Baseball was my first love! The sport that I started learning as soon as I was old enough to walk. I have my dad to thank for that. He was the one to encourage me to play the game. I started playing little league at five years old. He would have me and my older brother in the back yard teaching us everything he knew about baseball to make us better. I started playing travel baseball when I was 11 years old. I loved it! I got to meet new people, see new places, and make lifelong friendships. Baseball has a way of bringing people together and that’s one of my favorite things about it. My dad encouraged and inspired me to play baseball, and he has been my biggest supporter through my entire baseball career. I am currently in my senior year of baseball, and I am very sad to see it come to an end. My experiences with playing baseball helped me to build character and learn that hard work pays off. When I started playing, I pitched and now I am the catcher for my team. As catcher I feel it is my duty to be the leader. I must stay level-headed even when things aren’t going my team’s way. I have learned that my teammates look up to me and I must stay calm, strong, and lead by example. I hope I can instill some of my values in my teammates before I graduate so that they can continue to use them next baseball season. My years of playing baseball has led me to the teaching and coaching field. After graduating high school, I plan to attend college to get my Wellness Education degree. I want to teach elementary school physical education. I hope to instill the love of sports in the children I teach. I spent many hours growing up practicing and learning as much about baseball as I could. I plan to get a coaching job at my local high school and share my knowledge of baseball with those players. I want to go back to my small hometown to teach and coach. That’s the best way I know to give back to my local community. It would be a full circle moment if I could coach baseball with my dad after I graduate college. He has always been one of my favorite coaches growing up, and I know that he is my number one supporter. I have and continue to have a great work ethic. Baseball has taught me hard work does pay off, and I plan to use that information when going to college. This scholarship would mean a great deal to me. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hi, my name is Avery Skeens. I am a senior at Sherman High School with plans to attend college after I graduate. I plan to study Wellness Education and become an elementary school physical education teacher. I plan to attend Concord University in Athens, WV. I love to play sports with baseball and golf being my favorites. I love to sing in church with my family, and volunteer wherever I am needed in my church. I help with the youth mostly. I have helped older people to their vehicles by giving a shoulder for them to lean on after service. My mom tells me I have a big heart and that I need to use it to do good in the world. Being from West Virginia, I love to hunt and fish. Our mountains and rivers here are the best. I spend a lot of my time outdoors. My family and I love to go camping in tents. I have made lots of memories with them doing that. I hope to make a positive impact on the lives of children by becoming a teacher. I chose to go into the teaching field because of the work I do with the youth in my church. I volunteer with the games portion of my church’s vacation bible school every summer. I also help with the imagination station with setting up things for the science experiments. My dad teaches the teen class in Sunday School, and I hope to one day follow in his footsteps by doing that. I want to work with elementary-aged children because of my work with the youth in my church. I have a little sister who is nine years younger than me, and I feel that that age would be a great age to teach. My faith is the most important part of my life. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV) I believe God has called me into the profession of teaching. I want to come back home after I graduate college and teach in my small community. My community helped shape who I am today, and I want to give back to it anyway I can. I plan to get a job teaching and get a job coaching golf or baseball at my local high school. My parents have taught me hard work pays off, and I know it will take hard work and dedication to achieve the goals that I have set for my future. I have a brother who is older than me, and next year my parents will have the financial responsibility of paying for mine and my brother’s college tuition. So, this scholarship would mean so much to me and my family. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hi, my name is Avery Skeens. I am a senior at Sherman High School with plans to attend college after I graduate. I plan to study Wellness Education and become an elementary school physical education teacher. I plan to attend Concord University in Athens, WV. The work I do with the children at my church helped me to choose to pursue further education in the teaching field. I love to play sports with baseball and golf being my favorites. I love to sing in church with my family, and volunteer wherever I am needed in my church. I help with the youth mostly. I have helped older people to their vehicles by giving a shoulder for them to lean on after service. My mom tells me I have a big heart and that I need to use it to do good in the world. Being from West Virginia, I love to hunt and fish. Our mountains and rivers here are the best. I spend a lot of my time outdoors. My family and I love to go camping in tents. I have made lots of memories with them doing that. I chose teaching, as I mentioned above, because of the work I do with the youth in my church. My elementary school physical education teacher inspired me to do so as well. That teacher has become my basketball coach in high school. He has been there for me at all stages of my life. I feel like I can even contact him after I graduate for advice and he would happily help me anyway he could. He is not only a great teacher and coach but has become a great friend. I volunteer with the games portion of my church’s vacation bible school every summer. I also help with the imagination