Five Lexington Two high school seniors have been awarded the prestigious South Carolina Teaching Fellowship.

The students are Airport High School’s Sydney Evans (University of South Carolina-Columbia), Harley McIver (University of South Carolina-Columbia), and Thomas Reddick (University of South Carolina-Columbia); and Brookland-Cayce High School’s Cadence Beckman (University of South Carolina-Columbia) and Ella Everett (Winthrop University). Fellows will receive up to $24,000 in funds from this program (up to $6,000 a year for four years) while they complete a degree leading to initial teacher certification.

The state’s Teaching Fellows Program, administered by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA), was established in 1999 by the S.C. General Assembly with a mission “to recruit talented high school seniors into the teaching profession and help them develop leadership qualities,” according to the website. Each year, the program provides Fellowships for up to 200 high school seniors who have exhibited high academic achievement, a history of service to their school and community, and a desire to teach in South Carolina. A Fellow agrees to teach in a South Carolina public school one year, for every year he/she receives the Fellowship. For more information about the program, go to teachingfellowsc.com.