MIDDLESBORO, Ky. — Anna Woods lives in a small town, but she’s destined for big things.
The Bell County High School senior is the latest winner of the Spectrum News 1 High School Scholar Award, based on her academic success and commitment to her community.
The Bell County High School senior is the latest winner of the Spectrum News 1 High School Scholar Award, based on her academic success and commitment to her community.
BCHS is in Middlesboro, on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. It’s an economically disadvantaged area with a poverty rate more than triple the national average. Those challenges can make it difficult for some students to stay motivated and engaged, but not Anna. She’s determined to make a difference now… and in the future.
She’s an honor student with a 4.0 GPA who serves as president of the BETA Club and captain of the robotics team. But her most significant leadership role is as captain of the Community Problem-Solving Team.
She noticed a visually impaired classmate struggling and did something about it, saying, “I just thought we don’t recognize on a day-to-day basis what other people need to function the way we do. It’s kind of unfair that they’re having to go through all that.”
She helped organize a “White Cane Day” charity walk that raised thousands of dollars for the Kentucky School for the Blind Charitable Foundation. She also petitioned the school board to purchase braille signs and tactile strips, helping BCHS become more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Prater said, “We’ve really made a lot of changes in the school. Anna and the team have inspired a lot of kids to realize that change is possible. You just have to go for it.”
The next change in Anna’s life will be a big one: moving from rural Kentucky to the nation’s biggest city. She’s headed to New York City to pursue a career in journalism, explaining, “It’s just the best way I can sort of make a difference, because that’s what comes across to people really well. They say, ‘Oh my gosh, I never thought about that and then I read what you wrote’”.
Woods exhibits a maturity that can be rare for a high school student, proclaiming, “I’m not gonna be here forever. I want to leave something behind.” And Prater is sure she’ll do it, saying she wants to find the problems, then offer solutions to them too.
Solving problems and making a difference. That’s what makes Anna Woods a deserving Spectrum News 1 High School Scholar.