KHS Class of 1971 Ellen Konides Abbott Scholarship

 

July 2025 Scholarship Donation Extends Ellen's Scholarship for 5 Years

July 26, 2025

Dear Fellow '71 Classmates:

A few weeks ago, we emailed you with the announcement of the 2025 Ellen Konides Abbott Scholarship Award.  This was the final award for the 5 scholarship donation made by a KHS '71 Classmate in 2021.

We are pleasantly surprised - and honored - to announce that a different '71 Classmate has funded another 5 years of awards for the KHS Class of 1971 Ellen Konides Abbott Scholarship!

On behalf of all of our Classmates, thank you for this very meaningful donation!

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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 allowed 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 2025 Scholarship Award

It is with immense pleasure we announce the name of the Ellen Konides Abbott Class of 1971 Scholarship for 2024-2025 school year. The student’s name is Pooja Soni. Pooja had all the traits we look for when deciding who is worthy of this scholarship; grade point average of a B or better (Pooja ranked 28 out of 280 students and her cumulative GPA was 4.075), class involvement, and extra-curricular activities. She was a member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, Keene Interact Club, FBLA, Cheshire Career Center Ambassador, Model United Nations, and Empowering Kids Collaborative. She joined the swimming team to overcome her fear of drowning and developed strong swimming skills. She competed in the 50 Free, one hundred Free, Breaststroke, and relay events. She was on the Soccer Team grades 9-11.

Pooja held down a part-time job while in school at the Main Street Mini Mart. If you live in Keene and went to the mini mart, you may have seen her working there. She also worked during the summer as an accounting intern for the city of Keene and a real estate intern for the Town of Troy. Her hard work in and outside of school showed her to be the perfect candidate for this scholarship. I know Ellen would have been pleased with our choice.

Pooja is attending the University of Massachusetts to study Accounting, with hopes of becoming a CPA. Another character trait of Pooja, which impressed us, was her ability to save and contribute to her finances to attend college, receiving a large scholarship from the university, and money paid for by her summer jobs and the job she held during each school year.

Pooja attributes her successes with coming from an industrious family, which taught her the importance of determination, community service, and real-world experiences. She has always wanted to pursue higher education as a pathway to knowledge, professional skills, and most importantly, independence, growth, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the world. We wish Pooja the best of luck in her college years and her future ahead.

Thank you to Tim Carbone, who has been faithfully handing out our scholarship. Also, to Ellen’s daughter Tara, for presenting the scholarship this year. Tara was so honored to have the scholarship in Ellen’s name these past years.

Our class would not be able to award these scholarships without financial help from all our classmates and anonymous donations. Thank you. Please do not disregard donating to this scholarship. The funds for the scholarship in Ellen’s name ended with this last recipient. We will always welcome funds from a KHS Class of 1971 graduate in remembrance of another classmate. The contribution is tax deductible and limited to 60% of your adjusted gross income. Members of our class have been blessed financially 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. If you would like to donate, please make payable to the KHS Class of 1971, c/o Susan Hildreth Silver, 62 Dale Dr., Keene, NH 03431

Thank you all for your continued support.

Fondly,

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

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June 2024 Scholarship Award

It is with great pleasure we announce the name of the Ellen Konides Abbott Class of 1971 Scholarship for 2024.  The student’s name is Troia Milotte. Troia had all of the traits we look for when deciding who is worthy of this scholarship; grade point average of a B or better (Troia was ranked 63 out of 292 students and her cumulative GPA was 3.786), class involvement, and extra-curricular activities.  She was a member of the National Honor Society and she participated in Track and Field, throwing the discus and shot put. She was awarded Most Improved, captain, and qualified for States in track and field.  Her motto was, “the only person you should want to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” Troia also held down part-time jobs while in school and during the summer. Her hard work, perseverance, and empathy (she was in the Random Acts of Kindness club) showed her to be the perfect candidate for this scholarship. I know Ellen would have been pleased with our choice.

Troia is attending Franklin Pierce University this Fall studying Forensic Science. She is excited about possibly solving complex crimes and aiding law enforcement. Another character trait of Troia which impressed us was her ability to save and contribute to her finances to attend college, receiving the Merit scholarship, and money paid by her summer jobs and jobs she held during each school year.

Troia attributes her success to her parents. Her parents have offered her unwavering support in her pursuits. Her parents commitment to their family has “profoundly influenced” Troia’s character and values. They have taught her to strive for a future with economic stability, free from financial concerns. Her desire in the future is to ensure their future well-being and provide for a family of her own one day. 

Thank you to Tim Carbone for presenting the scholarships.  We always appreciate Tim being there to hand out the scholarship letter.

Our class would not be able to award these scholarships without the financial help from all of our classmates and anonymous donations.  Thank you. Please do not disregard donating to this scholarship. Right now we can continue awarding the Ellen Konides Abbott scholarship with the money we have for 1 more year. 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. If you would like to donate money please make payable to the KHS Class of 1971, c/o Susan Hildreth Silver, 62 Dale Dr., Keene, NH 03431

Thank you all for your continued support. 

Fondly,

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

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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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