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The partnership of Mountaire Farms and The Robesonian is pleased to announce the expansion of the third annual, newly-named Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete Award program. Each month, this award will recognize a male or female athlete in his/her senior year from one Robeson County, Scotland County or Bladen County high school, who carries a 3.0 GPA or higher. Nominees need to also be recognized by their coaches for outstanding sportsmanship and perform with superior ability in athletic competition.

Each month, the selected high school Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete will receive an engraved, crystal trophy, recognizing him/her as the monthly honoree, and will be featured in an article on the sports page of The Robesonian, Bladen Journal and Laurinburg Exchange.  This will spotlight the Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete's academic and athletic performance and be in a print edition as well as on the sports page of The Robesonian, Bladen Journal and Laurinburg Exchange's websites.  Honorees will also be highlighted in Mountaire Farms quarterly newsletter.  Each monthly Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete will receive a $1,000 college scholarship and be eligible for an additional $1,500 in college funds, which will be awarded to one male and one female athlete.   These winners will be named the "Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athletes of the Year." Both will be featured in additional articles, highlighting their yearly performance, which will be in a print edition as well as on the website and in the Mountaire newsletter.

Entries will be accepted from Aug. 1, 2012 through May 15, 2013 and should contain the following in submission:

  • Name and gender of student;
  • School attending;
  • Name of school-sponsored sport(s) in which the student participates;
  • Verification of grades: either a copy of the previous marking period report card or a letter from school counselor stating student's GPA (for this year's first semester marking periods, please use student's junior term final grades);
  • Written recommendation from his/her coach

>There is no limit on the number of submissions received each month/year from each school. 

>So that we may honor the first Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete of the Month in September, please send in your nominations beginning Aug. 1, 2012. 

>Submit your nomination by mail to:

Heartland/Mountaire Athlete of the Month
Kaleb Roedel
PO Box 1028
Lumberton, NC 28358

Click here to submit your nomination online. Please remember to attach a scan of grades and a copy of your letter of recommendation to your e-mail.


