Upper Valley 4-H members win awards at Tunbridge Dairy Show
Multiple Upper Valley residents who are part of 4-H clubs competed in the 2025 Central and Southeast Region 4-H Dairy Show, at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds last month. Maeve Leslie-Gawalt, of Hartland, and her 3-year-old Jersey cow won the Supreme Champion of All Breeds award. In that competition participants were evaluated by judge Renee Baker, of Hillside Homestead in Albany, Vt., on how they handled and presented their animals. Sylvia Johnson, of Tunbridge, was named the Senior Fitting and Showing Champion. Elizabeth Waterman, of Thetford Center, was named the Reserve Senior Champion. Sophia Fors, of Bethel, won the juniors division (ages 11 to 13) of the contest.
Leslie-Gawalt also won the Senior Champion and Grand Champion in the Jersey breed division. Additionally, she earned the Senior Reserve Champion award with her 4-year-old Jersey cow and the Reserve Junior Grand Champion award with her winter yearling.
John McClain, of Tunbridge, and his fall yearling won the Reserve Junior Champion in the Jersey breed division.
In the Ayrshire breed division, Hattie Hoyt, of Tunbridge, and her winter calf earned the Junior Champion and Grand Champion awards. In the Guernsey breed division, Johnson and her winter calf won the Junior Champion and Grand Champion awards.
The Clever Clovers 4-H Club of Tunbridge won the Herdsmanship Award for best club herd. Participants also submitted their project record books for evaluation and were quizzed on their dairy knowledge, which culminated in a score. Johnson, of Tunbridge, had the top score for Orange/Washington counties in the senior division; Fors, junior division; and Emile Guerlain, of South Royalton, beginner division. Leslie-Gawalt had the top score for the Windham/Windsor counties senior division; and Landyn Bedell, of White River Junction, beginner division.
Post-secondary graduations
Declan Sheehan, of Grantham, and Emma Sablan, of Norwich, earned degrees from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, this spring.
Yong Zhao, of Lebanon, earned a master’s degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta this spring.
Prescott Herzog, of Claremont, earned degrees in history and government, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College this spring. Herzog also earned departmental awards for Best Comparative Politics Thesis and Outstanding Effectiveness in Political Analysis.
Post-secondary accomplishments
Sydney Gonyea, of Lebanon, made the dean’s list at Simmons University in Boston for the spring 2025 semester.
Jonah Flint, of Sunapee, made the faculty honors list at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta for the spring 2025 semester.
Julia Tursky, of Claremont, and McKayla Woods, of Tunbridge, made the dean’s list at the University at Albany in Albany, NY, for the spring 2025 semester.
The following Upper Valley residents earned Granite Edvance scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 this spring: Taylor Bell, Claremont, Curry College; Walden Bunzey, Grantham, Nashua Community College; Sydney Byrne, Charlestown, Saint Anselm College; Kendal Cote, Charlestown, New England College; Seth Danen-Lucier, Lebanon, Carnegie Mellon University; Eleanor Edson, Hanover, University of Richmond; Izabela Eitapence, Claremont, Emmanuel College; Taylor Fellows, Croydon, Colby-Sawyer College; Iris Freeman, Hanover, Colby College; Calista Fuller, Springfield, N.H., River Valley Community College; Sara Gaspard, Claremont, Dartmouth College; Sierra Gianini, Canaan, University of New Hampshire; Melody Heacock, Newport, University of New Hampshire; Evangelina Jordan, Claremont, River Valley Community College; Drew Kantor, Lebanon, North Carolina State University; Mackenzie Kingsbury, Woodsville, University of Southern Maine; Landon Kingsbury, Woodsville, Central Maine Community College; Suzanna Kostka, Lebanon, River Valley Community College; Luna Landers, New London, Colorado State University; Bristol Messer, Newbury, NH, Plymouth State University; Sophia Mladek, Lebanon, Cornell University; Amalia Mladek, Lebanon, Cornell University; Malik Nasir, Sunapee, Northeastern University; Vickie Ni, Lebanon, Plymouth State University; Aavarika Niroula, Lebanon, Saint Anselm College; Cameryn Simpson, Unity, White Mountains Community College; Zoe Smith, Haverhill, University of Southern Maine; Diane Thomas, Lebanon, NHTI; and Brianna Thorburn, Orford, River Valley Community College.
CCV gets grant to aid in student retention, graduation rates
The U.S. Department of Education awarded a $2 million grant to improve student retention and graduation rates to the Community College of Vermont, according to a news release from the nonprofit organization, which has a branch in White River Junction.
The five-year TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant will go toward efforts to support low-income and first-generations students, as well as students with disabilities. Academic tutoring, financial aid and scholarships, career development, peer mentoring, leadership opportunities, mental health counseling, and four-year college visits are among the programs the grant will support. CCV began receiving the support services grant in 1983 and since then has assisted 225 students each year through the program.
Students enrolled in TRIO SSS “are more than three times as likely to graduate from CCV than eligible students not enrolled in the program,” according to the release.
River Valley Community College to host open house in Claremont
River Valley Community College will host an open house for prospective students in Claremont Thursday, Aug. 14.
The event is scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at 1 College Place. Attendees can learn about RVCC’s academic programs and meet with faculty and staff, according to a news release from the Claremont-based nonprofit organization. Prospective students can also speak to representatives from the college’s admissions, advising and financial aid departments. Granite Edvance employees will also be on hand to help students and families with filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Visit rivervalley.edu or contact the Admissions Office at 603-542-7744 or RVCCadmissions@ccsnh.edu for more information and to RSVP.
Email academic accomplishments to schoolnotes@vnews.com.
