Five Greene County high school graduates have been selected as the recipients of the 2010 County of Greene/Allegheny Energy Scholarship. Each student received a $1,000 award to be used toward his or her first year of enrollment at Waynesburg University. All five students will enter Waynesburg University this fall.

The scholarship recipients are:

Taylor Augustine, Waynesburg Central High School. Augustine, the daughter of James and Holly Augustine of Waynesburg, will study pre-medicine. She was a member of National Honor Society and the soccer and track and field teams.

Christopher Drew, Mapletown High School. Drew, the son of Gary and Joyce Drew of Greensboro, will study pre-medicine. He was a member of National Honor Society and the baseball, basketball and football teams.

SiReno Mattie, Jefferson-Morgan High School. Mattie, the son of SiReno and Sharon Mattie of Rices Landing, will study engineering. He was captain of the Academic Team and a member of National Honor Society, Science Olympiad and Leo Club.

Paige Shultz, West Greene High School. Shultz, the daughter of Angela Crawford of Sycamore, will study pre-dental. She was named to the honor roll all four years and was a member of Chemistry Club and Library Aid.

Heather Whipkey, West Greene High School. Whipkey, the daughter of John and Diane Whipkey of Graysville, will study chemistry. She was a member of National Honor Society and Chemistry Club and received several academic awards.

"We congratulate all five of our inaugural scholarship winners," said Commissioner Pam Snyder, chair of the Board of Commissioners. "They are bright, talented students, and we wish them nothing but the best as they take the next step in their education and pursue their goals."

The five recipients met the scholarship's criteria, which included a cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.0, acceptance to Waynesburg University entering as a new, non-transfer student for the Fall 2010 semester and plans to major in a selected field.

Funding for the scholarship was made available through Allegheny Energy, Inc., as part of an agreement reached with Greene County in 2008 related to the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line (TrAIL) project. In the agreement, Allegheny Energy subsidiary Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company (TrAILCo) agreed to contribute $750,000 to the county for educational, environmental, public health and community infrastructure projects.

As part of the TrAIL project, TrAILCo recently completed construction of the new 502 Junction Substation near Mt. Morris, which will significantly enhance Allegheny Power's electric reliability in the region. An additional segment of the TrAIL transmission line, slated for completion by June 2011, will extend approximately 1.2 miles south from 502 Junction to the West Virginia border.

In June 2009, the Greene County Commissioners and officials from Allegheny Energy presented Waynesburg University with $100,000 to start the scholarship. A second $100,000 gift was presented earlier this year, and a $50,000 gift will follow next year, bringing the total scholarship endowment to $250,000. For next year, the number of scholarship recipients will double to include 10 Greene County high school graduating seniors, who will each receive $1,000 scholarships. Applications will be available this fall for members of the 2011 graduating classes.

For more information on the County of Greene/Allegheny Energy Scholarship Fund, contact the Greene County Commissioners' office at 724-852-5210, or the Waynesburg University Admissions office at 1-800-225-7393 or e-mail admissions@waynesburg.edu.