station with setting up things for the science experiments. I want to work with elementary-aged children because of my work with the youth in my church. I have a little sister who is nine years younger than me, and I feel that it would be a great age to teach. My faith is the most important part of my life. I believe God has called me into the profession of teaching. I feel that I could make a difference in the lives of children just like my teacher did for me. I want to come back home after I graduate college and teach in my small community. My community helped shape who I am today, and I want to give back to it anyway I can. I plan to get a job teaching and get a job coaching golf or baseball at my local high school. I hope I can be half the teacher that my elementary school physical education teacher was to me. My parents have taught me hard work pays off, and I know it will take hard work and dedication to achieve the goals that I have set for my future. I have a brother who is older than me, and next year my parents will have the financial responsibility of paying for mine and my brother’s college tuition. So, this scholarship would mean so much to me and my family. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Hi, my name is Avery Skeens. I am a senior in high school with plans to attend college after I graduate. I plan to study Wellness Education and become an elementary school physical education teacher. I plan to attend Concord University in Athens, WV. I love to play sports with baseball and golf being my favorite. I love to sing in church with my family, and volunteer wherever I am needed in my church. I help with the youth mostly, but I have helped usher the older people to their vehicles. My mom tells me I have a big heart and that I need to use it to do good in the world. Being from West Virginia I love to hunt and fish. Our mountains and rivers here are the best. I spend a lot of time outdoors. My family and I love to go camping in tents. I have made lots of memories doing that. I chose teaching as my career goal because of the work I do with the youth in my church, and my elementary school physical education teacher inspired me to do so. That teacher had become my basketball coach in high school. He has been there for me at all ages of my life so far. I feel like I can even contact him after graduation for advice and he would happily give it to me. He is not only a great teacher and coach but has become a wonderful friend. I volunteer with the games portion of my church’s vacation bible school every summer. I also help with imagination stations with getting things set up for the science experiments. I want to work with elementary-aged children because of my work with the youth in my church and the fact that I have a nine-year younger little sister. She is eight years old and I think that would be a great age to teach. My faith is the most important part of my life. I believe God has called me into the profession of teaching. I feel that I could make a difference in the lives of children just like my teacher did for me. I want to come back after college and teach in my small community. This community helped shape who I am today, and I want to give back to it any way I can. I hope to get my teaching degree and get a job coaching golf or baseball at my local high school. I hope to be half the teacher that my elementary school physical education teacher was to me. My parents have taught me hard work pays off, and I know it will take hard work and dedication to achieve the goals that I have set for my future. Next year my parents will have the financial responsibility of paying not only for my college but also for my older brothers. So, this scholarship would mean so much to me and my family as well. I am ready to go full speed to get my degree and become a teacher.

Do I want to be a teacher? That was the question I asked myself at the beginning of my senior year. Many different things occurred in my life that led me to choose teaching as my career goal. My number one reason and the drive behind choosing education as that goal is one of my previous teachers. I am excited to attend college after graduation. I plan to study Wellness Education. I hope to become an elementary school physical education teacher. I have chosen to go into the education field because I want to make a difference in the lives of children. I hope I can make a lasting impact, build meaningful relationships, and nurture future generations. I had the opportunity to have that growing up in my elementary school physical education teacher. One of the teachers I looked up to the most when I was growing up was Mr. Pauley. He has inspired me and is the reason I have chosen education as my career goal. He encouraged us to do our very best no matter what we were doing in gym class. He always went above and beyond to make elementary school fun and exciting. I got some of my love for sports from him. He taught me sports skills, how to move my body, and healthy living habits. When I got to high school Mr. Pauley turned into Coach Pauley. He became my basketball coach. He cares for every one of his players like he did every one of his students. I know that I can always go to Coach Pauley for any kind of help that I would need even after graduation. He has become not only a great teacher and coach but a wonderful friend. I hope to one day follow in his footsteps and become a teacher and a coach. He is a great role model for every young person that meets him. I have some experience with working with younger children. I have helped the past two to three years with my church’s vacation bible school. I had the job of teaching the kids the rules of the games and showing them how to play them. I also helped with the imagination station during bible school. It was fun showing them some science experiments. The children got really involved in this part. I have a younger sister that is nine years younger than me, and I like to help her with her schoolwork. She is part of the reason I want to work with elementary age children. I hope I can be half the teacher that Mr. Pauley was to me. I know it will take hard work and dedication to achieve the goals I set for my future, and I am ready to go at full speed to become a teacher.

