WS Chronicle

Photo by Timothy Ramsey

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY 

THE CHRONICLE

It comes as no surprise to those who know James Huntley III that he excels in the classroom as well as in athletics.  As the winner of the Bruce Shelton Memorial Scholarship, Huntley, a senior at Atkins Academic & Technology High School, has impressed all that have come in contact with him.

The Shelton Scholarship is named for the late Bruce Shelton, a graduate of Parkland High School.  Shelton was a standout three-sport athlete who is a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County High School Sports Hall of Fame.  The Shelton Scholarship is awarded by the Winston-Salem Foundation annually to the senior in the local public high schools who best exemplifies the academic, athletic, and civic achievements for which Shelton was known, according to the Foundation.

Huntley, born and raised in Winston-Salem, is the captain of the basketball and cross-country teams at Atkins.  He says that basketball is his favorite sport and uses cross-country as a means to build stamina for basketball season.  He was named to the All-Conference basketball team during his junior and senior seasons and was voted MVP by his teammates this past season.

He also led his team in points and double doubles during the season.

Off of the court Huntley is a member of the National Honor Society and will graduate with a 4.56 weighted GPA and plans to attend UNC-Charlotte in the fall.  He wants to major in civil engineering.  He also is a member of Forsyth County Missionary Union and says he loves to encourage youth to excel academically and in sports.

“Winning this scholarship was great because it was somewhat difficult for me to receive any,” Huntley said.  “This is the first scholarship that I have received, so it was very important to me. Huntley said he reached out to the Winston-Salem Foundation and they linked him with the Bruce Shelton Scholarship.  He competed with nominees from eight other high schools in the area for the scholarship, valued at $4,000, and after an interview he was named the winner.

Huntley is well liked by both students and faculty around Atkins.

“I have known him for three years, and he is a very mature young man,” said Corinne Jenkins, media coordinator at Atkins. “People really like him, and anything he does, he puts his all into, and that’s impressive in a teenager.  I don’t know what he wants to do when he grows up, but I know he will be great in whatever it is.”

First year head basketball coach Marlon Brim said he was very proud of Huntley’s achievements.

“He is a great kid and great student, and he was our leader on the court,” said Brim.  “I will miss everything about him.  I have only coached him one year, but his mannerisms on and off the court, coach-ability, and willingness to be good are some of his best attributes.  The future is as bright as he wants it to be, and in the next four to six years he will be doing some great things.”

Huntley did have some looks from a few Division II and Division III universities, but he stated he wanted to attend UNC-Charlotte and focus on his academics and maybe walk on to the team. Upon graduation, he would love to work for Davenport, an engineering and consulting firm. He currently has an internship set up with the company.