Local students named winners in energy contest

Several local students are among the 35 winners of the 15th annual eesmarts™ Student Contest, hosted by Energize Connecticut. Students in grades K-12 were invited to submit to the contest and demonstrate their knowledge of energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability through posters, creative writing and other means. Three awards were granted for each grade, and recipients were recognized with a congratulatory video presentation.

Recipients are as follows: Saanvi Jahagirdar of Groton, first place in the second grade category; James Waters of Stonington, third place in the third grade category; Zoe Brunza of Old Lyme, second place in the sixth grade category; Holly Nelson of Ledyard, third place in the sixth grade category; and Sara Beth Bouchard of Waterford, second place in the twelfth grade category.

For more information, visit energizect.com/eesmarts-home.

Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut grants scholarships

The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut Foundation has expanded its 2020 scholarship awards to include six area graduates receiving a total of $7,500. Students were recognized for their academic achievements and community services.

Recipients include Science and Technology Magnet High School graduates Cassandra Cannon, Angie Correa and Sara Beth Bouchard; Stonington High School graduate Hope Sowle; and Norwich Free Academy graduates Monn Pierre and Kali Whitford.

"This year has been challenging for students and impacted many families financially," Louis Ziegler, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT Foundation's Board of Directors, said in a release. "The Chamber Foundation provided two additional scholarships to help families during these trying times. Our mission to support eastern Connecticut's rising workforce is just as important as ever, and we are pleased to be able to provide this financial assistance to promising high school seniors pursuing higher education or exploring vocational training that will lead to careers in the region."

For more information, visit chamberect.com/foundation.

Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut increases scholarship awards

The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut has awarded more than $758,000 in scholarships to more than 300 students in its coverage area. CFECT donors have established more 122 funds that have granted about $8 million in scholarships since 1983.

“College can be a lifeline for students from financially burdened families, especially now as we face the COVID-19 crisis. For that reason, we sharpened our focus on reaching first generation college students, students of color and those with the greatest financial need. The Community Foundation sends our best wishes to these students as they launch their college and technical careers in challenging circumstances,” Maryam Elahi, president and CEO, said in a release.

Local recipients are as follows. A full list of students is available at cfect.org.

East Lyme: Alison Christensen, Georgia Corbett, David Esposito, Stella Georgian, Blane Hart, Cameron Hart, Atena Mendez, Abigail Mountain, Jack Mountain, Aoife Samuelson, Joseph Shay, Natale Taylor, Sophie Taylor, Gabrielle Villa.

Franklin: Katrina Konow.

Griswold: Taylor Czmyr, Jacob Haugland, Julia Janca, Julia Leslie, Zachary Myrtle.

Groton: Pilarose Bailon, Benjamin Berlin, Azalea Canty, Dennis Carambot, Annabelle Caswell, Kiana Alexandria Codilla, Sydney Comstock, Mae Flax, Hannah Harens, Owen Henderson, Jessica Hill, Angeelina Ildefonso, Desiree Johnson, Cassandra Leuchner, Daniel Marcolina, Allyssa McIlquham, Halsey McLaen, Hectory Mesa, Aveline Mills, Karly Morales, Lizzette Perez, Nikiah Perry, Renee Prieto, Dylan Radovich, Samantha Rebein, Emme Romanelli, Honora Ryan, Kelly Sandgren, Ariana Santora, Diana Sefransky, Heather Smith, Aaliyah Staten, Elizabeth Teskey, Britney Toussaint, Julianna Waller.

Ledyard: Rebekah Butler, Emma Chin, Ariana Gomez, Marisa Howard, Lauryn Lu, Gabriella Palacios, Forrest Paradise, Rilee Roldan, Katey Truncale, Mhret Wondmagegne.

Lisbon: Bethany Arabic, Michael Arabic.

Montville: Maria Bonanno, Angela Chen, Jerelyn Mae Gatchalian, Joanna Liang, Rodrigo Mariano, Maria-Fernanda Reyes, Holly Richmond, Kole Thurston, Melanie Trotochaud, Shenphen Yeshi.

