Student receives Jamie Beth Shible memorial scholarship

FARMINGTON – A local student and cheerleader has been named the 33rd recipient of a special memorial scholarship Friday, continuing the legacy of Jamie Beth Shible.

Shible, a Mt. Blue High School junior and active participant in the school’s cheerleader program, died suddenly on Memorial Day in 1997, days prior to the end of her junior year. A scholarship was created in her memory, providing funds to senior members of the cheering team that display “leadership, energy and enthusiasm” in school and while performing routines.

Brianna Jackson, a Farmington resident, is the 33rd recipient of the Jamie Beth Shible Memorial Scholarship Award. She appeared at Friday’s ceremony with her mother, Michelle Harkins. Harkins said that she knew Shible growing up, went to prom with her and spent a lot of time at the Mt. Blue student’s house.

A senior, Jackson intends to attend the University of Maine at Augusta.

“She’s just what you’d look for in a candidate,” Steve Shible, Jamie Beth’s father, said of Jackson. He went on to note that Jackson intended to major in nursing at UMA. “We want to be part of that with you,” he said.

The scholarship consists of an initial check for $50 followed by a check for $450 at the completion of the student’s first semester.

Shible presented Lowell with a plaque listing past recipients that the student would keep until next year, as well as flowers, a video commemorating Jamie Beth Shible’s life and other gifts. The event was held beneath a large Flowering Crab tree, which had been planted in front of the school and was moved following the school construction project to the green space beyond the food court.

In an essay Jackson wrote as part of her application for the scholarship, the student noted that the team would watch a short video about Jamie before every Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference competition.

“Cheering was her thing,” Shible said Friday. “It’s a family and Mt. Blue has done so well with that particular program.”