Columbus Exchange Club hosts ACE Awards in Lowndes Co.
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Exchange Club of Columbus Hosted its 2025-2026 Youth of the Year and Accepting the Challenge of Excellence Awards Luncheon.
These unique annual awards go to students from local high schools within Lowndes County, and 8 schools were represented.
These awards are recognized throughout the country
The A.C.E. Award goes to a student who has persevered through hardship.
Chair of the Youth and A.C.E. Committee Amy Elsmore says this award is also for the public to see that even through life’s challenges, perseverance is possible.
The Youth Award is given to a well-rounded, academically gifted student who goes above and beyond to do well.
Elsmore says all nominees receive a certificate and a check of $100. The overall winner of the awards receives an additional check of $200, and next year the amounts will be going up.
The winners also get to compete at the national level.
“I think recognizing the youth, I mean, we recognize all kinds of people and adults, but recognizing our high school seniors is just one of our favorite things to do,” said Elsmore.
“They take away from this the recognition that someone is seeing that they have made a difference in their own personal lives and their own personal journey. In taking away from that, it allows them to go back and continue on that journey that they’ve started to give them hope that things can change for the circumstances that they currently have,” Exchange Club President Stephen Greenough.
This year’s nominees for the A.C.E. Awards were Ashia Williams of Caledonia High School, NiJayhia Capron of Columbus High School, Sophie Milam of Heritage Academy, Madison Montgomery of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, and Alex Perrigin of Victory Christian Academy. The Winner was Gene Rowe Gillis of New Hope High School.
This year’s nominees for the Youth Awards were Cohen Clark of Caledonia High School, T’Amber Lavender of Columbus High School, Chloe Boykin of Heritage Academy, Danika King of Victory Christian Academy, and Kaeli Stallings of West Lowndes High School. The winner was Rebecca Sun of the Mississippi School For Mathematics and Science.