Do I want to be a teacher? That was the question I asked myself at the beginning of my senior year. Many different things occurred in my life that led me to choose teaching as my career goal. I am excited to attend college after graduation. I plan to study Wellness Education. I hope to become an elementary school physical education teacher. The main hardship of going to college is the financial burden on my parents. I have an older brother currently in college, but my parents told me to chase my dreams and everything else will fall into place. I have chosen to go into the education field because I want to make a difference in the lives of children. I hope I can make a lasting impact, build meaningful relationships, and nurture future generations. I had the opportunity to have that growing up in my elementary school physical education teacher. One of the teachers I looked up to the most was Mr. Pauley. He has inspired me and is the reason I chose education as my career goal. He encouraged us to do our very best no matter what we were doing in gym class. He always went above and beyond to make elementary school fun and exciting. I got some of my love for sports from him. He taught me sports skills, how to move my body, and healthy habits. When I got to high school Mr. Pauley turned into Coach Pauley. He became my basketball coach. He cares for every one of his players like he did every one of his students. I know that I can always go to Coach Pauley for any kind of help that I would need even after graduation. He has become not only a great teacher and coach but a wonderful friend. I hope to one day follow in his footsteps and become a teacher and a coach. He is a great role model for every young person that meets him. I have some experience with working with younger children. I have helped the past two to three years with my church’s vacation bible school. I had the job of teaching the kids the rules of the games and showing them how to play them. I also helped with the imagination station during bible school. It was fun showing them some science experiments. The children got really involved in this part. I have a younger sister that is nine years younger than me, and I like to help her with her schoolwork. She is part of the reason I want to work with elementary age children. I hope I can be half the teacher that Mr. Pauley was to me. I know it will take hard work and dedication to achieve my goals for my future, and I am ready to go at full speed to become a teacher.

Do I want to be a teacher? That was the question I asked myself at the beginning of my senior year. Many different things occurred in my life that led me to choosing teaching as my career goal. I am a senior in high school and will be graduating May 21, 2026. I am excited to attend college after graduation. I plan to study Wellness Education. I hope to become an elementary school physical education teacher. I chose to go into the education field because I want to make a difference in the lives of children. I hope I can make a lasting impact, build meaningful relationships, and nurture future generations. I had the opportunity to have that growing up in my elementary school physical education teacher. One of the teachers I looked up to the most when growing up was Mr. Pauley. He encouraged us to do our very best no matter what we were doing in gym class. He always went above and beyond to make elementary school fun and exciting. I got some of my love for sports from him. He taught me sports skills, how to move my body, and how to make healthy habits. When I got to high school Mr. Pauley turned into Coach Pauley. He became my basketball coach. He cares for every one of his players just like he cares for every one of his students. I know that I can always go to Coach Pauley for any kind of help I would need even after I graduate. He has become not only a great teacher and coach but a wonderful friend. I hope to one day follow in his footsteps and become a teacher and a coach. He is a great role model for me and every other young person that meets him. I have some experience with working with younger children. I have helped the past two to three years with my church’s vacation bible school. I had the job of teaching the kids the rules of the games and showing them how to play them. I also helped with the imagination station during bible school. It was fun showing them some science experiments. The children got really involved in this part. I have a younger sister that is nine years younger than me, and I like helping her with her schoolwork. She is part of the reason I want to work with elementary age children. I hope I can be half of the teacher that Mr. Pauley was to me. I know it will take hard work and dedication to achieve my goals for my future, and I am ready to go at it full speed to become a teacher.

