2019 Winners
The young lady ranking first and the recipient of a $2500 Titus County Fair Scholarship is Rachel Elizabeth Crane. She is ranked first in her graduating class at Chapel Hill High School and is the daughter of Dr. Rickey and Dewanna Crane.
Rachel is a member of First Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant where she is active on the Student Adult Leadership Team, Student Leadership Team, Thanksgiving Food Roundup, Operation Christmas Child, Vacation Bible School and has done mission work in Nashville, TN, Lynchburg, VA, and Philadelphia, PA as a part of Mission Fuge. She also mentors “at risk” children through a mentoring program called Off the Grid and helps provide lunches for underprivileged children with Kids Café.
Growing up on a farm where agriculture is a way of life, Rachel joined Jr. FFA in 3rd grade and states she “absolutely loved showing broilers and lambs”. She found a sense of belonging as she continued with FFA in high school where she has been a state qualifier on Livestock Judging teams and area qualifier on a Senior Chapter Conducting Team in 1017 and 2018. She has served as Chapel Hill FFA Parliamentarian, Treasurer and is currently serving as President. While a part of Jr. FFA and FFA, Rachel has exhibited Broilers in the Titus County Fair for four years claiming Reserve Grand Champion her first year in 2010 and Grand Champion in 2011. She received the Jr. Showmanship award for broilers in 2012. She exhibited Market Lambs in 2013-2018, receiving Reserve Grand Champion in 2014. Her other fair participation includes Academic Rodeo 2009-2015 including: Spelling Bee, Math Team and Decathlon; exhibited photos in Junior Division Photo Contest and received Best of Show with her cake in the Bake Show last year. This year she plans to enter a cake in the Jr. Layered Cake Baking contest and is exhibiting two Market Lambs including participating in Senior Lamb Showmanship in the Livestock Show.
Rachel is also active in sports at Chapel Hill where she plays on the Varsity Tennis team and is also a member of the Varsity Basketball Team that won the State 3A Girls Basketball Championship her junior year in 2019. She also serves on the Prom Committee Planning Team; has received Academic Blankets in English I-2017, BIM I-2018, FFA Livestock-2019; and was Rotary Club Student of the Month in May, 2019.
Rachel plans to attend Texas A&M University to pursue a degree in Animal Science. Then she plans to attend Chiropractic School to become a Chiropractor and hopes to one day own her own practice.
Congratulations to Rachel for being the recipeint of a $2,000 TAF&E Education Foundation Scholarship. Each year TAF&E Education Foundation awards ten $2,000 scholarships to deserving young people from their members.
The top ranking young man and recipient of a $2500 Titus County Scholarship is Jared Vernon McNutt. He is a senior at Chapel Hill High School and the son of Johnny and Juli McNutt.
Jared is a Member of Chapel Hill FFA; future Business Leaders of America since 2017 (placing 4TH in regionals for Computer Cyber Security-2018 & 2019); CH-IDEA since 2016; National Honor Society since 2018; CH Varsity Swim team since 2016 (currently co-captain); CH Destination Imagination since 2011 (placing 1st & 2nd at regional & state levels & 14th at Nationals in 2016, also 1st at regional & State levels and 4th at nationals in 2019); One Act Play (placing 1st at district level in 2019); CH Musical, CHEF since 2017.
Jared has also been a member of Boy Scouts of America since 2008 earning his Eagle Scout Award in 2017. Other community organizations he is involved in include: Salvation Army Volunteer (during the holidays); Mt. Pleasant Splash Summer Swim Team since 2008 (receiving numerous medals and ribbons for competitions); East Texas Taekwondo since 2013 (earning 1st degree Black Belt in 2017, 2nd degree Black Belt in 2018 and is on track to receive his 3rd degree Black Belt in December, 2019) His team, the East Texas Soaring Eagles Taekwondo Demo Competition Team, has received numerous awards as well as individual awards in sparring and forms. He ranked 3rd this year for both sparring and forms for his age group at the Grand National Taekwondo Tournament. He also is a student teacher for younger Taekwondo students.
Jared is an artist and has entered his art in the Fair since 2014. This year he will again enter the Art competition with one of his paintings.
Jared’s father is an Alzheimer patient and no longer recognizes him; therefore, Jared is responsible for certain household chores and the yard work to take some of the burden off his Mother. He also enjoys history. He is ranked 18th in his class and is currently enrolled in the STEM Honors Program at CHISD, taking dual credit classes at NTCC. After graduation he hopes to attend Texas A&M University to pursue his ambition of becoming a Lawyer, but will not rule out the possibility of becoming an American History Professor and a Black Belt Taekwondo Master along the way.
In third place and recipient of a $1500 Scholarship is Rebekah Grace Crane. Ranked 2nd in her graduating class at Chapel Hill High School, she is the daughter of Dr. Rickey and Dewanna Crane.
