May 23, 2025
Submitted photo Taking part in the presentation of the seventh annual Austen Moore Kindness Scholarship are, above from left, Joann Gabel, Madalynn Ferguson, Lucas D’Angelo and Debbie Payne Fragale.
ELKINS — For the first time, two winners have been announced as the recipients of the annual Austen Moore Kindness Scholarship.
Elkins High School students Madalynn Ferguson and Lucas D’Angelo will both receive the full scholarship amount of $2,500.
More applications were received this year than in the six years of the scholarship, Joanne Gabel, a member of the scholarship committee, said during the presentation ceremony at EHS.
“The importance of kindness can never be underestimated,” Gabel said. “We really saw a compassionate group of applicants in your class. The board that reviewed the applicants had a hard time choosing just one person to receive the Austen Moore Scholarship award, so we had to choose two…
“Both candidates had multiple letters written about them. That fact alone was very influential in our decision. People wrote about the character of the students and we were blown away,” she said.
“Madalynn exhibited kindness by creating a prom dress distribution where anyone could come and get a dress any time,” Gabel added. “From helping a marginalized student who was mistreated to writing letters during covid to nursing home residents when they were isolated, Madelyn has demonstrated compassion to so many.
“Lucas has a resume that is amazing. Aside from being class valedictorian, many of his peers wrote about him as a great person. When your peers appreciate you, that is very telling… His AP History teacher wrote that ‘Lucas always has a smile on his face. He exudes such positivity that he has made me feel better on my bad days.’”
Austen Wesley Moore, who passed away at age 27, was an Elkins native and 2009 graduate of Elkins High School who is said to have exemplified kindness, care and compassion.
In his honor, the Austen Moore Kindness Scholarship was created. The EHS student selected for the scholarship does not need the highest GPA or best grades, but must be a beacon of kindness to students and the Elkins community.
The first Austen Moore Kindness Scholarship was presented to Ty Hunter Flynn in 2019. In 2020, the second scholarship was given to Presley Bates.
In 2021, the third scholarship was presented to Cassie Monk, followed by Anna Grace Belan in 2022. The fifth Austen Moore Kindness Scholarship winner was Kendall Ann Flynn, in 2023. The 2024 winner was Allyson Strother.
People can still donate to the scholarship, at The Austen Moore Kindness Scholarship, 301 Davis Street, Elkins, West Virginia 26241. The scholarship is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, officials said.
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