Pepperell's Brooke McCoy wins RFPRA Outstanding Student Athlete Award

Media release: Brooke McCoy, a senior at Pepperell High School, was named the female winner of the Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame and the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority's John Pinson Jr. Outstanding Student Athlete Award.  The award is presented annually to one male and one female student athlete who excels both athletically and academically.  The award is presented at the annual Rome-Floyd Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Floyd County student athletes nominated for the award were: Austyn Brock and Matt Catazano from Armuchee High; Lauren Kelly and Brook Bingham from Coosa High; Bekah Sapp and Michael Tucker from Model High and McCoy and Dakota Ball from Pepperell High. 

To be considered for the award, each college bound student must have achieved local, area, regional or state level recognition in athletics; attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher; and participate actively in school and community related activities.  McCoy was selected from the nomination group that included a boy and girl from each area high school. Each nominee had to write an essay and was required to have three letters of recommendation to be considered for the award.  The winners were selected based on 50 percent athletics, forty percent academics, and 10 percent extracurricular and community service.  The female and male winners were given $1000.

McCoy is a three sport letterman in basketball, softball, and track.  She was one of the Dragon team captains for the basketball team this year, chosen as 2nd team All-area in softball, and has won medals in shot put while participating in track.  She has participated in the three sports for all four years of high school. 

Academically, she is one of the valedictorians for her class at Pepperell High.  She holds a Georgia Certificate of Merit, and has earned academic honors in all of her classes while taking a full honors and AP class load.  McCoy is in the National Honor Society, Student Council, and the Key Club at Pepperell.  She currently serves as president of the PHS Key Club.  She is the editor of the yearbook, and has been voted class president all four years.  McCoy has won local and district awards in FBLA and was a state finalist in Governor's Honors.

McCoy's community service activities include working with the area Relay for Life for the last four years, the Alzheimer's Walk for three years, the Easter Egg Hunt for a local nursery school for two years, Toys for Tots for two years, collecting toys for Key Christmas Kids with the Key Club for four years, and working in the community clean up project for the last two years.

McCoy credits her basketball coaches, Judson Cox and Savannah Chapman, for her development as an athlete, student and individual by their being positive role models and constant encouragers.  She also sited coaches John Rhodarmer and Brandon Parker for instilling in her the concept of team and its importance, Apryl Hawkins for guiding her passion for community service and teachers Sheldon Boyd, Norma Williams and Linda Casey for being instrumental in her academic career. 

 McCoy plans to attend the University of Georgia and study political science and Spanish after graduation.  She has also been accepted as a student worker for the Sports Communication Department at the University of Georgia and will begin work in the fall with the UGA football team.