Paducah Tilghman High School seniors Abby Brown and Nathaniel Skinner have been named School Winners in the Heisman High School Scholarship program.
The Heisman High School Scholarship Program continues a 28-year tradition of honoring high school seniors who accomplish tremendous feats in the classroom, on the field, and most importantly, within their communities. The scholarship recognizes and rewards both male and female high school athletes who are community-minded and driven to use their exceptional talents for the benefit of all.
Heisman School Winners advance to the state level competition, with one senior male and one senior female from each state receiving a $1,000 scholarship. One male and one female are ultimately chosen as the National Winners and each receive a $10,000 scholarship.
Abby has been a member of the Tilghman Tennis Team since 2017. She was ranked 1st on the girls team in 2022 and ranks 3rd in the region for singles. She’s received numerous awards in tennis, including Most Improved Award and 110% Award in 2019, the KHSAA 1st Team Academic All-State for 3 years, the Jeff Leeper Best All-Around Player Award in 2021, Most Valuable Player Award in 2022, and a KHSAA Tennis State Round of 32 Qualifier in 2021 and 2022.
Abby is a former Captain and starting lineup first team player on the Tilghman Volleyball JV Team, former setter for the Tilghman Varsity Volleyball Team, and assisted annually with the Paducah Middle School Volleyball team as a setting trainer. She was also an AAU PUSH5 Volleyball Club Athlete playing multiple positions, including setter, outside hitter, and right-side hitter.
She is a member of the Tilghman Concert Choir, the Tilghman all-female ensemble Concordia, and was selected for the KMEA All-State Choir. She’s a member of Future Business Leaders of America, Beta Club, Interact Club, and is a graduate of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Youth Lead, Class #11. She is the Tennis Representative for Tilghman in Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is an FCA Power Camp Huddle Leader. She’s also a member of the West Kentucky Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has participated as an athlete in the West Kentucky FCA Camp at Western Kentucky University.
Abby is Senior Pep Club Leader for the Tilghman Pep Club and is in charge of all social media accounts and the promotion of games, school events and fundraising. She’s also film coordinator for the Tilghman Varsity Boys Basketball Team. She’s a member of First Presbyterian Church, participates in the Youth Group and Choir and attends the weeklong summer camp at Montreat, North Carolina, each year.
She’s an employee of the Country Club of Paducah Tennis Center, leading junior and adult pickleball clinics and assisting the tennis pro with tennis clinics. She has also maintained a babysitting and petsitting business since 2019. She has considerable volunteer experience, including through her church, at Starfish Orphan Ministries, local elementary schools, Paducah Cooperative Ministries, Community Kitchen, Mayfield Tornado Clean-up, and various regional athletic camps for children.
Abby is the daughter of Karen and Evan Brown.
Nathaniel is a National Merit Commended Student, AP Scholar, an alumnus of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program, and is Tilghman’s male nominee for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. He is a graduate of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Youth LEAD Class #11, member of the Paducah Bank Teen Ambassador Alumni Advisory Board, and was recently named a Paducah Rotary Student of the Month.
He’s a member of the Paducah Tilghman Varsity Soccer Team, Pumas FC, and is a devotional leader for Tilghman’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He’s been the recipient of numerous soccer awards, including being named to the 2021 First District All-District Soccer Team, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association All-State First Team each year, the “Rising Star” award his freshman year, and was named the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year.
He is President of the Tilghman Student Council and serves as Chaplain on the Executive Committee for the Baptist Health Medical Explorers Post 2501. He was also one of 47 sophomores selected from across the state of Kentucky to attend the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Area Health Education Center Summer Camp in 2021.
He is first violin, second chair, for the Tilghman Orchestra, plays tenor saxophone in the Tilghman Pep Band and Paducah Community Band, and plays fiddle, banjo and guitar with Time on the Strings. He’s a Tilghman Student Ambassador, member of the Interact Club and Pep Club, and Secretary for the Sustainability Club. He’s also a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club, and former Paducah Bank Teen Ambassador and Paducah Pathfinder.
Nathaniel competes with the Tilghman Academic Team, most recently winning third place in the District Governor’s Cup competition in Written Competition and fifth place in the individual testing subject of Science. For the past three years, he has served as both a volunteer and paid tutor and mentor at the Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club. Nathaniel is a member of Concord United Methodist Church and has held the position of Youth Representative to the Church Council. He also plays violin and banjo for the church praise and worship band. He is an active volunteer for several community projects and agencies, including the Community Kitchen, Family Kitchen, Starfish Orphan Ministries, mission trips to El Salvador, Christmas in the Park, Tornado Alley Christmas Angels, and Mayfield Tornado Relief.
He won the 2020 National First Place Award for the Daughters of the American Revolution Short Story Contest, as well as First Place in the 2022 District NAACP Martin Luther King Junior Essay Contest for the High School Division. He’s also a Centre College Fellow.
Nathaniel is the son of William Skinner and Dr. Rennie Church Skinner.