Lovell and Ora Thornton along with the James L. Thornton Memorial Scholarship Fund are offering scholarships to 2021-2022 graduating seniors of Lithonia High School, Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Miller Grove High School and Arabia Mountain High School, in honor of their late son James Lovell Thornton.
A little information about James L. Thornton:
James was a rising senior at Lithonia High School. He was a young man filled with dreams, hope, promise, love and possibilities. James was an honor student, member of Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID), BETA Club, peer mediators, the marching band, and Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE). He was an usher at The Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church, attended Sunday school, a homeless shelter volunteer, a friend to many and a son. He enjoyed sports, especially baseball and was an avid Braves and Falcons fan. He looked forward to his senior year, a year that we all strive for when beginning our educational journey. What a year it was going to become, Class of 2003 (C.O. ’03), we could expect to hear all year as he marched towards the long awaited graduation. Tragedy struck James with an unrelenting blow, such that it was felt by many and would change the lives of many more.
On August 10, 2002 two days before beginning his senior year James was fatally wounded in a car incident. He had been a backseat passenger in a vehicle that was traveling too fast and resulted in injuries and death.
James never had the opportunity to attend a single day of his senior year with his classmates. He would never be able to walk the halls of the school and hear the echoing rally cry of “C.O. ’03”. His dreams and ours came to an abrupt end that day in August, a future changed in an instant. Life can be unpredictable, unforgiving, unfortunate, and untimely events can change lives forever. James was prepared for life after his earthly life, because he had given himself to Christ. This in some way lessens our pain and gives us hope.
Family, friends, and former classmates sorely miss him. We want to share with other seniors who possess similar desires and dreams as James, the opportunity to pursue their dreams through higher education. Along with commonly shared dreams and desires, as parents we believe it is important to be responsible, respectful and reliable. We stressed safety as a key component of James’ life. This safety was for him and those entrusted to his care.
2020-2021 recipients of the James L. Thornton Memorial Scholarship (Tied for 1st place):
- 1st place Shadiamond Bowman ($3,021), Lithonia High School; attending Kennesaw State University.
- 1st place Tibria J. Brown ($3,021), Arabia Mountain High School; attending Brandeis University.
As you complete the attached application, consider this as an important step towards furthering your education, securing your future and realizing your dreams.
Qualifications
The student applicant must:
Be a graduating senior from one of the following schools (Lithonia High School, Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Miller Grove High School, Arabia Mountain High School) with a minimum 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) and be in good standing and conduct.
Show proof of acceptance to an accredited institution of higher learning (this is needed prior to receiving a check, not needed for the application process).
If you are a licensed driver, must not have any moving violations after March of 2021.
Requirements
A 300 to 500 word typed “double-spaced” essay on the theme of increasing/improving safety in any mode of transportation such as pedestrian, planes, automobiles, bicycles, trains, boats, etc.
(these are only examples):
I would improve pedestrian safety by…
Drivers of automobiles can be more responsible…
Safety improvements can be made in…
Government agencies should mandate boating safety by…
As a passenger I should be…
The essay can also address the importance of being a responsible passenger or operator of a vehicle.
Essays with completed application must be postmarked by midnight March 19, 2022.
Judging Guidelines:
Essays will be judged on content, theme development and grammar.
- Content: does the essay present accurate, relevant and practical information as it relates to the chosen topic, are there footnotes or references denoted
- Theme Development: does the essay flow around the chosen topic; opening, body and conclusion
- Grammar: punctuation, spelling, sentence structure…..
All essays become the property of the James L. Thornton Memorial Scholarship Fund.
** Our judges have made it a point in stressing all of the above mentioned criteria during their evaluation process. It is strongly recommended that you have one of your teachers review your application and essay prior to submission.
** Judges will be processing the first 25 applications received (as a starting point) in selecting the 3 recipients for the 2021-2022 awards, be sure to get your application and essay postmarked and submitted early.
