Rotary Log May 26, 2011 (Scholarships)
Photos by Jim Rini
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Written by: Rotarian X
Rotary Log
May 26, 2011
What a crowd we had today! A packed house and not a politician seeking public office in sight! Looks like the Rotary spirit is on the rise. Despite a very late start to lunch (word has it the chickens were tipped off to their fate and put up a heroic struggle), President Diane, as always, ran a tight program. Fine Master Neal Ouellett, per his usual, captivated us with his fine master sleights of hand, comedic timing and commando style countermeasure fines. Case in point—“all those who have received scholarships raise your hands. Great, everyone at your table pay a dollar.” Waheed Mansur gave a happy dollar for world peace. As someone who was in
Lisa Mills announced the Tall Ships are coming again this Memorial Day weekend--always a fun event for families and friends alike in
Today we celebrated the recipients of the annual Rotary scholarships given to select members of the class of 2011. And what a fine group of civic-minded, high-achieving young men and women—wait, I stand corrected—fine group of young women and MAN. Yes, the ratio was 14:1, more on that later. Diane Levine, Chair of the scholarship program commenced the activities.
The first recipient to take the podium was Nicole Jones. Nicole is a senior at
The next recipient was Savannah Fodero. Like her colleagues,
Victoria Blanchard is a
Haley Bacon is a PHS senior who is active in community service. She is Co-President of the National Honor Society with
Jennifer Tilden focused her acceptance speech on her future plans. She will attend Keene State College in the fall to pursue a teacher’s certificate as well as a minor in Psychology. Thereafter, she plans to attend UNH to seek a master’s degree and a child life specialist certification. Further down the road she would like to work as a teacher.
Laura Nevins is a Co-President of the Student Council at PHS and is involved in the first student-run endowment to support the Portsmouth School System. She referees 5th grade basketball in her free time and attended
Symonne Fontenot is a tri-captain of the PHS Women’s Lacrosse team and is also a member of the PHS Women’s Soccer team. She is a member of the Student Council and provides tutoring services to 5th graders in the Portsmouth School System. Symonne plans to attend
Zoe Pillais a member of the PHS Women’s Soccer, Track and Lacrosse teams and participates in a number of clubs including the Amigos program—her favorite. She attends summer camp and is actively involved in peer leadership programs. Also a member of the National Honor Society, Zoey donates her free time to the local soup kitchen and the local chapter of the Salvation Army. She plans to attend
Cielle Collins is a member of the PHS Women’s Softball and Basketball teams. She also participates in the Big Sister program and provides help and companionship to a neighbor suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Cielle attended the
Satchi Nagada is a board member of the PHS chapter of the National Honor Society, Vice President of the French Club and member of the PHS Math team. Satchi is a member of the PHS Women’s Field Hockey team as well as a participant in the Global Cause program. She plans to attend UNH to study Chemical Engineering.
Next up was the lone male scholarship recipient, Chris Rogers. Chris is actively involved in a number of music-oriented programs including his role as a 5th grade band mentor, member of the PHS Marching and Concert bands as well as participation in the Freshman Ensemble that won a national championship in Dayton, Ohio. Lastly, he achieved membership in the New Hampshire Allstate Band as a capstone to his high school music achievements. Chris will attend
The final recipient to take the podium was Kelsey Zuchowski. Kelsey is a member of the National Honor Society and, like Chris, is a member of a number of PHS musical clubs including the PHS Marching and Concert Bands, and the Percussion Ensemble that tallied a gold medal this year after seven consecutive silver medals. Well done Kelsey! Among her many activities, she teaches swimming and offers her time and talents at church. Kelsey will attend UNH in the Health and Human Services School to study occupational therapy with a focus on children.
The scholarship celebration ended with a well-deserved round of applause for the students for all they have achieved, and for their parents who have supported their children throughout their academic careers. Again, well done to all.
The meeting ended on a light note with the irrepressible Walter Liff auctioning two items. The first item up for consideration was simply classified as a “plastic blow-up toy.” What appeared to be a new “chapter” in Rotary auction items prompted hushed exchanges, unintelligible murmurs and many blushed faces—my, my, how the Rotarian mind wanders when contemplating such high minded affairs as “plastic blow up toys”— and turned out to be nothing more than another innocuous “Certified Rotary Safe” auction item. See Picture below. Unfazed by the subject matter, Walter was in top form with his precise description and unwavering focus to elicit the highest bid--$15. The winner’s name shall be withheld to protect the innocent. (If we were to name Neal Ouellett, it would serve no purpose other than to sell more copies of the Log). As for the second auction item, after all the commotion with the first item, can anyone even remember what it was? Ah yes, a venerable British tea set of fine bone china direct from the Harrods London Collection.
The raffle was for $68 and no match. Having concluded all business, President Diane adjourned the meeting.
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