NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (FWAA) – Sarah Helsley, a senior at Edmond Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla., was named as the 17th winner of the Volney Meece Scholarship.

The scholarship is awarded annually by the Football Writers Association of America and named for the late Volney Meece. Meece served 22 years as the FWAA's executive director and was the organization's president in 1971. The announcement came at the FWAA's annual awards breakfast.

The scholarship is a $1,000 annual grant for four years. It is awarded to a deserving son or daughter of an FWAA member.

The 17-year-old Helsley is the daughter of long-time FWAA member John Helsley of The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City.

Sarah has compiled an impressive list of academic achievements and extracurricular activities. A national merit semifinalist who ranks in the top two percent of her senior class, she has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average (4.214 weighted) while taking a strenuous load of advanced placement classes throughout her high school career.

A member of both the National Honor Society and the Pablo Neruda chapter of the Spanish Honor Society, Sarah has been named an AP Scholar with Distinction, received the Academic Excellence Award every year of high school, nominated for Academic All-State and selected unanimously by her peers in the Santa Fe senior class as the "Genius of our Generation."

In addition to her superb work in the classroom, Sarah is an editor for the student newspaper and costume designer for the drama department. She's also heavily involved in a variety of activities outside of school. She has volunteered at the University of Oklahoma Children's Hospital, leads a confirmation class at her church and works 20-25 hours a week at her part-time job with the local AMC Theater.

Scheduled to graduate in May, Sarah plans to attend the University of Oklahoma.

Previous Meece scholarship winners include: Brett Goering, Topeka, Kan.; Kelly Brooks, Denver, Colo.; Elk Grove Village, Ill.; Sara Barnhart, Atlanta, Ga., Patrick Davis, Coventry, Conn.; Jacqueline O’Toole, Gaithersburg, Md.; Garrett Holtz, Denver, Colo.:, Katie Hersom, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Katie Wieberg, Lawson, Mo.; Kaylynn Monroe, Winter Park, Fla.; Nate Kerkhoff, Overland Park, Kan.; Jack Caywood, Lawrence, Kan.; Donald Hunt, Philadelphia, Pa.,; Alaina Martens, La Vista, Neb. and Emily Alford, Tupelo, Miss.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.

Related link:
• Volney Meece Scholarship