By RUSSELL JONES
High school can be a stressful time for a young person and trying to build an impressive résumé to get into the college of their dreams can be challenging. Being able to pay for that school once accepted is sometimes an even more daunting task.
This past week, Otter Valley Union High School honored students for their hard work in high school and, for some, presented awards and scholarships that will help alleviate some of the financial pressure that may have been on their minds.
Among the awards for excellence and improvement presented on May 13 were five scholarships potentially amounting to more than $200,000.
• Senior Elinor Ross received the Rensselaer Medal, which has been a tradition at the school for more than 90 years. The medal is awarded to promising students who have distinguished themselves in mathematics and science.
The medal was first presented in 1916 with two purposes: to recognize the superlative academic achievement of young men and women, and to motivate students towards careers in science, engineering and technology. The medal also comes with a $100,000 scholarship over four years at Rensselaer College.
• Junior Ian Oullette was presented a $60,000 scholarship to Clarkson College over four years, which is called The Clarkson Leadership Award. The student was required to be a member of the junior class, have a GPA of 90 or better, be involved in extracurricular activities, and be a leader among their peers as well as an academic interest in either business, engineering, science or liberal arts.
This award is the highest honor at the university.
• The University of Rochester’s Fredrick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award recognized junior Livia Bernhardt for her commitment to understanding and addressing difficult social issues. Should she choose to attend Rochester University, she would be considered for a $40,000 scholarship over four years.
• Jocelyn Noble was recognized as the winner of the Bausch and Lomb Award. This award is given out to a member of the junior class in recognition of high achievement and rigor in science classes, as well as high PSAT and SAT scores in math. This award is now in its 84th year at the University of Rochester, where the recipient will be eligible for a $10,000 per year scholarship.
• The St. Lawrence Book Award was awarded to Edward Kopp, a member of the junior class who has consistently demonstrated academic success while establishing himself as an integral and committed member of the community. The award is twofold with the presentation of the book, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, and also comes with a $4,000 scholarship to St. Lawrence University over four years. Many other students received awards for their dedication to their studies in many different subjects.
A NIGHT OF EXCELLENCE
Guest Speaker: Brian Kamuda
SPECIAL AWARDS
PRESENTER
The Sapiens Award Jim Avery
Lita Drake, Heather Wood, Angus Doaner, Keisha Young, Zachary Willis
Clarkson Leadership Award Jim Avery
Ian Ouellette
OV School Board Representatives Jim Avery
Livia Bernhardt, Ian Ouellette, Alexander Lamoureux
Governor’s Institutes Jim Avery
Tamar Foster
Teacher of the Year Jim Avery
John Olson
Legion Aux. Unit 55 Girls State Jean Lamarre
Carolynn Lafountaine, Phoebe Elliott
OV Activities Assoc. Isabelle Kingsley/Victoria Falco
Nathanial Hudson, Brenna McCullough, Spencer Pelkey, Lauryl Blanchard, Bonnie Moore, Cole Letourneau, Alexandria Griffin, Evan Thomas
Pittsford Fire Dept. Jason Davis & Darren Laughlin
Grant Blow, Patrick Boyton, Tyler Boynton
OVTA Citizenship Award Marielle Blais
William Mattsson
Community Service Recognition Meredith McCartney
Kelsey Sunhawk, Rachel Kemp, Malory Lufkin, Jessica Malbon, Kassidy Carvey, Caleb Chisamore, Haley Curtis, Emma Falquero, Greg Dipietro, Jayden Everett, Liam Murphy, Ken Backus, Damian LaRoche, Keith Sinclair, Maddie Morgan, Madison Gilmore, Keisha Young, Anthony Rovi
St. Lawrence University Book Award Meredith McCartney
Edward Kopp
St Anselm Book Award Meredith McCartney
Phoebe Elliott
Wellesley College Book Award Meredith McCartney
Livia Bernhardt
Yale Book Award Barbara Sicot
Elinor Ross
St. Michael’s College Book Awards Lori Robear
Lauryl Blanchard, Aiden Purcell
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Lori Robear
Madeleine O’Connell, Mia Politano
Suffolk Book Award Lori Robear
Leah Pinkowski
Harvard Book Prize Lori Robear
Jordan Lemieux
ACADEMIC AWARDS
ENGLISH Hollie Kretzer
New England Young Writers Conference
Elinor Ross, Carolyn LaFountaine, Jocelyn Noble, Haleigh Pelkey, Madilyn Morgan
The Student Sage Award
Carolynn Lafountaine
Brandon/Pittsford Lions Club Speak Out Contest
Hayden Gallo
4-Year English Dept. Award
Josh Beayon
MATHEMATICS Anthony Peduto
Society of Women Engineers
Elinor Ross, Livia Bernhardt, Carolynn Lafountaine
Rensselaer Medal
Elinor Ross
4-Year Dept. Mathematics Award
Hayden Gallo
Moosalamoo Josh Hardt
Jacob O’Connell, Samuel Martin, Collin Blier
Practical Skills John Cioffredi
RIT Computing Medal Award
Ian Ouellette
SCIENCE Larry Marzec-Gerrior
Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award
Jocelyn Noble
4-Year Science Department Award
Hayden Gallo
SOCIAL STUDIES Jeff Jeskie
University of Rochester Frederick Douglass & Susan B. Anthony Award in Humanities
Livia Bernhardt
4-Year Social Studies Department Award
Joshua Beayon
Visual & PERFORMING ARTS: Barbara Sicot
Music Pat Roberts
District Symphonic Band
Evelyn Bart, Meghan Chaney, Nathan Depatie, Olivia Depatie, Keenan Hogan, Hayden Hull, Gunnar Tinsman
District Chorus
Phoebe Elliott, Keenan Hogan, Hayden Hull, Matthew Moseley, Sydney Singh
District Jazz Ensemble
Olivia Depatie
All State Band
Evelyn Bart, Meghan Chaney, Nathan Depatie, Olivia Depatie
All State Chorus
Phoebe Elliott, Hayden Hull, Gunnar Tinsman
All New England Band
Nathan Depatie, Olivia Depatie
All Eastern Chorus
Phoebe Elliott
Berklee College of Music Jazz Festival Judges Choice Award
Evelyn Bart, Madeline Fuller
Department Four Year Award
Nahan Depatie
Director’s Award
Emily Doty
Tad Merrick Band Award
Nathan Depatie, Ian Oullette, Aiden Purcell, Ella Chaney, Meghan Chaney, Isaiah Nelson
Patrick Gilmore Band Award
Ashlynn Depatie
National Choral Award
Phoebe Elliott
Woody Herman Jazz Award
Madeline Fuller
Louis Armstrong Jazz Award
Evelyn Bart
John Philip Sousa Band Award
Hayden Hull
Angela Ovecka Leadership Award
Jocelyn Noble
