Scholarships awarded to HVRHS students

FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School announced June 12 the winners of various awards and scholarships in 2025.

Dedication of White Oak: Rosemarie Nanni, Katherine Wood

Molly McDowell Award / Academic Bowl MVP: Daniela Brennan, Tess Marks, Manasseh Matsudaira, Elinor Wolgemuth, Harper Howe, Sara Huber, Jassim Mohydin, Junxin Zhang, Katelin Lopes, Leontine Galvin, Lola Moerschell

Norma Lake Award: Tess Marks

Frank N. Ruotolo Award: Elinor Wolgemuth

Taconic Learning Center Adina Simonson Award: Junxin Zhang

Robert Rumsey Memorial Award: Harper Howe

Gordon P. Heyworth Award: Sara Huber

Le Prix Sandi Vanausdal: Lola Moerschell

Seal of Biliteracy for French: Sara Huber, Katelin Lopes, Tess Marks, Lola Moerschell

Seal of Biliteracy for Spanish: Daniela Brennan, Manasseh Matsudaira, Diana Portillo, Elinor Wolgemuth

Ron Viafore ArtsAlive Award: Mikayla Pfeifer

David B. Armstrong Memorial Art Prize: Ava Gandarillas

Jack Sparling Memorial Award: Bernice Boyden

Holly Adams Award: Lola Clayton

Frida Kahlo Memorial Award: Rosemary Koller

Housatonic Musical Theatre Society Award: Katelin Lopes, Andy Delgado, Tess Marks, Niya Borst, Elinor Wolgemuth

Louis Armstrong Jazz Award: Tryston Bronson

Eric Whitacre Student Composer Award: Lou Haemmerle

National Choral Awards: Austin Bachman, Niya Borst

John Philip Sousa Award: Katelin Lopes

Director’s Award for Band: Manasseh Matsudaira

CAS Arts Awards: Harper Howe, Kaylin Clark

Kent Center School Scholarship Fund

Moira Dolan Award: Lola Moerschell

James Gadiel Award: Junxin Zhang

Grohmann Award: Patrick Money

Yovanovitch Award: Zachary Bezzera

Kent Quilters Award: Mikayla Pfeifer

Ruth Mainland Award: Kyle McCarron

I. Kent and Fulton Scholarships: Tess Marks, Sara Huber, Lola Clayton

Kara Zinke Memorial Scholarship: Junxin Zhang

HVR Faculty Association Scholarship: Harper Howe, Daniela Brennan, Sara Huber, Amelia Dodge, Junxin Zhang, Katelin Lopes, Tyler Anderson, Bakary Toure

HVR Faculty Association Val Bernardoni Scholarship: Gabriela Titone, Tess Marks

Housatonic Youth Service Bureau: Taylor Terwilliger

Pat Pallone Chamber of Commerce Scholarship: Daniela Brennan, Kaylin Clark, Dylan Deane, Amelia Dodge, Abigail Hogan, Ellanor Karcheski, Rosemary Koller, Katelin Lopes, Liam MacNeil, Taylor Terwilliger

Knights of Columbus Council #1520 Scholarship: Daniela Brennan

Adam S. Michalek Scholarship: Amelia Dodge

St. Joseph’s Circle #650, Daughters of Isabella Scholarship: Daniela Brennan, Amelia Dodge

Canaan Northwest Lions: Taylor Terwilliger

Cranford Book Club Award: Liam MacNeil

Kent Lions Club Scholarship: Junxin Zhang, Zachary Bezerra

J. Kenneth Athoe Memorial Scholarship Montgomery Lodge #13: Amelia Dodge, Daniela Brennan

Berkshire Litchfield Environmental Council Scholarship: Manasseh Matsudaira

Mad Gardeners Scholarship: Tyler Anderson, Madeline Collingwood

Henry P. Becton Scholarship: Lola Moerschell

Burkhart, Lindsay, Brockway Robotics Scholarship: Jassim Mohydin

Ben Guy Memorial Scholarship: Tyler Anderson

Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship: Tyler Anderson, Katerin McEnroe, Olivia Peterson

North Canaan Elementary School PTO Scholarship: Ellanor Karcheski, Diana Portillo, Abigail Hogan, Amelia Dodge, Kylie Leonard, Daniela Brennan, Harper Howe, Dylan Deane

Suzanne Dunn Memorial Scholarship: Sara Huber

Elliott Family Foundation Scholarship: Sara Huber, Daniela Brennan, Amelia Dodge, Gabriela Titone

Couch Pipa Post #6851 VFW Scholarship: Amelia Dodge, Kyle McCarron, Liam MacNeil, Daniela Brennan

HVRHS Student Government Association Scholarship: Lola Moerschell

Falls Village Scholarship Association: Tessa Dekker, Justin Diaz, Katelin Lopes, Olivia Robson

FFA Alumni Scholarship: Tyler Anderson, Olivia Robson, Madeline Collingwood

John Rich Scholarship: Tyler Anderson

Clarke B. Wood Scholarship: Madeline Collingwood

FFA Chapter Scholarship: Madeline Collingwood, Dylan Deane, Tyler Anderson, Olivia Robson

Katie Gannett Scholarship: Madeline Collingwood

Northwest Conservation District Scholarship: Tyler Anderson

Sharon Woman’s Club Art Award: Hyde Beach, John Orellana Garcia

Greater New Milford Board of Realtors Jay Solomon Memorial Award: Lola Moerschell, Junxin Zhang