West Bladen High senior Lucas McNeill has been selected from among student-athletes in Bladen, Robeson and Scotland counties as the January Mountaire Farms Scholar Athlete of the Month winner. | W. Curt Vincent, Civitas Media
McNeill tabbed Mountaire Scholar Athlete of the Month
DUBLIN — Lucas McNeill has been faced with numerous challenges during his high-school career, primarily dealing with the usual academic obstacles but also an athletic career filled with injuries. But the West Bladen High senior has met every one of those challenges the same way — with hard work and persistence. That has garnered the attention of the Mountaire Farms Scholar-Athlete Award committee, which chose McNeill as the January winner from among student-athletes in Bladen, Robeson and Scotland counties. The award comes with a $1,000 scholarship and puts McNeill in the running for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, which comes with an additional $1,500 in college funds that is awarded in June to the male and female scholar athletes of the year. “Lucas is a really good kid, very light-hearted and good to be around,” said head basketball coach Travis Pait. “He has a real understanding that sports is a place to learn lessons. He wants to wins, don’t get me wrong, but he k...
Jan 27, 2013 | 0 0 comments | 10 10 recommendations | email to a friend
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Lumberton High School senior Joshua Sumner, a left guard and long snapper for the LHS football team, is ranked No. 9 in his class with 4.48 weighted GPA.
AOTM: Lumberton’s Sumner named Scholar Athlete of December
LUMBERTON — Lumberton High School senior Joshua Sumner is no stranger to adversity. ACL surgery his sophomore year, hand surgery his junior year and a concussion this fall make up the laundry list of roadblocks Sumner, a three-year varsity football player at LHS, has found in his path. Nevertheless, Sumner continued to stay the course whether he’s knocking helmets or hitting the books. Ranked No. 9 in his class of 400 seniors with a 4.48 GPA, Sumner, a 221-pound left guard and long snapper for the Pirates, has earned the Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete of the Month award for December. The Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete program’s mission is to highlight male and female senior student-athletes within Robeson, Scotland and Bladen counties who carry a 3.0 GPA or higher. Nominees need to also be recognized by their coaches for outstanding sportsmanship and perform with superior ability in athletic competition. Each monthly winner receives a $1,000 college scholarship ...
Dec 22, 2012 | 0 0 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
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West Bladen High School's Erica Tanner finished the regular season undefeated in singles with a 14-0 record, and is currently ranked No. 12 in her senior class. W. Curt Vincent | Heartland Publications
AOTM: Tanner tabbed Scholar Athlete of November
DUBLIN — Erica Tanner has a clear set of values that she applies to everything she tackles: God, school, sports. And she has a family that fully supports those values. Tanner, a senior at West Bladen High School, has applied those standards so well that she has been selected as The Mountaire Farms/Heartland Publications Scholar-Athlete of the Month for November. The monthly award is given to the top student-athlete from Bladen, Robeson and Scotland counties. “Erica is one of the most determined athletes I have ever coached,” said West Bladen tennis coach Jeff Atkinson, who nominated Tanner for the award. “Erica is very committed to practice and is outworked by no one. She takes preparation seriously and understands this is a direct route to becoming a better player.” During her senior tennis season, Tanner finished the regular season undefeated in singles with a 14-0 record, including 12-0 in the Waccamaw Conference. She also teamed with Lexi Storms as the Lady Knights’ No. 1...
Nov 18, 2012 | 0 0 comments | 7 7 recommendations | email to a friend
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Kaleb Roedel | The Robesonian
St. Pauls High School quarterback Kane Banner ranks second in Robeson County in total touchdowns. Scholastically, he's ranked No. 1 in his senior class with a 4.7 weighted GPA.
AOTM: Having a Banner year
St. Pauls senior QB named Scholar Athlete of October
Oct 20, 2012 | 0 0 comments | 16 16 recommendations | email to a friend
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Zach Leach, September's Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete of the Month, is having a standout senior year on the gridiron and in the classroom at Red Springs High School. Kaleb Roedel | The Robesonian
AOTM: Red Springs' Leach makes the grade
RED SPRINGS — Red Springs High School senior Zach Leach is all over the county football stat-leaderboard. The Red Devils wideout ranks first in the county in catches (36) and touchdown receptions (9) and second — to teammate JuJu Brown — in receiving yards with 541. Perhaps his most notable stat as a student-athlete, however, is his No. 9-rank in the Red Springs senior class with a 4.19 weighted GPA. The Red Springs senior’s efficiency when hitting the field and the books earned him September’s Mountaire/Heartland Scholar Athlete of the Month award, kicking off the new and improved program that now awards each monthly winner a $1,000 college scholarship. Each monthly winner also becomes eligible for an additional $1,500 college funds that is awarded to the male and female scholar athletes of the year. “It means everything to me,” Leach said in regards to being a successful student-athlete. Along with playing football, basketball and baseball, he is also a Junior Marshall and mem...
Sep 29, 2012 | 0 0 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
