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    »     AMARILLO ISD

7

It’s True! For the First Time, All AISD High School Students Can Earn 60 Hours 

of College Credit, Plus Books and Fees, at No Cost to Them.

THE TASCOSA HIGH SCHOOL REBELS

 were six games into 

what was an undefeated season at that point in 2017, 
when number 61, off ensive lineman Reece Radney, 
found himself sitting in the locker room listening to the 
words no player with a promising football future wants 
to hear. 

“All I remember is being carted off  the fi eld and the 

doctor saying he thought I tore my knee,” says Reece.  

Colleges were showing interest in Reece and he was 

defi nitely interested in them. But that October night in 
Midland as the Rebels of Tascosa took on the Rebels of 
Lee, one passing play would change the course of Reece’s 
future. Midland Lee went for Tascosa’s quarterback, 
taking Reece down in the process. He suff ered a hard 
hit to the knee. 

 “I think it was meant to be,” says Reece, looking 

back. “As much as I love football and wanted to play in 
college, I think this is what was meant to be.”

Surgery, months of recovery and some wise words 

from his parents would get Reece back on track, though 
the path was much diff erent than he had imagined. 
“Prior to that, I thought maybe I wanted to be an 
engineer or a police offi

  cer,” refl ects Reece. “But aft er 

my surgery, the recovery really opened my eyes to 
physical therapy.”

A Game Changer 

A Doctor of Physical Th

 erapy degree (DPT) requires 

a bachelor’s degree and three years in a physical therapy 
program. With football scholarships off  the table, Reece 
was looking at a heft y load of college debt. 

“Th

 at’s why I’m so thankful for the THRIVE 

Scholarship,” he says. “My mom told me about THRIVE 
while I was still recovering. At the time, I was pretty sad 
and didn’t want to think about college. But she and my 
dad helped me heal from that and see things the way I 
do now… I’m trying to get a doctorate degree and that’s 
a lot of money. Th

 e THRIVE Scholarship will let me 

focus on things other than worrying about my fi nancial 
status.”

Debt creates stress and fi nancial stress is something 

Reece’s mom, Brandy Radney, didn’t want her son 
to experience. “We had fi lled out the FAFSA and, of 
course, he qualifi ed for student loans. But the way we 
teach our kids about money is to not have debt,” says 
Brandy. “So for him to have the THRIVE Scholarship 
to pay for his fi rst two years of college is a blessing.” 

Free College

Th

 e idea of free college for students who graduate 

from any AISD high school became a reality last 
summer when the AISD Board of Trustees voted to 
become the fourth partner in the THRIVE Scholarship, 
sharing the cost of funding the scholarship with 
Amarillo College, the Amarillo Area Foundation and 
the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation. 

“We have long been helping our students develop 

a plan for those next steps aft er high school. Whether 
they choose traditional college, a trade school, 
certifi cate program or the military, our students grow 
up in our schools hearing the words, ‘What’s your 
plan?’,” says Tracey Morman, director of counseling and 
college & career readiness for AISD. “With THRIVE, 
we’re able to not only guide them as they plan, but we 
can eliminate for them one of the biggest barriers in 
achieving a college education, which is the cost.”

Whereas the long-running Achievement through 

Commitment to Education, or ACE, scholarship 
program had only been available to students at Caprock 
High School, Palo Duro High School and those living 
in portions of the Tascosa High School boundary, 
THRIVE is open to every student at any of AISD’s four 
high schools, regardless of income. THRIVE pays for 
books, tuition and fees for up to 60 hours at Amarillo 
College. A “last money in” scholarship, THRIVE picks 
up the tab once all other fi nancial aid and scholarships 
available have kicked in.

However, “free” college doesn’t mean THRIVE 

comes without any expectations of the student, Tracey 
cautions. To become a THRIVE Scholar, students must 
meet residency, enrollment, academic, attendance 
and conduct requirements. “With THRIVE, AISD is 
investing in the futures of our students. But we also 
want our students to realize their value and invest in 
themselves by going to class and putting in the work.”

High Stakes

THRIVE isn’t just an investment in students, it’s an 

investment in the future of Amarillo and the Panhandle. 
Ask just about any entity with a stake in workforce 
development and they’ll say a skilled labor workforce is 
in short supply in Amarillo, that the so-called “middle 
skills” address a real need in our community, and that 
Amarillo ISD must be the conduit for a pipeline of 
technology workers. 

We had fi lled out the 
FAFSA and, of course, 
he qualifi ed for student 
loans. But the way we 
teach our kids about 
money is to not have 
debt,” says Brandy. 
“So for him to have the 
THRIVE Scholarship to 
pay for his fi rst two 
years of college is a 
blessing.