Rebekah is a member of First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant and is active with Vacation Bible School (2014-2017), Student Adult Leadership Teams (2014-2019), Student Leadership Team (2014-2019), Thanksgiving Food Round-up (2014-2019), Operation Christmas Child (2014-2019), and Mission Fuge-Youth Mission Trip (2017-2019). She is also a part of Off the Grid-a mentoring program for at risk children living with single mothers (2016-2018) and provides lunch for under-privileged kids and their families and provides a safe place for kids to play in the summer through Kids Cafe’ (2015-2019).
Rebekah is a member of Chapel Hill FFA where she is on the Livestock Judging Team (2017-2020) and was a State Qualifier 2017, 2018, & 2019; Senior Chapter Conducting team (2017-2018) and was an Area Qualifier both years; Greenhand Quiz Team in 2016 and was Individual District Champion that year. She is a member a Future Business Leaders of America (placing 1st in District 2nd in State and 9th in Nation for Spreadsheet 2018-2019). She also holds the Office of Class Secretary for the Class of 2020, which she also held her Freshman & Sophomore years. Rebekah has received Academic Blankets in Geometry (2017-18 and BIM2 (2018-19) and was Rotary Club Student of the Month in May 2019.
Athletics is a big part of Rebekah’s life. She is on the Chapel Hill Varsity Tennis Team and was District Champion 2016-17 & District Runner-up 2017-18. She is also a member of the Chapel Hill Varsity Basketball Team that brought the State 3A Girls Basketball Championship home to Chapel Hill her junior year in 2019. She was District Newcomer of the Year 2016-17, District MVP and 1st team All-State 2017-18, and District MVP, 1st team all-State, State Tournament All-Tournament Team in 2018-19.
Her fair participation includes Academic Rodeo 2009-2015, Market Broilers 2010-2011, Market Lamb 2011-2013 & 2015-2018, Market Steer 2014 & 2018, and Photography. She has received Grand Champion Market Lamb three times (2011, 2015, & 2018), Reserve Champion Market Lamb twice (2013 & 2017) Jr. Showmanship three times (2011, 2013 & 2015), Senior Showmanship (2017), and Grand Champion Market Steer (2014). She plans to show two Market Lambs and compete in Senior Showmanship at this year’s Fair.
After High School, Rebekah plans to attend Stephen F. Austin University majoring in Nutrition. After graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree, she plans to attend Physical Therapy School and someday open her own Physical Therapy Practice.
The fourth place winner and recipient of a $1500 Scholarship is Kaci Dawn Jackson. She is the daughter of Jeff and Heather Jackson and is ranked 17th in her graduating class at Chapel Hill High School.
Kaci is a member of Concord Missionary Baptist Church Youth Group. She volunteers with Titus County Cares, Hooves and Halos, Can Food Drive, Conroy Tractor Benefit Auction, Pittsburg Fire Department and various other Fundraisers in the community. She also volunteers to decorate doors and visit with patients in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities.
Kaci has been active in Chapel Hill FFA throughout high school, placing First, Second and Fourth in Public relation Events (2018-2019); placed second and advancing to Area Competition in Agricultural Advocacy (2017); fourth place at District NTCC LDE Contest in Greenhand Quiz (2016). She has exhibited and will continue to exhibit Ag Mechanics projects at the State Fair of Texas (2018-2019), Fort Worth Southwestern Expo & Livestock Show (2018-2020), San Antonio Expo & Livestock Show (2018-2020), as well as Titus county Fair (2017-2019). Kaci received her Lone Star State Degree (2019), outstanding Chapter Award (2019), long Haul Award (2028), Chapter Degree (2017) and Greenhand Degree (2016).
Athletics have been a part of Kaci’s life since she began playing softball when she was six years old. She continues to play Varsity Softball (2016-2020) and was chosen Second Team All-District Defensive Player in 2019. She is also on the Chapel Hill Anglers Fishing Team (2018-2020), was Varsity Girls Basketball manager in 2018 and on the Volleyball Team (2016-2017).
Kaci is a member of National Honor Society (2018-2020); C.O.L.G.A.A.T. (a Christian Based Young Women Student Led Fellowship Organization-2016); Devils Finding Jesus (a Christian based Student Led Fellowship Organization-2016); Physical Therapy Job Shadow Group (2016); and earned her Pharmacy Technician Certification in 2019. She externed at Walgreens and the East Texas Medical Center throughout the month of June 2019. After turning 18 she plans to obtain her Pharmacy Tech License and work while in college. She enjoys working with leather in her spare time and spends several hours per week caring for, feeding and nurturing her dogs and pigs.
Her previous fair participation includes two Ag Mechanics projects: a chicken coop (placed 2nd in the Non trailer class in 2017), and earned Reserve Champion with her project in 2018. She plans to exhibit a Market Hog and an Ag Mechanics Project in this year’s Fair.
After graduation Kaci plans to go to Tarleton State University majoring in PreVeterinary Science. She then plans to apply to Veterinary School to earn a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree.