Georgia's first lady, Sandra Deal, speaks Wednesday during a ceremony at Willie J. Williams Middle School in honor of the county's first REACH Scholars.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Five Colquitt County eighth-graders were honored as the county’s first REACH Scholars Wednesday morning.

First lady Sandra Deal — a former teacher — was keynote speaker for the announcement at Willie J. Williams Middle School.

The five — April J. Castaneda, Pershaun T. Fann Jr., Sonji E. Hargrove, Miguel A. Luna and Da’Naiza N. Williams — signed a contract to maintain good grades, attendance and behavior; to meet regularly with an assigned mentor and an academic coach; and to graduate from high school and pursue secondary education. In return, the State of Georgia will pay $2,500 per year toward each student’s tuition at a state college or technical school.

Check back at www.moultrieobserver.com this evening for an expanded version of this story.