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<p><strong>From staff reports&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>Ajané Jones, a senior at Battery Creek High School, was selected to receive a $2,500 STAR Scholarship from the P.E.O. Sisterhood.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Jones, recommended by P.E.O. Chapter W of Beaufort, is Treasurer of Student Government, Editor of the yearbook, clarinet section leader and band chaplain, and was the inaugural member of the Leader in Me school improvement model.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>In addition, Jones serves her church as a leader in the Christian education program CrossKids. She will attend Winthrop University in the fall to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. Her ultimate goal is to become an elementary school teacher.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>“I want to empower young students and show them that they can do anything they put their minds to,” Jones said in a news release.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship was established in 2009 to provide scholarships for exceptional high school senior women to attend an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the U.S. or Canada in the next academic year. The competitive STAR Scholarship is for women who exhibit excellence in leadership, academics, extracurricular activities, community service and potential for future success.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Chapter W has been a part of the Beaufort community since it was organized in 1996.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) has been celebrating women helping women reach for the stars for more than 150 years. Since its inception in 1869, the nonprofit organization has helped more than 116,000 women pursue educational goals by providing over $383 million in grants, scholarships, awards and loans.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>To learn more about P.E.O., its powerful educational philanthropies and see stories of women who have benefited from the programs, visit peointernational.org.&nbsp;</p>
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