The
board of directors of the Vermont Alliance for Arts Education, which dissolved at the end of 2011,
authorized disbursement of some of the funds remaining in the Alliance’s
account for Scholarship recipients in 2012 before it voted to
dissolve. Thus, the selection of
recipients and awarding of scholarships was able to go ahead for this
year.
The Vermont Alliance for Arts Education has selected four Vermont
high school seniors to receive $500 college scholarships for artistic
achievement. The scholarship recipients are: Elizabeth Benton,
Brattleboro Union High School; Sarah Gray, Springfield High School;
Robin McLaughlin, Essex High School; and Sarah Ashby, Bellows Free
Academy St. Albans.“We had a relatively small, but excellent pool of applicants this year,” said Walter Judge, a director at the law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC, who served on the board of VAAE. “We are pleased to be able to recognize the hard work and achievements of these talented students by awarding arts scholarships to help defray college expenses.”
“Invaluable assistance was provided by the Vermont Student Assistance
Corporation (VSAC) to publicize the scholarships to students throughout
Vermont and to coordinate the application process,” said Judge, “and
by the judges – Glory D. Reinstein, Music Teacher, Essex High School;
Melinda Johns of Burlington City Arts; Gillian Klein, a professional
artist; and Sara Katz of Burlington City Arts – who assisted me in
thoughtfully reviewing each application and selecting the winners.”
ElizabethBenton (above left )
Benton will attend the Massachusetts College
of Art this fall. The judging panel was impressed by her varied
sculptural, visual, and photographic works, and the fact that she has
held a job and has had demanding commitments outside of school.
Sarah Gray (above right)
Gray will attend the University of Vermont
this fall. Her inspired works of detailed and colorful visual art
caught the panel’s attention, as well as the fact that she is ranked
first in her class at school.
Robin McLaughlin (left)
Sarah Ashby (right)
Ashby will attend the Massachusetts College
of Art this fall. The panel was impressed by Ashby’s photography and
her entrepreneurial spirit.
