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Scholarship Highlight
The Jenelle Amedeo Berry
<strong>and</strong> Christina McKenzie Berry
Memorial Scholarship
Established in 1997, this scholarship honors
the memory of Jenelle Amedeo Berry,
whose lifelong dream was <strong>to</strong> make a difference
in children’s lives through <strong>her</strong> passion
for teaching. It also honors the memory of
Jenelle’s four-year-old daughter, Christina
McKenzie Berry, whose profound personality
<strong>and</strong> knowledge beyond <strong>her</strong> years mirrored that of a mot<strong>her</strong>
whose talent for teaching <strong>and</strong> loving children showed in <strong>her</strong>
daughter’s character. The purpose of the scholarship is <strong>to</strong> assist a
young person with that passion for “making a difference” <strong>to</strong> realize
his or <strong>her</strong> dream of becoming a teac<strong>her</strong>.
Jenelle Amedeo Berry was born on December 19, 1974. She
graduated from South Jefferson High School in 1993, JCC in 1994,
<strong>and</strong> SUNY Oswego in 1996. As a high school student, Jenelle was
involved in Cheerleading, Soccer, Spanish Club, Future Teac<strong>her</strong>s,
<strong>and</strong> Project Charlie (a program that involved interaction with
younger students regarding such subjects as sex, drugs, <strong>and</strong>
domestic problems). Jenelle remained immersed in projects which
involved young people throughout <strong>her</strong> college years <strong>and</strong> was
honored when she was accepted in<strong>to</strong> the Teac<strong>her</strong>’s International
Honor Sorority at SUNY Oswego. She student taught at Pulaski <strong>and</strong>
General Brown.
Finding Scholarships Is About <strong>to</strong> Get Easier
In April, JCC will launch an online scholarship system that will make
the scholarship application process easy! No more paper forms <strong>to</strong>
complete. No more searching lists. With AcademicWorks available
at sunyjefferson.academicworks.com, students will enjoy:
• Filling out 1 simple <strong>and</strong> secure general scholarship
application
• Being au<strong>to</strong>matically considered for all possible scholarships
available at JCC
• A digital inquiry <strong>to</strong> check eligibility for additional scholarships
by answering a few supplemental questions
• A keyword search on all available scholarships
• Accepting scholarship award offers online
Scholarship Reception
To make the process of giving <strong>and</strong> receiving scholarships more
personal between donor <strong>and</strong> recipient, the JCC College Foundation
will host the Annual Scholarship Reception on Thursday, April 28,
2016. Scholarships are made possible through private donations
from individuals, service clubs, organizations <strong>and</strong> Foundations. If you
are a JCC scholarship recipient, mark your calendar <strong>and</strong> watch for
your invitation <strong>to</strong> arrive in the mail.
Jenelle was a compassionate <strong>and</strong> caring person. Her smile would
light up even the darkest of rooms <strong>and</strong> <strong>her</strong> laughter filled many
hearts. Jenelle had a love <strong>and</strong> passion for children that far surpassed
even <strong>her</strong> own realization of such a gift. She saw the beauty
in them, the individual hues within the colors of each child. She
genuinely desired <strong>to</strong> not only teach them, but <strong>to</strong> actually make a
difference in their attitudes <strong>to</strong>ward themselves, <strong>and</strong> their lives. One
of <strong>her</strong> once troubled eighth grade General Brown students stated
the following:
Mrs. Berry was the one teac<strong>her</strong> I will always remember. She really
cared about me <strong>and</strong> she changed my life. She made me feel like I was
worth something. I am going <strong>to</strong> do the best I can now <strong>and</strong> make a difference
for someone else’s life like she did for me.
Jenelle married Chris<strong>to</strong>p<strong>her</strong> Berry, purchased a home <strong>and</strong> settled
in Rodman. Christina was born on February 21, 1993, <strong>and</strong> they
were expecting their second child in January of 1998. Jenelle was
employed at the Dutch Hill Day Care Center in Adams Center <strong>and</strong>
had been hired by St. Peter’s School in Lowville, New York as a first
grade teac<strong>her</strong>, w<strong>her</strong>e she was scheduled <strong>to</strong> begin <strong>her</strong> professional
teaching career in September of 1997.
Christina, Jenelle, <strong>and</strong> Jenelle’s unborn child were tragically killed
in a car accident on July 2, 1997.
Our hope for this scholarship is <strong>to</strong> not only memorialize two
beautiful people, but <strong>to</strong> carry on Jenelle’s legacy through the eyes
<strong>and</strong> heart of a student whose passion for teaching children is as
insurmountable as <strong>her</strong>s was.
Jefferson Insider - Volume 14 • 22