Community Corner
WELLESLEY RESIDENT AMANDA HARKAVY RECEIVES $1000 SCHOLARSHIP FROM MIDDLESEX SAVINGS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Grants totaling $35,000 go to area graduates from 25 communities and 30 public, charter, and vocational high schools
NATICK, MA – July 2, 2013 – Dana M. Neshe, President of the Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation, has announced that Wellesley resident Amanda Harkavy is one of 30 students from public, charter and vocational high schools in the area to receive a $1,000 scholarship grant from the foundation.
Harkavy graduated from Wellesley High School, where she especially enjoyed studying Shakespeare, film, and philosophy. She was captain of the tennis team and treasurer of the class of 2013. She also was a member of the executive board of Peers and Facilitators, a club that fosters respect for human differences in the high school community. She will attend Dartmouth College.
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Each of 30 schools nominated a scholarship recipient based on criteria that included academic merit, financial need, community service and personal improvement. The Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation was established in 2000 through an endowment provided by Middlesex Savings Bank to ensure funding of scholarships and worthy non-profits in any economic climate. Over $325,000 has been distributed to date through the scholarship program.
The Foundation also announced that Victoria Bernardini of Franklin is recipient of the seventh annual A. James Lavoie Scholarship. This $5,000 award is named in honor of Mr. Lavoie, former president of Middlesex Savings Bank, who was deeply committed to the support of education. Bernardini, a graduate of Franklin High, will attend UMass-Dartmouth.
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An independent committee selected Bernardini for the Lavoie Scholarship for her essay in response to “If you could do one thing to improve the quality of life in your community, what would it be and how would you do it?”
Bernardini’s solution was “High School Journey…Seriously,” a peer-to-peer seminar series in which upperclassmen would counsel younger students on how to fully realize their own academic potential through consistent effort. Reasoning that teens are more receptive to advice from older students than from adults, she envisions a program that entails personal goal-setting, understanding what is expected of them, and how to make the most of class participation and homework, among many others.
A program like “High School Journey…Seriously” would have been especially helpful to her, Bernardini wrote, because she has been a learning-disabled student since grade school. While she worked hard to overcome her dyslexia, she struggled academically because she did not take her studies seriously until she was a high school junior.
“High school students often live in the moment and let academics slip. Both my teachers and parents expected good grades from me, but often the message did not get through. I believe I would have been receptive to some friendly advice and guidance from an informed peer,” she wrote.
Bernardini’s plan envisioned a series of seminars by a cadre of senior-class volunteers who would explain the school’s academic expectations and stress the importance of setting high standards – including consistent class participation, homework, cumulative grade point average and SAT scores – beginning in freshman year. College admissions advisors and local employers would also be invited to participate.
“We’re pleased to award the A. James Lavoie Scholarship to Victoria Bernardini, and we are happy to assist Amanda Harkavyand the many other deserving young people who received scholarship aid this year. We’re proud of all of them and we wish them all the best on the next phase of their journeys,” said Neshe.
Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation 2013 Scholarship Award Recipients
Seventh Annual A. James Lavoie $5,000 Scholarship
Victoria Bernardini, Franklin High School. To attend UMass-Dartmouth
$1,000 Scholarship Award Recipients
High School Student Hometown College
Acton-Boxborough Regional Ryan Small Boxborough Endicott College
Algonquin Regional Josue Deleon Northborough Worcester State
Advanced Math & Science
Academy Fiorella Portal-Venturi Framingham Worcester State
Ashland High. Phoebe Kurriss Ashland Bridgewater State
Assabet Valley Regional Morgan Parmeter Maynard Merrimack College
Bedford High Evelyn Sainato Bedford TBD
Bellingham High Megan Kenney Bellingham Univ. of New England
Blackstone Valley Regional Gabriela Rosa Milford Assumption
Concord-Carlisle Jack Struck Concord American University
Framingham High Colin Moran Framingham University of New Haven
Framingham High –
Resiliency for Life Melanye Fontenelle Framingham Mass Bay
Franklin High. Katherine Nazzaro Franklin Bridgewater State
Groton-Dunstable Regional Jamie Park Groton UMass-Amherst
Holliston High Jacob McLinden Holliston UNH
Hopkinton High Jaclyn Chirco Hopkinton Assumption
Joseph P. Keefe Technical Jonathan Montanez Framingham TBD
Lincoln-Sudbury Adam Bradley Sudbury UMass
Littleton High Garrett Essman Littleton University of Vermont
Maynard High Colby LeSage Maynard Bridgewater State
Medfield High Scott Todd Medfield Florida Institute of
Technology
Medway High Madison Holland Medway Simmons College
Milford High Madeline Parsons Milford Worcester State
Millis High Matthew Fife Millis Westfield State
Nashoba Valley Technical Aaron Febbi Westford UMass-Amherst
Natick High Timothy Sakharov Natick Northeastern
Needham High Julie Weinberg-Connors Needham Beloit College
Tri-County Regional Abigail Gay Medway Wheelock College
Wayland High Mark Bonner Wayland TBD
Wellesley High Amanda Harkavy Wellesley Dartmouth
Westford Academy Emily Morency Westford Elon University
