MC names West Chevrolet Academic Award winners

April 4, 2002

Maryville College students Nick Giles, Brandon Roberts and Eric Weatherbee were named the recipients of the West Chevrolet Academic Award during the annual Academic Awards Ceremony held April 12 at the College.

The award, which is valued at $500 for each student, was established by Steve West in 1998 and is funded by West Chevrolet in Alcoa.

Offered to students enrolled at Maryville College, the award has connections to the Tennessee Mathematics Teachers’ Association’s regional high school mathematics contest held at Maryville College annually during the spring. The contest is open to high school students in Blount, Loudon and Sevier counties. Top scorers in the contest who choose to enroll at Maryville College are considered first for the West Chevrolet Academic Award.

Guidelines for the award outline that it “honors Maryville College students and the pursuit of the study of mathematics. Participants of the local competition are eligible to receive this award. The award, presented annually at the [College’s] academic awards banquet, will be part of a student’s financial aid package for the following year.”

Giles, a freshman at the College and the son of John and Linda Giles of Maryville, is a 2002 graduate of Maryville High School. In previous math competitions, Giles took second place in the Advanced Topics I Division (2001) and third place in the Advanced Topics II Division (2002).

Roberts, also a freshman, is the son of David and Kathy Roberts of Maryville. He is a 2002 graduate of Maryville High School. In last year’s competition, Roberts took home second place the Advanced Topics II Division.

Weatherbee is another 2002 graduate of Maryville High School. He is the son of Taylor and Kristi Weatherbee of Maryville. In 2001, Weatherbee took third place in the Advanced Topics I Division competition.

“ We are both happy and honored to have such outstanding students from the community attend Maryville College,” said Dr. John Nichols, professor of mathematics and chairperson of the College’s Division of Mathematics and Computer Science. “[The West Chevrolet Academic Award] continues to help us attract top mathematics and science students to the College, and I am very grateful to Steve West and West Chevrolet for making this award possible.”

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state‘s third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2012 semester was 1,093.