By JENNIFER MAIER / Community Columnist

The Shelby Sentinel Ambassador Program held a graduation program for the class of 2016 on May 1 during the Shelby County Historical Society membership meeting.

The Sentinels serve as ambassadors for the Shelby County Historical Society.

They are required to complete five hours of community service and attend educational meetings about the history of Shelby County.

This is the second year for the program, which was established by the Leadership Shelby County Class of 2015.

Angela Walker, who was in last year’s Leadership Shelby County Class, addressed the audience about the motivation behind the creation of the Shelby Sentinels program.

“We just really felt strongly about getting young people interested in the history of Shelby County,” said Walker.

She encouraged this year’s graduating class to remain involved in the activities of the Shelby County Historical Society.

The program is open to 11th grade students in the Shelby County School System. Applications are in the form of a short essay.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must have the recommendation of a history teacher.

Applications are reviewed by representatives from business, education and the historical society.

The program culminates in a digital presentation created by each Sentinel about the history of Shelby County.

These presentations are an opportunity for the Sentinel to share their knowledge of Shelby County in a creative way.

A scholarship is awarded to the winning presentation, and this year’s recipient of the $1,000 scholarship was Lauryn Hoagland of Vincent High School.

Renasant Bank and Robinson Window Cleaning were sponsors of this year’s program.

Members of this year’s class are Ariyona Barlow, Ashlin Dyal and Yuliya Rudenko from Calera High School; Emma Braswell, Kennedy Davis, Serena May and Tyler Herring from Oak Mountain High School; Lauryn Hoagland, Vincent High School; Madeline Akins and Mary Saville from Helena High School.

Those interested in applying for the 2017 Shelby Sentinel Ambassador Program can visit Shelbysentinel.com to print off an application.

They may also receive packets from their school counselors or history teachers.