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Lumberton High School's Connor Haskins, left, and Red Springs' Chelsi Oxendine, The Robesonian/Mountaire Farms Scholar Athletes of the Year, pose with their fellow athlete of the month honorees, Michael Bailey (Lumberton); Laura Bird (Purnell Swett); Erin Kenworthy (Swett); Moira Dial (Swett); Jaynell Brown (Lumberton) and Khadijah Priest (St. Pauls). Not pictured: Anderson Branch (Lumberton) and Tyler Baker (Swett).
Haskins, Oxendine named scholar athletes of the year
LUMBERTON — Two choice quotes were plucked by Roger Marino, the Community Relations Director of Mountaire Farms, and relayed to the attendees at The Robesonian/Mountaire Farms Scholar Athlete of the Year awards banquet, held Wednesday at the Holiday Inn in Lumberton. The event recognized the 10 athlete of the month recipients and announced the male and female scholar athletes of the year. Marino quoted words of wisdom previously delivered by a pair of county student-athletes — Lumberton High School’s Connor Haskins and Red Springs High School’s Chelsi Oxendine. “You listen to the title (scholar-athlete) and you hear scholar first,” Haskins said a month ago on being May’s AOTM honoree. “So first of all, it’s about getting your classroom work done, taking care of your grades. I try to focus as much as I can on getting the classroom stuff done so I can participate in athletics.” Oxendine uttered a similar grades-before-play sentiment as December’s AOTM winner. “Being a scholar athl...
Jun 07, 2012 | 0 0 comments | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
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AOTM: Priest produces for St. Pauls
ST. PAULS — Khadijah Priest is accustomed to being busy. A three-star student-athlete at St. Pauls High School, a member of FFA, an employee at Bo’s Food Store and an active volunteer — at 4 County Head Start, Roadside Cleanup and Toys for Tots — make up Priest’s schedule. Just the way she likes it. “Always on the go,” said Priest, who also maintained a 4.10 weighted GPA, ranking No. 7 in her senior class. “It builds character in me. Having to play sports and stilling trying to handle the other stuff, it made me realize what I’m going to have to do in college. Not everything’s always going to be easy to manage … but I learned time management.” The senior Priest, who plans to attend East Carolina University in the fall and major in Pre-Med, earned The Robesonian/Mountaire Farms Scholar Athlete of the Month award for June for her production in and outside of the St. Pauls hallways. Priest caps the 2011-12 school year’s AOTM program, which is holding a banquet Wednesday to announc...
Jun 02, 2012 | 1 1 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
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AOTM: Haskins hits books, FGs at LHS
LUMBERTON — Calling Connor Haskins a multi-sport student-athlete would be an understatement. Haskins, a senior at Lumberton High School, has worn maroon and gold on just about every playing field possible — football field, soccer field, swimming pool, tennis court and golf course — with all-conference and team MVP awards to show for. And he’s done it all while maintaining a 4.2 weighted GPA. Haskins’ athletic and academic efficiency earned the Lumberton High senior The Robesonian/Mountaire Farms Scholar Athlete of the Month honor for May. The AOTM program’s mission is to highlight male and female senior student-athletes within Robeson County who carry a 3.0 GPA or higher. Nominees need to also be recognized by their coaches for outstanding sportsmanship and perform with superior ability in athletic competition. “You listen to the title (scholar-athlete) and you hear scholar first,” Haskins said. “So first of all, it’s about getting your classroom work done, taking care of your g...
May 19, 2012 | 0 0 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend
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AOTM: Swett conference champ also leading scholar
PEMBROKE — Moira Dial is a .400 hitter for the Purnell Swett High School softball team. Move the decimal point to the right and you get Dial’s GPA. Whether she’s at the plate or in the classroom, Dial is determined to perform at the highest level. Just ask her softball coach, James Graves, who sees it every day. “You can see it on her face,” Graves said of Dial, a three-year starter at third base for the Lady Rams. “She wants to be successful and she gives everything she’s got - whether it’s academically or athletically. She does not accept a poor performance.” Dial’s prowess on the ballfield and high performance in the classroom earned the Swett senior The Robesonian/Mountaire Farms Scholar Athlete of the Month honor for April. The AOTM program’s mission is to highlight male and female senior student-athletes within Robeson County who carry a 3.0 GPA or higher. Nominees need to also be recognized by their coaches for outstanding sportsmanship and perform with superior ability i...
Apr 28, 2012 | 1 1 comments | 21 21 recommendations | email to a friend
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AOTM: Lumberton standout studies and scores
LUMBERTON — If you’re a follower of Lumberton High School sports, you’ve seen Jaynell Brown. On the cross country course, basketball court, soccer field and track, Brown has been making her impact for the Lady Pirates for four years. Her prowess on the playing fields and high performance in the classroom earned the Lumberton senior The Robesonian/Mountaire Farms Scholar Athlete of the Month honor for March. The AOTM program’s mission is to highlight male and female senior student-athletes within Robeson County who carry a 3.0 GPA or higher. Nominees need to also be recognized by their coaches for outstanding sportsmanship and perform with superior ability in athletic competition. For Brown, she sticks to the books-before-ballgames mantra, which has helped her manage a 4.2 weighted GPA while being a four-sport athlete — cross country in the fall, basketball in the winter, and soccer and track and field in the spring. She is also a member of Lumberton High’s Beta Club and National Hon...
Mar 17, 2012 | 1 1 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend
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