(Article quoted from the Richmond Times-Dispatch - Saturday, May 29, 2010)

Three Richmond Community High School seniors can plan for years of post-secondary education without an added financial burden.

Chelsea Hopson, Jasmine Frazier and Kalyne Coleman were recently named 2010 Gates Millennium Scholars, receiving renewable scholarships for their undergraduate and graduate studies.

"Most people stress out in college for financial reasons, and for us to go to school and just do our work, that's just amazing," Frazier said.

Nineteen students in Virginia -- and 1,000 students in 45 states and three U.S. territories -- were selected for the program among nearly 20,000 applicants. Brennon Monroe, a senior at Amelia County High School, also was chosen.

The Gates Millennium Scholars program started in 1999 with a $1 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

For the three Richmond seniors, it's an especially meaningful moment because they formed a close-knit friendship since their freshman year and were able to experience the joy of their selection together.

"I would have never thought I would have been picked, let alone two of my good friends at the school would have been picked as well," said Hopson, Richmond Community High's valedictorian.

"It felt better to know that other people that deserved it got it as well."

Before receiving word that they were selected, they knew they wanted to pursue postgraduate degrees.

Hopson is planning to study pre-med at Wake Forest, while Frazier will major in biology and pre-med at the University of Maryland. Coleman has yet to declare a major at the University of Pennsylvania but is considering international relations or law.

They are not taking this honor lightly. One of the scholar program's key philosophies is, "To whom much is given, much is expected."

"It kind of excites me and scares me at the same time because I know that I've been blessed with this opportunity, and I have to live up and go beyond [expectations]," Coleman said.

Welcome to our new online community.  Membership is FREE and available exclusively to our alumni and friends!

This is Richmond Community High School's private, online community created exclusively for RCHS alumni.   It is a secure, password-protected environment established by alumni. Please bookmark this site and come back often as we are finally building the OFFICIAL RCHS Alumni Association!

Once you register, an email will be sent to confirm your membership and validate your email address.  Be sure to click on the link in this email so your account can be activated.

Please be patient with the site as it's being developed and content is being added.  Got suggestions for what you'd like to see on this site? Go to the message boards and let us know!

Become a member and take advantage of the following services:

• Reconnect with faculty and former classmates
• Organize class reunions
• Discover ways to support your school
• Share alumni news and activities

Features include:

• Message boards for In Memorial, Lost/Missing Alumni, Career & Volunteer Center, Class Notes, School & Alumni News
• Alumni directory that's searchable by class, by name or by occupation
• Lost / missing alumni directory to help find people that others are looking for
• Social networking (Facebook, Skype, MySpace and LinkedIn) support

Search for friends and make new connections with the online community!  All you need to do to take advantage of all the community has to offer is to proceed through the registration process to establish an account.

And please... TELL ALL YOUR RCHS FRIENDS about this site! Let's get the word out and make this our strong online community!

I have had several requests for information on how to make a financial donation directly to RCHS. This money will not get lost in the public school system, but will be put toward things that the students and school desperately need right now. (Remember when YOU were there? The school has never quite been run on a luxury budget.)

If you would like to help, from the smallest amount to your life's savings, you can do one of two things:

1.  Send a check to The Community Foundation and write RCHS Fund or Richmond Community High on the memo line. The address, for anyone who wishes to write a check, is: 

                                                    The Community Foundation
                                                    7501 Boulders View Dr.
                                                    Richmond, VA 23225-4047

2.  Go to the the TCF website at http://www.tcfrichmond.org and use the "give online" opton on the left hand side of the page.  Choose "Richmond Community High School Fund" from the drop down menu. There will be a slight charge by the credit card company if one uses the onliine option, which will show up in a slightly lower amount given to the RCHS Fund.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (Dave Gau, '85) and I will help find the answers!

Be sure to check out the list of reunions and events posted to the left in "Upcoming Events".  If you are a planner of a future event, be sure to read "Event planning information / add an event" for tips and information to make your event a success.

Dave Gau '85, Alumnus