To celebrate academia after another successful school year, the South Central Ohio Educational Service Center hosted another Summer Enrichment Scholarship Reception in May for students receiving scholarships to attend summer enrichment programs.

According to Gifted Services Coordinator Sharee Price, there were two groups of students being recognized. These groups consisted of Miami Summer Scholars Scholarship recipients and ESC Summer Enrichment Scholarship recipients. Sponsors for all of the ESC’s Gifted Services programs were also recognized.

Price hosted the event and served as emcee while Noelle Smith and Nathan Cooper, students attending Valley High School and recipients of the ESC Summer Enrichment scholarships over the past few years were guest speakers.

Smith is graduating and will be attending Yale University this fall, and Cooper has received a scholarship to attend the University of Cincinnati’s Saxophone Intensive this summer.

I am super excited to study at the University of Cincinnati to learn more about musicianship,” Cooper said. “I appreciate the support from the ESC that will allow me to attend this camp. Last year, I attended Saxophone Camp at OSU and I learned a lot about my instrument and got an idea of what I need to practice compared to what I had been playing. Saxophone Intensive this year will improve my abilities to become a better musician and help those around me. It will also assist me in pursuing my future goals as a music major in college.”

Two representatives from Miami University attended the event and awarded scholarship certificates to the following Scioto County students who received full scholarships to attend the Miami Summer Scholars Program: Macyn Johnson, of Clay; Kamryn Crace and Allison Friend, of Glenwood; Jonathan Bailey, of Green; Madeline Litz and Addison Mullins, of Minford; Isabella Brackman and Linden Crabtree, of Northwest; Karleen Galloway, Joanna Li and Bailey Waughtel, of Portsmouth; Kayden Bentley, of Portsmouth West; Chloe Maybin and Samuel Murphy, of South Webster; Emma Fannin, Trevan King, and Isaiah Tilley, of Wheelersburg.

12 of the Miami scholarships are made available through the Scioto Foundation’s Bess and Marie Pixley Fund, and the other five scholarships are through Miami University. Funding for the scholarships from the Bess and Marie Pixley Fund has enabled students to enroll in academically challenging summer programs at Miami University for the past 28 years.

According to Price, this selective, one-week program is designed for academically talented high school students who will be juniors or seniors in the fall of 2024. Students will work with Miami’s world-renowned faculty in intensive academic modules based on specific topics of interest, with themes like fine arts, entrepreneurship, medicine, social justice, sports management, and more. Students will experience college life and acquire learning experiences designed to prepare them for the college application process, including workshops focused on application essay writing, ACT/SAT test prep, and developing marketable leadership skills.

Price also presented scholarship award certificates to students who received ESC Summer Enrichment Scholarships. These scholarships are offered each year to students currently enrolled in grades 5-11 who have been identified as gifted, as defined by the Ohio Department of Education. Students determine what program they are interested in attending then apply for ESC Scholarships.

The following students received ESC scholarships: Eerie Blankenship, of Minford; Ella Craft, of New Boston; Walker Fowble, Kenton Michael, and Maggie Smittle, of Oak Hill; Tehya Hazelbaker, of Portsmouth West; Nathan Cooper, Abigail Gullett, Aubrey Roberts, Laiken Seidel, Allen Smith, and Tristan Wood, of Valley; Breckyn Bivens, Esme Mahoney, and Nadine Mahoney, of Wheelersburg.

The ESC scholarships are made available with funds obtained through grants and donations to the ESC’s Gifted Services Department. Students who apply for the ESC Scholarships must also apply to the Ohio Association of Gifted Children (OAGC) for summer scholarships.

“This year, the OAGC also awarded most of our students scholarships,” Price said. “So, all of the students’ entire tuition costs were covered, which is extremely rewarding to see. For many of our students, summer enrichment programs provide an opportunity to interact with like-minded students who challenge them to think in new and different ways and encourage them to be more interactive with their peers; for some of them these experiences can be life-changing.”

The scholarships are very rewarding for identified gifted students planning big things for their futures.

“My daughter, Tehya, has been applying for and receiving OAGC and SCOESC Scholarships for summer study since the summer of 2018,” Tammy Hazelbaker, mother of one of the scholarship recipients said, “These scholarships have been very valuable to her. She was already a fifth year piano student when she added the harp as a second instrument. The harp quickly became her primary instrument. Over the years, we have used these summer opportunities as a tool to assist Tehya in her college choices. By attending camps directed by some of the top harpists in the country, she introduced herself, her determination and her abilities! The harp world is small so networking became critical. Five years later, with harp camp every summer, five years as principal harpist in 2 Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras, annual OMEA Adjudicated events, OMEA Regional/All State orchestra participation and harp concerto competitions; everyone she has met along the way knows her still today and she them. Now in 2024, she is sought after by four major music conservatories with some of the top harp teachers in the USA. Parents, I can’t stress this enough: use this tool strategically to your child’s advantage. Your child will soar to great heights doing exactly what they love!!!”

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.