Edina High School Contact:
Bruce Locklear
Edina High School Principal
952-848-3899
brulocklear@edina.k12.mn.us

Media Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Edina High School senior awarded Free Spirit Scholarship

Edina, Minn., Feb. 11, 2010 – Edina Public Schools is proud to announce that Edina High School (EHS) student Hailey Lee was recently named a Minnesota recipient of the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Scholarship.

As part of the award, Lee received a $1,000 college scholarship and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to receive the honor and to attend the Free Spirit Scholarship and Conference Program – where she will compete with 102 other scholarship winners for a $50,000 college scholarship.

The award is given to only one male and one female senior from each state and the District of Columbia who have exhibited an interest in journalism and who have demonstrated “an abundance of free spirit as a risk-taker, visionary, innovator, entrepreneur, and courageous achiever,” according to the awarding committee.

“I look forward to networking at the D.C. trip with my fellow award recipients from around the nation, and (working with) the nation’s top journalists whom we will be learning from,” Lee said. “I am also excited to meet Al Neuharth, a model of perseverance and determination for all young journalists.”

Lee, a senior at EHS, caught the judges’ eyes with a wide depth of humanitarian and journalistic accomplishments at her relatively young age. Lee is president of “End Slavery Now,” Minnesota’s first youth-led anti-human trafficking group, a commissioner for the Edina Energy and Environment Conservation Committee, and a co-chair for Amnesty International.

Lee’s pet issues revolve around raising awareness about the environment and human trafficking. She even teamed up with CNN anchor and correspondent Richard Lui as part of a speech to EHS students last year to raise awareness that trafficking is more than just a Third World problem.

Dr. Bruce Locklear, principal of EHS, said he first met Lee when she was a sophomore, and that she quickly impressed him with her combination of compassion and ambition.

“She is nothing short of phenomenal,” Locklear said. “She is extremely bright, hardworking, dedicated and truly has a heart for service.”

About the Free Spirit Award
The Free Spirit Award was established by the Freedom Forum to honor Al Neuharth, the founder of the Freedom Forum and USA TODAY. In addition to awarding scholarships, the Forum has also honored the likes of Barbara Bush, Terry Anderson, Chuck Yeager, Brian Lamb, and Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and William J. Brennan.

About Edina Public Schools:
Edina Public Schools is comprised of six elementary schools (K-5), two middle schools (6-9) and one senior high (10-12). Total enrollment is approximately 7,800 students. The District serves a large portion of Edina, a first-tier Minneapolis suburb comprised of approximately 47,450 people.

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