About
A-C Alumni
Who are We?
The Amanda-Clearcreek Alumni Association represents all persons who have graduated from Amanda High School and Stoutsville High School, and Amanda -Clearcreek High School from 1960 on. There is no membership fee as you are automatically a member when you graduate. There is a database of addresses that always need help in updating. A spring newsletter with the June banquet invitation is sent out in April to all alumni. The Association is happy to help in providing the addresses that we have for individual classes and need their help in return to update our list. Contact Julie Saum Feliciano at 740-407-8962 juliefeliciano@yahoo.com or Vanessa Ebbrecht Butterbaugh at 740-969-8222 ymvanessa88@gmail.com or rvbutter@live.com.
The organization is run by officers and a Board of Directors. They take care of the banquet (dessert night), 5K/race, golf tournament, newsletter, database, and any other projects needed. The endowment fund is administered by a five-member Board of Trustees. The Executive Director is the liaison between these two groups and maintains the records of the scholarships. Information about creating a scholarship or any questions should be directed to the Director, Carolyn Tilley, at 740-654-8363 or cell 740-412-0536 or e-mail: ctilley5455@gmail.com or President Ron Butterbaugh at 740-969-8222 or e-mail at rvbutter@live.com.
The first graduating class of Amanda was in 1898 and an alumni organization was started in 1922. They have met for a spring banquet meeting continuously. The Stoutsville High School graduated its first class in 1903 and started the alumni in l911. The group has met in May of each year to get together as alumni up to consolidation in l960. All are now part of the Amanda-Clearcreek Alumni Association.
The banquet was a meeting and a social gathering as the years went by. But in 1990, it was in need of reorganization. With the leadership of Ned Young and many others, it was given new life. Several scholarships had been given up to that time, but Dr. Wallace Barr and Dr. Wayne Hiatt and many other dedicated people worked on the idea of an endowment fund for that purpose. Tax exempt status was received with the writing of a constitution and by-laws. Our first donation came from the son of a former coach, Don LaBonte, in the name of his father for a scholar-athlete scholarship. Guidelines were set up for all scholarships similar to ones he suggested for his.
It was decided that a person or family or business who donated $15,000 would have a permanent endowed scholarship. It is now $25,000. At this time, we have 47 endowed donors. Four of these are now four-year scholarships. The Johns Family generously gave $200,000 to the Alumni and $200,000 to the Fairfield County Foundation in 1997 for one of these. If grades are maintained, it supports 4 students at a time. Dr. Wallace Barr set up one from his family before he died in 2000. In 2007, the Trustees used part of the annual earnings from the Hedges-Strickland Trust at the Fairfield County Foundation to set up another four-year continuing scholarship. Each of these provide support for four students at any one time with the proper grade point average maintained. A new donation from an estate, that of Ted and Pat Scott, will set up another 4-year scholarship. Other scholarships are proceeds from the race, one-time memorials, or class scholarships. There will be 64 awards given in 2025.
The Endowment Fund at this time has invested a bit over $3 million with additional Johns money in the Foundation and the trust fund of Mrs. Esther Strickland invested there, also. Earnings from that amount come to the alumni each year beginning in 2007. One of hers was turned into a four-year scholarship. The Association presents about $170,000 each year to over 60 recipients. The Alumni had started giving scholarships for $250 in 1983 before the idea of an endowment fund was set up. After meeting the needs of incoming freshman, upper class students are considered. Also available for the A-C seniors and college students is the estate of Elsie McClelland Davis Memorial invested with the Foundation in Lancaster. That was first given in 2003. It is limited to those students attending a school supported by the State of Ohio. These are no longer presented at the A-C banquet at their request.
Sometimes one-time scholarships become available in the spring. The seniors receive information from their guidance counselor concerning the scholarships. The forms are also available on the school web site under “Alumni”. Applications are taken each year from April 1 to April 20. Most are for 3.0+ grade point averages and a 22 ACT score. However; some donors specify other qualifications with no test score requirements, etc. A teacher -alumni committee chooses the senior applicants. After the senior needs are met, upper class college students are considered. Over 1000 scholarships have been given over the years, some even before the Endowment Fund started as we stated.
The A-C Alumni celebrated the 100th anniversary of its first graduating class from the Amanda building in 1998. As part of its celebration a directory of graduates was published with many pictures and history of the districts. There are over 5000 graduates. Around 4000 are living and nearly that many spring newsletters are sent out. The 100th decade parties were held on the Friday before the banquet and a golf tournament on Sunday after the banquet. Over 300 Cat’s Meow miniatures of the 1911 Amanda building were sold at that time.
As the new building was being finished, the last banquet in the old Amanda site was held on June 14th, 2003. During the prior year paving bricks were sold to be placed in a walkway of the new building. Over 400 were placed in August 2003 ready for the grand opening. A scholarship was given from the proceeds. The Alumni presented a Bicentennial painting by Ed Kitchen to the superintendent for the new school as well as two new flags from our representatives, the national flag and the state flag.
Watercolor paintings of both buildings were sold and can still be ordered. Also, a video history was made that can be ordered on video tape or DVD. Contact Ron Butterbaugh at 740-969-8222 or rvbutter@live.com or Carolyn Tilley at 740-654-8363 or cell-740-412-0536.
All alumni will receive a newsletter by May 1. It will contain an invitation to the scholarship night, reservation blank, scholarship information, race, golf, and other news. Please let us know if you don’t receive your newsletter. Several parts of the two demolished buildings were saved. The Alumni along with many community persons met to discuss an appropriate use and placement of these pieces. Bricks were sold, donations were received, and fund raisers at the banquets enabled the Alumni to start constructions with alumnus, John Brewer, in the spring of 2008. The granite pieces with laser pictures and history of each building were donated by Taylor Funeral Home and Kingston National Bank, both of Amanda. The wall was completed and the dedication was held before the 2008 banquet. The light donated by the school, shines on this special Legacy Wall each night. Stop by and take a look. Please help us keep up on unknown alumni. Out of 5200 graduations over 1000 are lost or unknown. We need your help. There is an Amanda-Clearcreek Alumni Association Facebook page set up that will help in response.
The banquet this coming June is on the 7th at 5 P.M. The scholarship recipients and their donors will meet and have pictures taken directly before the dinner is served, at 6. There will be much of our history displayed. The scholarship recipients will then be introduced at that time. They receive their notices in late April or early May and seniors are also announced at their Honors Night and at Graduation. This year it is a catered dinner by a local business and the charge will be $20.00 for each guests. All community member are invited to attend along with our graduates. Just contact some of the above people for help.