The Nancy Coleman Hart scholarship’s first recipient will be announced at the Oglethorpe County High School Senior Day ceremony on May 13.
The Nancy Coleman Hart Scholarship will award $5,000 to an Oglethorpe County High School senior who plans to attend a four-year college or university.
The new scholarship also honors the late Bob Hart, Nancy’s husband, who died in February.
Because the Harts had no children, they dedicated part of their estate to benefit students in the community that shaped them.
“I retired with such respect and gratitude toward Oglethorpe County, and as we continued on in our retirement years, we decided that this was a good match for us to be able to help the students in Oglethorpe County have a fuller, richer academic experience through these scholarships,” Hart said.
The scholarship aims to support students beyond tuition by helping cover essential but often overlooked costs, such as housing, textbooks, food, transportation and extracurricular expenses.
Hart, a former Oglethorpe County Elementary School principal and curriculum director, said her years in the district were among the most rewarding of her career. That connection and her and her husband’s lifelong commitment to education inspired them to plan the scholarship in 2023, months before Bob Hart’s death in February.
Hart hopes to increase the award to $10,000 per year and add two categories to the scholarship.
The first would be for students with strong potential who may not excel in traditional academics, but demonstrate dedication and promise, and the second would be a career-focused or accelerated pathway award for students pursuing apprenticeships, technical education or accelerated degree programs.
Scholarship funds will be given to the recipient rather than restricted to tuition, allowing flexibility in how the money is spent. Hart said that was a deliberate choice to ensure that financial help reaches areas like rent, meals or student organization dues.
“Our hope was that the funds would allow any student to have a fuller college experience,” Hart said.
Hart praised Oglethorpe County Superintendent Beverley Levine and communications coordinator Rosanna Ames for promoting the scholarship and encouraging students to apply.
She also credited former superintendent Tom (TY) Harris as a key mentor during her time as principal.
“His leadership really was pivotal for the rewarding professional experience I had there,” Hart said. “He was a man of such integrity and such principle and his decisions were always for the right reasons.”
Hart said the caliber of applicants reaffirmed their decision to invest in the community. Seven students were interviewed for the inaugural award, based on their strong academic performance, leadership and community involvement.
“We were so impressed with their dedication, their sincerity, their purpose,” Hart said. “They were just stunning.”