Carolyn Lee Johnson was a teacher, coach, and athletic director at Eastern Hancock Schools for 35 years prior to her retirement in 2003. To honor her inspiration to countless students, faculty, and staff, friends and family created the scholarship fund to benefit graduating Eastern Hancock students who plan to major in education.
She loved each of the roles she played there. She said upon her retirement that the only thing she wouldn’t miss was the paperwork. She missed the students, faculty, and staff alike.
One of her favorite sayings was “I can be unhappy that a rose bush has thorns or rejoice because a thorn bush has roses.” Ms. Johnson always looked for the roses on the thorn bush. She inspired countless students, faculty, and staff to reach deep inside themselves for that little extra to help them succeed. She did not watch the scoreboard as much as she watched for growing athletes bettering themselves and achieving personal bests.
The scholarship benefits an Eastern Hancock student pursuing a four-year degree in education. The goal of the Carolyn Johnson Scholarship is to give some individuals the extra help needed to succeed; therefore, qualifying students need not meet a minimum GPA requirement but must exhibit the desire to pursue higher learning through documentation of college/university admission. In addition, this person shall have demonstrated financial need, a minimum of one-year participation in an extracurricular sports activity, acts of kindness and helpfulness to faculty and fellow students, and school spirit. See the current HCCF Scholarship Guidebook on this website for a complete list of requirements.
