SPENCER — Meredith Leigh Lentz, a senior who plays tennis for North Rowan High School, grew up and still lives in a house just across from campus. Her mother, Kimberly, is a media assistant at NorthRowan High and her grandparents live nearby, too.

Such close contact with school is what Lentz said propelled her to become the only student in Rowan County this year to receive a Morehead scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“I went to all three North schools,” Lentz said during a break from classes. “I’ve always lived within walking distance of them.”

“ ... I’ve just always been surrounded by family support. Knowing you have that backing really gave me the confidence to succeed.”

Lentz got word of the scholarship Thursday. Principal H.K. Gaster said she’s the first at North Rowan High to receive the prestigious scholarship in 13 years.

Lentz was one of about 60 statewide to receive the scholarship. It pays all expenses for four years of undergraduate study, a laptop computer and four summer enrichment programs.

Weighted with the advanced courses she took, Lentz racked up a 4.783 grade point average. President of the student council, the senior keeps stats for uncle Kelly Everhart, coach for the men’s varsity basketball team.

“We’ve made a lot of changes to the council that I think has had a real positive impact on the school,” she said.

Lentz is a member of Key Club and volunteers at the Lutheran Nursing Home. She plays handbells and sings in the choir at Central United Methodist Church.

She links her inspiration for learning to Jean Kennedy, her freshman English teacher, who retired last year. Today Lentz laughs about never making a score of 100 on an essay in the class until the last one she wrote. She got it back a day before the class ended.

“She probably gave me the greatest desire to go out and achieve of any teacher I’ve ever had,” Lentz said.

Lentz also recalls Betty Rambo, her teacher for academically gifted English in sixth and seventh grades at North Rowan Middle School. Rambo has since left.

“She made that class interesting and it was really such a challenge,” Lentz said.

Lentz is the daughter of Eric and Kimberly Lentz and also has a brother, Nicholas, an eighth-grader at North Rowan Middle.

She hopes to major in biology and possibly pursue medical research in graduate school. But she hasn’t really decided to accept the Morehead scholarship just yet: Duke and Wake Forest universities are still in the picture.

“I’m keeping my options open,” she said.