Local high school seniors are awarded with the Jerome Ellington Scholarship

JACKSON, Tenn. — Applause and neon green t-shirts filled St. Johns Baptist Church Saturday morning as local high school seniors were awarded scholarships from the parents of a boy who was once in their shoes.

“Jerome was big on education. He always wanted to go to college. Lane College was his first love. He wanted to enter Lane College right after JCM,” said Jerome’s mother, Norma Ellington.

However, Jerome Ellington was only a student at Lane College for three weeks, until he was shot and killed outside of the Jackson Bowling and Family Fun Center back in 2009.

“That big, cheerful, jolly smile he kept on his face all the time is what I remember about him now,” Ellington said, “and he used to always give me these bear hugs.”

…but Jerome’s legacy continues to live on at the 8th Annual Jerome Ellington Persevere Scholarship presentation.

The message on fundraiser t-shirts Saturday was, never stop looking up, and scholarship recipients we spoke with say, that’s exactly what they plan to do.

“It really helped out a lot. My parents are going to be able to afford for me to go out of state, so it really contributed a lot, and I’m extremely happy to have this scholarship,” said scholarship recipient Aniya Bonds.

Aniya was one of the four students who received 500 dollars Saturday thanks to the fundraiser that remembers Jerome Ellington.

“You have a lot of people who really care for you. Your mom and dad are doing a lot of stuff just to keep your legacy going on,” Bonds said, “and I hope to have that much of an impact.”

Ellington says, the students were chosen based on their grade point average, financial need, leadership skills, community service, and volunteer work. A donation to the Jerome Ellington Persevere Scholarship Fund can be made at any Regions Bank.