Laney awarded Taylor Moore Scholarship at NAHS

Emma Laney was awarded the Taylor Moore Memorial Scholarship at the New Albany High School graduation ceremony on May 21.

The $6,000 competitive scholarship is given each year to a deserving NAHS student who plans to attend college in Mississippi. The scholarship selection process includes criteria relating to character, GPA, extracurricular activities, written essay, and an interview by a selection committee.

Emma is the daughter of Alison and Phillip Laney. She plans to attend Blue Mountain College this fall and major in biology.

An honors graduate, Laney served as a student council representative and was elected to the 2021 New Albany High School Hall of Fame. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Anchor Club, Future Business Leaders of America and the varsity basketball, cross country, and track teams. Laney was also involved with the School Musical. She was a member of the Mississippi Department of Education’s Superintendent Advisory Council. She is the recipient of the L.G. Balfour Award, the Rotary Club Award, and the Bulldog Award.

The Taylor Moore Scholarship was established by Bobby and Minerva Moore in memory of their son who died in 2000. Taylor Moore was a 1988 honor graduate of W.P. Daniel High School. He was Mr. DHS, Most Popular, Most Dignified, and Class Favorite and was active in student government. Moore played first base for the DHS baseball team, and received numerous academic honors. He went on to receive his bachelors and masters degrees in business administration from Mississippi State University.

The scholarship established in his memory has been awarded for seventeen years to outstanding graduates of New Albany High School. Past recipients of the Taylor Moore Scholarship are Stacy Stepp, Darden Holmes, Kyle Kimbrough, Ivy Lauren Williams, Kyle Hickey, Callie Creekmore, Taylor Goode, Josh Creekmore, Olivia Dunnam, Lauren Cavender, Jack Hickey, Meghan Van, Sam Cagle, Joseph Rutherford, RJ Rutherford and Maggie Jo Everett.