FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 26, 2024) – Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell awarded six Kentucky high school student-athletes involved in agriculture the 2024 Kentucky High School Athletic Association-Kentucky Department of Agriculture Ag Athletes of the Year awards.
“The teamwork, leadership, and resilience you learn with any athletic sport are the same strengths you need to find success in agriculture,” Commissioner Shell said. “These same skills can also translate to a successful academic career. At the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, we recognize a solid educational foundation can translate to great success in life, whether that education is through a four-year institution or a trade school. We are pleased to join our partners at the KHSAA to reward scholarships to the commonwealth’s best young athletes and agriculturists.”
The 2024 Ag Athletes of the Year were named at a ceremony during the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen® State Basketball Tournament on March 22 at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Two $2,000 scholarships and four $1,000 scholarships were awarded. The honorees were:
Outstanding Ag Athlete of the Year: Emily Shaw, Metcalfe County ($2,000)
Outstanding Ag Athlete of the Year: John “Bryce” Warren, Monroe County ($2,000)
Robert “Luke” Burchett, Lyon County
Colton Huffman, Metcalfe County
Katherine London, Barren County
Amanda Purvis, Woodford County
The one-time scholarships, payable to an institution of higher learning, are awarded to high school seniors involved in athletics and agriculture who plan on continuing their education at a two- or four-year institution or trade school.
The scholarships are supported by the “Ag Tag” Fund, which is financed by voluntary donations from Kentucky motorists when they buy or renew their farm vehicle license plates. Last year, Kentucky farmers donated $735,815.88 to the Ag Tag Program. The scholarships are just one way the funds are used to support Kentucky’s agriculture youth.
The 2024 Kentucky High School Athletic Association-Kentucky Department of Agriculture Ag Athletes of the Year were honored at a ceremony during the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen® State Basketball Tournament on March 22. Pictured are, from left, scholarship recipients Katherine London, Robert “Luke” Burchett, and Emily Shaw, Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, and scholarship recipients John “Bryce” Warren, Amanda Purvis, and Colton Huffman. (Kentucky Department of Agriculture)
(Madison Pergrem)