Tri-Town Rotary Announces This Year’s Scholarship Winners

Tri-Town Rotary announces the 36th annual 2020 High School Scholarship Winners. Each year the Rotary awards $2,000 to recognize exceptional performance, diligence, and service to their community during the awardees’ high school years. The scholarship supports the recipients’ pursuit of higher education. In addition an award of $1000 is given to an exceptional student who is focused on a career.

The scholarship committee seeks applications from the High Schools of the three towns they serve, Lee High School, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, and Monument Mountain Regional High School serving Stockbridge.

16 highly qualified seniors submitted their detail application to committee chair Lisa Kane, who is to be commended for her dedication to this project.

Andrew Weston – Monument Mountain Regional High School, resides in Stockbridge and plans on attending Northeastern this Fall. Of particular note are his outside School Activities: Volunteer: Lee Food Pantry 12 years; Rotary Short Term Exchange, Berkshire Crafts Fair, Stockbridge Library Youth Advisory Board.

In his essay he noted his leadership values, ”I recognized the importance of bringing people together and working as a group toward a common goal” He used his bilingual skills in Spanish taking part in short term Rotary exchange in the summer of 2018, living one month with a family in Logoño, Spain, learning a new culture and making life-long friends. Their family hosted a Rotary Student from Mexico in the fall of 2018, helping her adjust to the Berkshires for her year-long exchange.

Taggart Roosa – Lee High School, resides in Lee and plans on attending University of New Hampshire to study civil engineering. As a three sport captain (Football, Basketball, and Lacrosse), and as a leader he takes on the role for being a mentor for the younger players He serves as a house captain, chosen by the faculty, to a
leader and organizer for events that bring his classmates together and create a more inclusive environment as well as organize service day to make Lee a better place.

Emma Sorrentino – Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, resides in Lee and plans on attending University of Vermont to study biochemistry. Of her many volunteer activities she focused on her experience as a volunteer with Special Olympics that would change her life forever. ”During that day I experienced a truly pure level of excitement, love, and acceptance, that I had never felt before.” She walked the participants from the track to where they would receive their medal.

Olivia Johnson – Lee High School, resides in Lee and plans on attending the College of Charleston to study biology with plans on becoming a nurse. In January 2020 Olivia started a month long Nurses Assistant Course at Berkshire Community College. As a certified nurse’s assistant, she will be taking care of Berkshire County Covid Patients, not afraid and ready to help others. “Assisting others is what I plan to do with this life I was given, and I will never give up on these dreams.

(Press release sent to WSBS from Michael Pulitzer, Jr. President of Tri-Town Rotary for online and on air use)