KHS Class of 1971 Ellen Konides Abbott Scholarship

Due to the overwhelming number of applications this year (105+) for our scholarship, we have decided to give out two Ellen Abbott Scholarships of $500 each.  Hopefully, one to a girl and one to a boy, depending on their credentials.  April 29, 2023

In July 2021, an anonymous donor gave our Class a scholarship donation of $2,500.  Each year, for the next 5 years, this generous gift will allow us to award a $500 scholarship to a student at Keene High School.   The donor requested that this scholarship be given out in honor of Ellen Konides Abbott, who passed away suddenly on February 21, 2021. The name of the scholarship is:  KHS Class of 1971 Ellen Konides Abbott Scholarship and the first award to be made in June 2022.

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June 2023 Scholarship Award

It is with great pleasure we announce the names of the Ellen Konides Abbott Class of 1971 Scholarship for 2023.  Due to the large number of applicants this year, we were able to give out two scholarships. The students’ names are McKenna Castor and Vincent Pierannunzi.   Both were shown to exemplify all of the traits we look for when deciding who is worthy of this scholarship; grade point average of a B or better (McKenna’s is 3.464, ranked 110 and Vincent’s is 4.04, ranked 39th). Each student participated in extracurricular activities in school and the community, outstanding academic and character references, and those traits which Ellen possessed; hard work, perseverance, empathy, and an advocate to those in need.  I know Ellen would have been pleased with our choices. 

McKenna will be attending Castleton University and study physical therapy or athletic training. She has been a part of KHS running team for 11 seasons and received numerous awards including the Coaches Award, 3 most improved awards, and a leadership award. She received the NH Scholar athlete award in Concord. McKenna struggled during Covid with being isolated at home. Her grades suffered and she found herself experiencing hopelessness.  She was able to rise above her depression a year later. She worked two jobs while taking drivers education. She retook all of her classes she did not pass and graduated with an advanced, 28 credit diploma. Kudos to McKenna for her perseverance!

Vincent will be attending St. Michael’s College to study Environmental Science. He also plans to go through the EMT and firefighting programs while in college. He has a passion for helping people. He was active in sports at KHS, playing football and baseball. He volunteered in the community and held part-time jobs at the Keene Country Club and Granite Gorge. Vincent too had a rough time learning remotely during Covid and it impacted his studies as well. He too was able to rise above and persevere to bring up his grades especially in Math. Kudos to Vincent!

Thank you to Tim Carbone and Ellen’s daughter, Tara Abbott, for presenting the scholarships.  Tara commented it was wonderful to be able to meet the students who received the scholarship in her Mom’s name.

Our class would not be able to award these scholarships without the financial help from all of our classmates and an anonymous donation.  Thank you. Please do not disregard donating to this scholarship. Right now we can continue awarding this scholarship with the money we have for 3 more years. Many of us are retired and have done very well in our lives to be able to donate to this worthy cause.  The money also keeps the cost of our reunions lower as prices continue to increase.

Thank you all for your continued support. 

Fondly,

The Scholarship Committee: Wendy Olmstead Worley, Susan Hildreth Silver, and Thomas Cross

June 2022 Scholarship Award

It is with great pleasure we announce the name of the Ellen Konides Abbott Class of 1971 Scholarship for 2022.  The student’s name is Kelcie Marshall.   She was shown to exemplify all of the traits we look for when deciding who is worthy of this scholarship; grade point average of a B or better (Kelcie’s is 4.019), ranked 41 out of 330 in her class, participated in extracurricular activities in school and the community, outstanding academic and character references, and those traits which Ellen possessed; hard work, perseverance, empathy, and an advocate to those in need.  I know Ellen would have been pleased with our choice. 

Kelcie will be attending Bentley University in the Fall where she will major in Accounting and Business.  Kelcie has received scholarships and grants which total $53, 345 per year. She will be subsidizing the rest of her cost for her education with Parent Plus and the Stafford Student Loan.  

Some of Kelcie’s involvement in school along with honors she received while at KHS included the National Honor Society, National Art Society, Student Athlete Leadership Council, class counsel, student council, and varsity Lacrosse. She maintained her GPA and participated in these activities while she worked for 20 hours per week at Price Chopper. Kudos to Kelcie!  

Our class would not be able to award these scholarships without the financial help from all of our classmates and an anonymous donation.  Thank you. Please do not disregard donating to this scholarship. Right now we can continue awarding this scholarship with the money we have for 4 more years. Many of us are retired and have done very well in our lives to be able to donate to this worthy cause.  The money also keeps the cost of our reunions lower as prices continue to increase, especially where small businesses are trying to continue to recoup their losses from the Covid-19 shutdown.   

Thank you all for your continued support. 

Fondly,

The Scholarship Committee: Wendy Olmstead Worley, Susan Hildreth Silver, and Thomas Cross

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The establishment of the KHS Class of '71 Scholarship:

At our 40th Reunion, we discussed forming a scholarship, to be awarded to a deserving senior at Keene High School. In order to fund the scholarship, Classmates may make a  donation to the Class in any amount.

Recognizing that we needed to establish a Scholarship Committee, we asked our classmates to let us know if they were interested in serving on it.

Our Scholarship Committee is currently comprised of Wendy Olmstead Worley, Susan Hildreth Silver, and Thomas Cross.

The Committee immediately set to work establishing the criteria that a student would need to meet in order to earn the scholarship.

Our Committee contacts Keene High School to receive the applications and, after careful consideration of the applicants, our Committee selects the recipient. 

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