the Andy Adkins Memorial Scholarship and the Morehead State University Commonwealth Scholarship. She selected Morehead State University to pursue a career in space science and computer science.
She is the daughter of Shannon Eversole and James Cavins.
Hensley was a valedictorian of his senior class, compiling a 4.0 grade point average and a 33 composite on the ACT. He earned 25 dual credit hours. He received the University of Kentucky Book Award recognizing juniors for strength in academic record, potential for success, leadership, community service and contribution to diversity. He earned numerous awards for individual classes. He participated in the Beta Club, National Honor Society and academic team.
Hensley won numerous awards and medals in competitions. He had a perfect score on the EXPLORE assessment in eighth grade. He is an avid reader, gamer and loves to fish. He selected Eastern Kentucky University to continue his education.
He is the son of David and Gwenda Hensley.
Rhymer took dual credit classes and compiled a 3.89 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Sociedad Honoraria HIspanica, Future Business Leaders of America, yearbook staff, academic team and the award winning Community Problem Solving Team which advanced to state and earned two second places and to two international competitions, earning third place in both events. She was selected for the Hugh O’Brian Youth leadership Summit in Kentucky. She participated in the STARS project and was a four-year member of the Appalachian Educational Talent Search.
Rhymer traveled to the HOBY World Forum in The Hague, Netherlands in 2016 as a Global Student to explore and leverage human rights. Alisha was named a Commonwealth Ambassador for Kentucky and a Bank of Harlan Student Citizen. She selected Eastern Kentucky University to pursue a career in American Sign Language Interpretation.
She is the granddaughter of Ben and Brenda Rhymer.
Jerry Blake Blevins
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Jerry Blake Blevins
Logan Scott Burris
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Logan Scott Burris
Alanna Sacra Cavins
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Alanna Sacra Cavins
Alisha Lyric Rhymer
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Alisha Lyric Rhymer
Andrew Kade Hensley
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Andrew Kade Hensley
Induction set Thursday at Central Office
Special to the Enterprise