New London: Favour Adekoya, Tareonna Alger-Rodriguez, Anthony Arizaga, Suzy Avendano, Makeeda Bandele-Asante, Taleicia Barnhill, Kaitlynn Brito Torres, Shane Brooks, Eliza Brown, Renasha Brown, Cassandra Cannon, Isabella Casteel, Luisanny Castillo, Rockenson Charles, Adeliz Cordero, Angie Correa, Dahyir Croft, Diego Cruz, Adriana Diaz, Wilfredo Dolores, Lucy Driscoll, Junie Dulcice, Shineika Fareus, Maria Fiestas, Zakiya Fletcher, Keren Gabriel, Shariena Green, Victoria Hannaford, India Harper, Gita Hassin, Karyme Hernandez, Lillian James, Yosselin Jimenez, Mary Johnson-Santiago, Deniz Kayhan, Francesca Ledoux, Ellanora Lerner, Karelys Meletiche, Lisbeth Mena, Yannery Morel, Dayanara Nieves, Jennifer Paul, Haydee Pepe, Cyndell Pickett, Tajanay Piontkowski, Cole Potts, Carly Potts, Taina Quinones, Zeraiah Ramos, Wilmalis Rodriguez, Yineli Rodriguez, Gianna Rubino, Taylin Santiago, Cristian Santos, Fatima Serrano, Judy Serrano, Noah Shafner, Chloe Sherman-Watson, Kristen Sinagra, Emily Smith, Genesis Tejada, Evan Tryon, Salma Tumbaco, Anaya Vega, Nancy Villacorta, Anson Wang, Janiyah Williams, Karl Willoughby.

North Stonington: Dylan Davino, Savannah Johnson, Connor Melinosky, Alyssa Perez, Daniel Schroeder, Anjum Shaikh.

Norwich: Teala Avery, Christian Bevilacqua, Joshua Blinderman, Melissa Cifuentes, Saphira Dorelus, Justin-Corey Le, Liliana Lorenzo, Zeta Perry, Mackenzie Ramsey, Kenna Riley, Elizabeth Robbins, Shannon Stewart.

Old Lyme: Ethan Carrion, Nicholas Fava, Tanner Griffin, Caroline Wallace, Ryan Wallace.

Preston: Bailey Comeau, Hannah Crary, Kaleb Lawton, Phillip Ludlow, Hannah Magrey, Kali Whitford.

Salem: Alexander Pearl.

Sprague: Kennedy Jakan, Cole Patnoad, Michael Sims.

Stonington: Claire Anderson, Lily Anderson, Casey Boumenot, Catherine Cassata, Emily Cassata , Heidi Chappell, Eva Dale, Emma DeLaRosa, Haley DelMonaco, Caelan Desmond, Trevor Fornara, Fiona Frohnapfel, Benjamin Fyke, Abigail Gibson, Eliza Gilbert, Yu Fang Hua, Ainsley Johnstone, Graham Johnstone, Jason Kilcoyne, Lars-Erik Laskey, Robert Lewis, Benjamin Logel, Kathryn Logel, Amy Manning, Alison Marseglia, Isaac Mason, Grace McCarthy, Isabella McCarthy, Justin McKenna, Caroline Morehouse, Ayden Morrison, Grace Narducci, Connor Naslund, Jacob Park, Zachary Pasquin, Jolie Rodriguez, Una Schaffer, Hope Sowle, Jennifer Spadaro, Taylor Starr, Jaden Stefanski, Nicolas Turco, Cole Wilbur, Caitlyn Wrang.

Voluntown: Christina Breneman, Joshua Zelinsky.

Waterford: Elizabeth Agarunova, Audrey Booth, Sara Beth Bouchard, Dominic Brunaccioni, Noah Clack, Emily Coderre, Connor Crump, Madison Crump, Danielle DeWallace, Kristopher Dow, Gretchen Dusza, Avery Gibbons, Nicholas Gigliotti, Abraham Gollsneider, Jasmine Graciano, Maria Grillo, Katelyn Grote, David Hausman, Ava Hernandez, Anna Hunter, Jeremy Hynek, Nicole Karns, Kasey Kirchhoff, Jadyn Lance, Jared Lovell, Adelina Marcille, Ashley Metiver, Rachel Miller, Elijah Morosky, Nina Pezzello, Molly Quiles, Owen Seltzer, Katherine Shea, Lauren Shea, Brooke Speller, Sydney Tabor, Elise Tuckwood, Jared Weiss, Ethan Welch, Iqra Yousafzai.

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