For Students

Scholarships

The NAACP Culpeper Branch offers four $1,000 scholarships in the spring of each year, awarded to students at the four high schools in our tri-county area of Culpeper, Madison, and Rappahannock counties.

Our scholarships honor several outstanding educators in our tri-county region:

The Rev. Willis Jackson Madden Memorial Scholarship: Born in 1862, the Rev. Willis Jackson Madden is considered “the father of education for African American students in Culpeper.” He began teaching students in his home in Maddensville near Lignum, and later taught at the Colored Graded School No. 2 in Culpeper. He was the first Black principal and one of the first Black teachers in the county. Madden also served as pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Culpeper for 40 years, and as a founder of the Wayland Blue Ridge Baptist Association in 1888. Madden advocated tirelessly for community involvement, equal rights, and equal education for African Americans. He died in 1948.

The Annie Laura Payne Lovell Memorial Scholarship: Annie Laura Payne Lovell was born in 1892. She taught in the Culpeper County schools for more than 40 years, and was one of the first Black women in the county to register to vote in 1920. She taught in several one-room schoolhouses in the county and later transferred to the Culpeper County Training School on South Main Street in the 1920s. Lovell was among the first teachers at the newly constructed training school in 1936. She continued to volunteer and serve in Culpeper for many years after her retirement, and died in 1990 at the age of 97.

The Sadie Ward Crowder Memorial Scholarship: Born in 1922 in Madison County, Sadie Ward Crowder was a beloved educator who taught for 47 years in the county. Her career began in 1941 in the one-room Midway School, followed by a two-room school in Uno and a three-room school in Radiant. She also taught at the Madison Elementary School and was the first Black teacher to teach at Waverly Yowell when the schools were integrated in the late 1960s. She served as president of the Madison and Green Retired Teachers Association and volunteered extensively in the Madison community.

The Austin-Green-Williams Memorial Scholarship: Named for three teachers in Rappahannock County the Austin-Green-Williams Memorial Scholarship honors Mrs. B.B. Austin of Lynchburg, Virginia, who taught grades 1-3 for many years at the Scrabble School in Castleton; and Miss. C. A. Williams of Washington, Virginia, who was a principal and teacher for grades 4-7 at the Scrabble School. The school is noted as an outstanding example of the historic Rosenwald Schools, built during the Jim Crow era of segregation to provide education to African American students.

The scholarship also honors Mrs. Anna Williams Green, who was a teacher and supervisor of the Jeanes Fund (also known as the Negro Rural School Fund) era to support elementary education and practical skills such as cooking, sewing, and woodworking. Green, also of Washington, Virginia, is credited with being a major influence in the planning and development of the George Washington Carver Regional High School in Rapidan, which opened for African American students in 1948.

Black History Month Student Contest

Each year in February, our Education Committee sponsors a Black History Month contest for students. Prizes are awarded to students at the elementary, middle, and high school level.

In 2026, we are announcing two categories:

• Essay (up to 500 words)
• Artistic Expression (paintings, drawings, sculpture, photographs, posters, songs, and poems).
• The deadline is February 28, 2026.
• Entries should be submitted to bhm.essay@gmail.com.

Our 2026 contest prompt is:

Explore the history of segregated schools in our country or our community, and/or the fight for integration and equality in education.

For example, you might address one or more of the following questions: what would it have been like to attend a segregated school? What happened during the era of “Massive Resistance”? Who are some champions who led the fight for integration? How was integration received in our local community?

We hope that students may be inspired to interview a former student of a segregated school, and write or artistically interpret their story. Or, research a local African American school and write about its history, or draw or photograph the school building. Or, research a champion of desegregation and write about their work, or create a portrait. We look forward to receiving a wide range of essays and artistic endeavors that explore this important topic!

Additional contest details, suggestions for students, and resources for more information are available in the following documents:

Letter to Teachers and Families in Culpeper and Rappahannock Counties

Letter to Teachers  and Families in Madison County

2026 Black History Month Student Contest Guidelines

NAACP Culpeper Announces Black History Month Contest for Students (contest flyer)

Our 2025 Contest Winners!

High School: JaMira Bowles, 9th grade, Madison County High School

Middle School: Myca Madelin Lam Peraza, 8th grade, Culpeper Middle School

Amara Cooper: 5th grade, Yowell Elementary School

2025 Honorable Mentions

Miles Lawrence, 10th grade, Culpeper County High School

Amaya Parker, 12th grade, Culpeper County High School

Autumn Adkins, 7th grade, Culpeper Middle School

Faith Gentry, 7th grade, Culpeper Middle School

Read more here about the winning essays in 2025!