
announce that Christie Hittel of Lumberport, West Virginia is the 2009 WV-NWTF scholarship winner. Christie attends Lincoln High School in Shinnston, West Virginia. The $2000 scholarship was awarded to Christie at the North Central Mountaineers Hunting Heritage Banquet on February 28, 2009 by chapter President Jim Simms and WV-NWTF Senior Regional Director, Bob Farkasovsky. Ms. Hittel was also awarded a $500 scholarship from the North Central Mountaineers Chapter at the banquet. Christie is the daughter of Cathy and John Hittel and has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average. John Hittel taught Christie about our hunting heritage and love for the outdoors early in her life, leaving a lasting impression on Christie. As a JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Skills) member in the NWTF, Christie is also an honor student, a leader in her community and school, while excelling in academics and athletics. She was the 2007-2008 WVSSAC Female Academic Athlete of the Year. The secretary of the National Honor Society, Vice-President of the Senior Class, Newspaper Editor, Student Council Executive Committee, and other leadership positions cemented Christie being the number one candidate for the WV—NWTF Scholarship. Her selection as the West Virginia scholarship winner puts Christie Hittel on the list as a candidate for a $10,000 National Wild Turkey Federation scholarship. Local West Virginia Chapters of the NWTF have awarded $7000 in 2009 to West Virginia High School seniors in their respective area schools. The National Wild Turkey Federation is a national nonprofit conservation and hunting organization that, along with its volunteers, partners and sponsors, has worked for the conservation of the wild turkey and preservation of the hunting tradition. When the NWTF was established in 1973, there were only 1.3 million wild turkeys. Today that number stands at more than seven million birds throughout North America. |

| West Virginia –NWTF Scholarship Award |
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