Mathews High School junior Joice Small was the recipient last week of a 2021 Harvard Book Prize, awarded annually to students at participating high schools who display “excellence in scholarship and high character, combined with achievement in other fields.”

The prize consisted of a copy of the book “Making the Most of College” by Richard J. Light, professor of Education at Harvard University, along with a $1,500 cash award.

Dr. John M. “Mike” Witherspoon of Port Haywood, who sponsors the award at Mathews High School, presented the prize on behalf of the Harvard Alumni Association of Tidewater, Virginia. He said Small was chosen by her teachers, and that Harvard had no influence on the process. The cash award, he said, was to acknowledge Small’s “outstanding success and future possibilities.”

Witherspoon said he had worked with MHS Registrar Lori Mountford to provide a ceremony that recognizes community support for all the school employees and students who overcame the educat...