Graydee Rains, a senior at Gallatin R-5 High School, was recently recognized as one of ten male State Finalists in the Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship Competition.
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One male and one female State Finalist will be selected to compete at the National Level Competition. State Winners receive a $500 college scholarship, National Finalists receive a $1,000 college scholarship and the male and female National Winners receive a $5,000 college scholarship and a trip to New York City to attend the Heisman Trophy Trust’s annual college Heisman award broadcast on Saturday, Dec. 8.
Graydee has earned All-Conference and All-District honors in varsity football and has twice earned 4th place in the Missouri State Wrestling Championships. He has been named Academic All-State in both football and wrestling. Graydee also serves as president of Gallatin’s FFA Chapter and has been a key member of Gallatin’s Scholar Bowl competitions.
The Wendy’s High School Heisman was created by Wendy’s Restaurant founder Dave Thomas in 1994. Dave Thomas dropped out of high school when he was 15 years old in order to work full-time and went on to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history.
While this nontraditional path led to his prosperity, it always worried Dave that others would follow in his footsteps and expect to achieve similar fame and wealth by not finishing high school or attending college.
Faced with this dilemma, at 61 years old, Dave enrolled at Coconut Creek High School in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and received his General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Inspired by this moment and with a desire to celebrate the outstanding achievements of youth in America, he launched the Wendy’s High School Heisman program.
Twenty-five years later, Wendy’s High School Heisman has honored more than 600,000 of the nation’s most esteemed high school seniors who share Wendy’s values of giving back to their communities, treating people with respect, continuing education and excelling on the athletic field. The Wendy’s High School Heisman is a joint program between Wendy’s and the Heisman Trophy Trust, host and custodians of the Heisman Memorial Trophy.
Graydee is the son of David and Julie Rains of Gallatin. He plans to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia to study Bio-Chemistry.