NATCHEZ &8212; Six recent Natchez graduates received some help getting into the swing of things this fall, when they enroll in college and face all the expenses related to their higher education.

The Wharlest Jackson Elks Lodge presented scholarships in the amount of $300 to Cole Bradford, Trippe Bryant, Mary Kate Byrne, Jordan Farmer and Aisha Sanders Friday morning at the Beau Pr/ clubhouse.

&8220;Kids need help paying for school, regardless of where they graduated,&8221; Tom Mathews, an Elks Lodge member and coach of the Natchez High School golf team said. &8220;This gives them something to look forward to, and (it) is a way to reward them for all the hard work they put in to the game of golf.&8221;

The six seniors qualified for the award solely by having played on one of the area golf teams their senior year.

Mary Byrne, a Cathedral School graduate and Elks Lodge scholarship recipient, said the scholarship will help her cover expenses that her golf scholarship to Centenary College will not cover.

&8220;It helps a lot, when you consider the number of expenses I&8217;m going to have for things like backpacks, pens and notebooks,&8221; Byrne said. &8220;When you think about all those little things, they really add up and every little bit helps.&8221;

Trippe Bryant, a graduate of Trinity Episcopal Day School, has been working all summer at J.M. Jones Lumber Yard to save up money for this first semester at Mississippi State.

&8220;This is like a whole week&8217;s paycheck,&8221; Bryant said. &8220;The way I see it, it will save me a week&8217;s worth of work.&8221;

Matthew Hall, a Cathedral graduate, is working a summer job at Jordan Kaiser and associates to save money for the fall semester at Ole Miss.

&8220;This a big help, anytime you can get some money to help pay for college, it&8217;s a good thing and I&8217;m thankful to the members of the Elks lodge for their generosity,&8221; Hall said.

The members of the Elks Lodge know well the cost of an education, for some members it hasn&8217;t been that long since they themselves were in school.

&8220;It gets more expensive every year,&8221; Jerrold Lyles, an Elks Lodge member said. &8220;When I went back to get my master&8217;s degree, and books were like $100 a piece. It may not be for much but at least it will help these kids cover some of the costs they&8217;re going to be facing.&8221;