Being a good teammate to me means encouraging others and lifting their spirt when they are down. Being a good leader and leading by example is something I am constantly working on. I love sports. Golf and baseball are my two favorites. They both have taught me my hard work and dedication pays off. My mindset in playing those sports is very important. I try hard to stay positive on and off the field and golf course to help my teammates to do so as well. The most important team that I have been on is my baseball team in my 8th grade year of middle school. My dad helped coach that team. He is where I got my love of baseball from. We had a winning season that year. I had wonderful teammates then that now have become part of my family. Baseball really helped shape who I am today. We made it to the conference championship that year and won. That's one of my favorite memories for me. I remember running straight to my dad and he gave me the biggest hug. I believe that moment is one that me and him will never forget. My dad started teaching me baseball when I was around three to four years old in our back yard. It's my senior year now and my dad it still there supporting me not only in baseball but everything I go to do. He has become my best friend. My dad and mom raised me in church. My faith is a big part of who I am, if not the biggest. My God has helped me numerous times on my day-to-day life and my life in sports. I have faced many struggles throughout my athletic career. I have had to overcome injuries, but I could never do it alone. I am currently in my senior year of baseball season, and I lead my team in prayer before games. Team morale is the best it has been in all four years of my high school career. Our goal as a team is to make it to the state tournament. I believe my faith will help me succeed in every aspect of my life. I plan to go to college to become an elementary school physical education teacher in the future. I hope to become a coach one day as well. Sports give children an outlet and teach them things like hard work and dedication does pay off. I feel that sports and my faith have taught me many life lessons, and I hope to pass that down to other children one day.

The biggest life lesson that golf has taught me is to never give up. I had a goal from my freshman year of high school to make it to the West Virginia State Golf Tournament. I love the sport of golf. My dad took me for the first time golfing when I was five but really got serious about it in middle school. I told my family and friends about my goal and couldn't wait to reach it. Unfortunately, my freshman year I did not make it to the state tournament. I was sad about it but kept pursuing my dream. The summer before my sophomore year I practiced and thought I was ready. Yet again I failed. I did not let that stop me. I persevered and kept playing the game I loved so much. I was on a golf course somewhere every chance I had. I could not let the fear of failure keep me down. Junior year golf season was going very well, but at the regional golf match I came in third place. To make it to states you had to be in the top two. I missed it by one. I had one year, one season, left to achieve my goal. My senior year my parents told me to enjoy my last season and not to put too much pressure on myself. Golf is more of a mental game than a physical one. I had to work hard on my mindset to be able to play golf the way I wanted. My senior season went great, and then it was time for regionals. I had to stay calm and play my game. That strategy worked for me. Not only did I qualify to go to the state tournament, but my team did as well. I was so happy that I qualified to go, and finally after all that hard work succeeded in reaching the goal I had set for myself my freshman year of high school. The day came to play at the West Virginia State Golf Tournament and I was so excited to be there. I played the hardest two rounds of golf of my entire life while I was there. Through hard work and dedication, I made my high school history by placing 8th in single "A" division and being named All-Tournament. Golf has taught me to never give up, and to keep pushing myself to achieve my goals in life. I plan to become an elementary school physical education teacher in the future. I can't wait to help children and teach them about the great sport of golf. Hopefully, golf will help them like it did me. Hard work, dedication, perseverance, and never to quit striving to reach your goals is what golf taught me throughout my high school years of life. I am forever grateful to my dad who taught me how to play this great game called golf.

In October of 2025 I achieved my biggest personal accomplishment yet, and that was coming in 8th in single A at the West Virginia State Golf Tournament. I love the sport of golf. It is my favorite sport. From the moment I joined my high school's golf team, my freshman year, I knew I wanted to make it to this tournament. I told my family and friends that I was going to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, I did not make it to the state tournament my freshman year of high school. I kept pursuing my dream my sophomore year. I practiced the summer before and thought I was ready, but again I failed at reaching my goal. I did not let that stop me. I persevered and kept playing the game I loved so much. I was on the golf course somewhere every chance I had. I could not let the fear of failure keep me down. Junior year golf season was going very well, but at the regional golf match I came in third place. To make it to states you had to be in the top two. I missed it by one. I had one year, one season, left to make it. My senior year my parents told me to enjoy my last season and not to put too much pressure on myself. Golf is more of a mental game than it is a physical one. I had to work hard on my mindset to be able to golf the way I wanted. My senior season went great, and then it was time for regionals. I had to stay calm and play my game. That strategy worked and not only did I qualify to go to states, but my team did as well. The day came and I was so excited to be at the WV State Golf Tournament. I played the hardest two rounds of golf of my entire life while I was there. Through hard work and dedication, I made my high school history by being named All-Tournament and placed 8th in the single A division. Golf has taught me to never give up, and to keep pushing myself to achieve my goals in life. I plan to become an elementary physical education teacher in the future. I can't wait to help children and teach them about the great sport of golf. Sports give children an outlet and help to keep them out of trouble.