LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – Greenbrier Community School (GCS) is proud to honor the history and legacy of Bolling High School by introducing the Bolling-Clay Scholarship.
This annual scholarship will be available to primary-aged students who are descendants of Bolling School students or teachers. The first scholarship will be offered in fall 2023.
Bolling High School has a rich history in Greenbrier County. Edward Bolling, born in 1855, was educated in Richmond, Virginia, and attended Morgan State College in Baltimore before returning to Lewisburg in the 1880s. He became the principal of the Lewisburg Colored School and served as an educator and principal for 50 years.
Bolling was also an active community member, involved in numerous religious and social organizations. After Bolling’s death in 1932, Earl Charles Clay became the principal of the Lewisburg Colored School, renaming it Bolling Junior High and Elementary School in Bolling’s honor.
Clay, born in 1903 in Greenbrier County, attended West Virginia State College and received his master’s degree from Virginia State College. He also taught chemistry at Bolling.
In spring 1933, the Greenbrier County Board of Education added a 10th grade at Bolling Junior High and Elementary, continuing the add-a-year policy until 1935, when Bolling became a four-year high school. In May 1936, 14 graduates became the first alumni.
Bolling High School officially closed in 1963.
Since 1936, Bolling High School graduates and teachers have brought honor and dignity to the Greenbrier community, as well as statewide and nationwide recognition. The Bolling-Clay Scholarship Committee members include Janice Cooley, Jon Newton, Paula Clay Cooley, Patricia Clay Leftwich, Marion Gordon and Yvonne Jones.
A student awarded the Bolling-Clay Scholarship and the Hope Scholarship will be responsible for a $166 monthly tuition (August-May). In addition to these scholarships, GCS offers internal tuition assistance.
For more information about the Bolling-Clay Scholarship, visit the Greenbrier Community School website or contact the school directly.
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