AFBHS awards $10,000 in scholarships for the eighth year in a row

July 18, 2015 News

On June 25 at the annual Belmont High School Senior Awards Day ceremony, AFBHS, represented by Penny Whelan Scheideler (Board Member) and Erich Ippen (Treasurer), presented scholarships of $2500 each to four outstanding and deserving graduating seniors. This year’s recipients, shown in the photo below from left to right are Anna Khachaturova, Norman Kilavatitu, Doug Christian and Zaria Osborne-Pight.

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Anna came to Belmont from the country of Georgia as a 6th grader and had fit right in. Creative and accomplished in several art forms, she hopes to combine this artistic talent in the future with her interests in coding, programing and computer science. She is headed to Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Norman is achieving his goal to be the first in his family to attend an American university. A passionate and dedicated athlete, he joined the varsity in soccer as a sophomore, became team captain as a senior and was a Middlesex All Star. He also played club soccer, coached a local Belmont youth soccer team and is looking forward to pursuing business, economics and psychology at New England College.

A talented student and class leader, Doug has been active in rugby and crew and was captain of the wrestling team. He has not yet decided on a specific academic direction but has an ambitious and positive view toward his future at College of Charleston, SC.

Zaria has commuted to Belmont High School from Boston every day on public transportation. Yet she has, for three years, made time to volunteer at a collaborative Belmont school for students with various mental impairments while still focusing successfully on her studies. Respected by her classmates for her dedication, maturity and good sense of humor, Zaria is interested in serving society in a career in criminal justice and will begin her studies at Westfield State University.

See all AFBHS Scholarship Winners!

New Officers and Directors elected

At the AFBHS Board of Directors meetings in October and January, Chris Starr ’80 and Mark Haley ’66 were elected Directors.  Charles Stone was elected Vice President and Susan Orowan Martin was made VP Development.  Peter Leofanti remains President; Sarah Freiberg, Secretary; and Erich Ippen, Treasurer.

Don Chiofaro, BHS ’63, highlighted in “Alumni Giving Back” newspaper series

The latest addition to AFBHS’s “Alumni Giving Back” series appeared in this date’s issue of the Belmont Citizen Herald.  In the article, Don Chiafaro, BHS Class of 1963 and founder of the Boston-based real estate development and management company The Chiofaro Company, discusses how Belmont High School contributed to his success and why he is now giving back through AFBHS.

Giving Back – Don Chiofaro 63

Brian Caputo, longtime advisor to AFBHS, passes away

Colonel (Ret. U.S. Army) Brian R. Caputo, resident of Belmont passed away on this day at the age of 78.  He is remembered for his exuberant spirit, hockey playing and support of his alma mater Northeastern University.  Members of the Board have made contributions to AFBHS in his name. His obituary and notes of condolence may be found at:  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?pid=172806682#sthash.6Oth5WaO.dpuf

AFBHS Permanent Endowment exceeds $100,000.

A banner year for donations, to a great extent thanks to the 50th reunion class of 1963, helped the AFBHS permanent endowment pass the $100,000 mark.  In addition to the General Permanent Endowment Fund, this total includes amounts in the Permanent Endowments of the Classes of 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1963 as well as the T. Meldon Wenner Endowment.

AFBHS again awards $10,000 in scholarships

The Alumni and Friends of Belmont High School gave total of $10,000 in scholarships to four graduating seniors at the high school’s Senior Awards Day ceremony on May 30, bringing to $70,000 the amount of scholarship aid the group has given in the seven years since its inception. Again this year these scholarships were the largest individual scholarship awards presented at the Senior Awards Day. The 2014 awardees, pictured in the photo below, are: Ibraham Abutuleb who will go to the University of Massachusetts, Boston, Virginia Hardy who will attend Wheelock College, Andreana Jones, headed to Spelman College, and Tony Gao, going to Northeastern University.

The names and college choices of previous AFBHS scholarship recipients can be viewed on the attachment below.

AFBHS Scholarship Winners

Belmont Citizen 6-5-14