The Lions Club of Salem has decided this year to award three scholarships instead of the usual two, based on supporting students in the time of COVID.

The winners were Cooper Pazzaglia, Grace Vlaun and Chelsea Weimer.

Pazzaglia, son of Deborah and James Pazzaglia, was on the honor roll every semester while at East Lyme High School, graduating with a 4.31 weighted GPA. He was the East Lyme/Salem Board of Education representative for all four years he was in high school and served as a camp leader at the Congregational Church of Salem Vacation Bible School. He was an All-State Scholar Athlete, playing on the boys’ soccer team all four years at ELHS and serving as captain as a senior. He will attend UConn.

Vlaun has been a member of the ELHS Class Senate since 2018, and was class president her first two years and student body president her final two years. She is the coordinator for Operation Christmas Child which has sent hundreds of Christmas boxes to needy children both in the United States as well as worldwide. She was also an All-State swimmerin 2018, 2019 and 2020 and holds numerous ELHS swimming records. Vlaun, daughter of David and Sheila Vlaun, will attend Harvard. She had a weighted GPA of 4.54.

Weimer, daughter of Christopher and Rachelle Weimer, is president of the New London County 4-H Club. She has participated and organized various community service events including food drives, humane society supply drives, and filling bags of essential items for the homeless. At school she maintained a weighted GPA of 4.39. She also is a member of the ELHS Swim and Dive team and was elected captain in 2020. She will be attending Edinboro University in the fall.