The Newton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) recognized the 2017 Martin Luther King Celebration Committee award recipients at its Tuesday night meeting.

After leading the Pledge of Allegiance, Josephine Brown, former executive director of Newton County Senior Services, introduced this year’s recipients to the commission and those in attendance. They are:

Roger Smith - “I Have a Dream” Award

Gwendolyn Green - “Trailblazer” Award

Mariyah Rodgers - “Young Dreamer” Award (Elementary School)

Hope Allen - “Young Dreamer” Award (Middle School)

Jayla Ores - “Young Dreamer” (High School)

Brown also introduced Rhyan Davis and Sean Egan, the 2015 and 2016 Oxford College Martin Luther King Scholarship recipients. Brown said the 2017 scholarship will be awarded in April. The committee awarded its first scholarship in 1987.