James Philip Mitton Memorial Scholarship

The James Philip Mitton Memorial Scholarship is designed to help a SandHoke Early College High School student, who is both active in debate and committed to community service, to fund their education after high school. James was born November 17, 1997, to Felicity Lois (Mitton) Sanders and George Philip Mitton. He moved to Hoke County at age 13 and attended West Hoke Middle School before enrolling at SandHoke Early College High School. James was passionate about debate and about helping others, human or animal. James would not want grades to be a determining factor, but would want the scholarship to help someone active in debate who also has found ways to serve the community. We hope to honor his legacy of helping others with this memorial scholarship. James was intellectually gifted, loved learning, and excelled academically. He consistently scored above the 98th percentile on standardized tests and was always on the Honor Roll. An active scholar whose education went far beyond the walls of SandHoke Early College High School, he graduated with honors, a leader in National Honor Society, Mu alpha Theta Math Honor Society, and Beta Club, but he truly stood out and made his mark on the speech and debate team. As a Congressional debater, James earned numerous academic awards, including earning a degree of Outstanding Distinction for his achievements at the national level. Competing and often placing at well over fifty tournaments from Harvard to Columbia to George Mason to UNC to Duke, and to the University of Florida; he was SandHoke Early College’s very first Congressional Debate Captain and the first to qualify to compete in the National Speech and Debate competition. Graduating high school with both a high school diploma and an Associate of Science degree in engineering, James lived life to the fullest and shared in his graduation banquet speech that “I have spent countless hours with … the team..and, for that, I am forever grateful…. In that time, I have grown as a person… learning the invaluable skill of hard work.. to speak publicly, without a script, …and to … always lend a helping hand.” James was a loving, kind, and compassionate soul. He had volunteered at the local library while in school. With his family, he had volunteered frequently at the Haven shelter for animals. While on the debate team, he helped run the middle school tournament and moderated the Hoke County Commissioner debates for two years in a row. As an adult, he advocated for animal welfare issues at the Hoke County Commissioner’s meetings and chaired the Animal Welfare Committee appointed by his county Board of Commissioners. He spent many hours of his free time helping with dog rescue.