Cornwall Woman’s Society Educational Grant: Manasseh Matsudaira, Rose Fitch

Northwest Community Bank Scholarship: Jassim Mohydin

Salisbury Rotary Club Foundation Scholarship: Amelia Dodge, Sara Huber, Tyler Anderson, Daniela Brennan, Junxin Zhang

Isaiah Lamb Scholarship: Dylan Deane, Rosemary Koller

Sharon Land Trust Scholarship: Manasseh Matsudaira

NBT Bank William Ash Scholarship: Daniela Brennan, Amelia Dodge, Liam MacNeil, Jayme Walsh, Kyle Leonard, Tess Marks

Harry Hyatt Memorial Scholarship: Dylan Deane, Sara Huber, Tyler Anderson, Katelin Lopes, Kyle McCarron

Rhoades-Robinson Fund Scholarship: Tyler Anderson

R. Frederick Perkins Scholarship: Junxin Zhang

Jean Perotti Scholarship: Katelin Lopes

Berkshire Bank Eleanor S. Sellew Scholarship: Daniela Brennan, Dylan Deane, Liam MacNeil, Amelia Dodge

Magda M. Johnson Scholarship: Dylan Deane, Liam MacNeil, Amelia Dodge,Daniela Brennan

Mary S. Trant Scholarship: Dylan Deane

Anthony Dichello Scholarship: Daniela Brennan, Kylie Leonard, Tessa Dekker, Khyra McClennon, Amelia Dodge

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation

Frances H. Ducci Scholarship: Junxin Zhang, Gabriele Titone

Healthcare Auxiliary Scholarship: Gabriela Titone, Muireann Kelliher

Warren Prindle Visual Arts Scholarship: Elinor Wolgemuth

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

George and Lucille Buterbaugh Scholarship: Gabriela Titone

Margaret Derwin Scholarship: Katerin McEnroe

Teddy Lee Drumm Memorial Scholarship: Tyler Anderson, Bernice Boyden, Andy Delgado, Olivia Peterson

John and Mary Finn Memorial Scholarship: Patrick Money

Charles and Antoinette Picken Memorial Scholarship: Harper Howe

Diane Knox Cable TV Advisory Council Scholarship: Sara Huber

Ann and Stan Segalla Family Scholar-Athlete Scholarship: Amelia Dodge, Patrick Money

Housatonic Valley Institute Silas C. Beers Scholarship: Manasseh Matsudaira

Keri Perotti Memorial Sports Scholarship: Gabriele Titone

Keri Perotti Memorial Community College Scholarship: Olivia Robson

HVRHS Alumni Scholarship: Tess Marks

Canaan Fire Company Scholarship: Brandt Bosio

Claudia and Stephen J. Segalla Memorial Scholarship: Daniela Brennan, Jassim Mohydin

Sharon Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary Scholarship: Tyler Anderson

Edward M. Kirby Scholarship: Tyler Anderson, Bernice Boyden, Amelia Dodge, Harper Howe, Sara Huber, Manasseh Matsudaira, Gabriela Titone, Elinor Wolgemuth

Hausman Fund: Sara Huber

Salisbury Pythian Building Fund: Elinor Wolgemuth, Gabriela Titone

Clyde G. Skelly Scholarship: Khyra McClennon

John Hoffman Scholarship: Junxin Zhang

Dr. Paul W. Stoddard Scholarship: Manasseh Matsudaira, Tess Marks, Jassim Mohydin, Katelin Lopes

The Henry W. and Lou V. Burgess Award: Bradyn Holst-Grubbe

U.S. Air Force Outstanding Achievement in STEM Award: Jassim Mohydin

Jacobs Garage Technical Studies Scholarship: Liam MacNeil, Tyler Anderson

Olde Yankee Street Rods & Classic Cruisers and Kiwanis Club of Sheffield: Liam MacNeil

EdAdvance Scholarship: Tess Marks

Litchfield County Tax Collectors’ Association Scholarship: Tess Marks

Citation Awards: Manasseh Matsudaira (Valedictorian), Tess Marks (Salutatorian)

Senior Class Council:

President: Tess Marks

Vice President: Katelin Lopes

Secretary: Tessa Dekker

Treasurer: Lola Moerschell

Senior Class Advisors:

Kurt Johnson and Anne MacNeil

Latest News

Deputies respond to political dispute at Fountain Square

AMENIA — Dutchess County Sheriff’s Deputies broke up a political dispute between two Amenia residents at Fountain Square in downtown Amenia on Tuesday, July 15.

Kimberly Travis of Amenia was conducting her daily “No Kings” anti-Trump administration protest at Fountain Square at 1:15 p.m. when Jamie Deines, of Amenia and candidate for Town Board in the Nov. 4 election, approached her.

Keep ReadingShow less
East Twin Lake
finds new hope 
as hydrilla fades

Gregory Bugbee, associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), where he heads the Office of Aquatic Invasive Species (OAIS), was a guest speaker at the Aug. 2 annual meeting of the Twin Lakes Association.

Debra A. Aleksinas

SALISBURY— A fierce and costly battle to halt the spread of hydrilla in East Twin Lake may have finally paid off.

All but three remaining small patches, one near the shoreline at O’Hara’s Landing Marina and two others in deeper water as boats exit the marina and head out, have been destroyed by this summer’s treatment with the aquatic herbicide fluridone, which began on May 20. None of the remaining plants are thriving.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Mae Keller

LIME ROCK — Lisa Mae Keller of Lime Rock, Connecticut, passed away peacefully at her home on July 26, 2025, following a yearlong battle with cancer. Lisa remained at home between lengthy stays at Smilow Cancer Hospital – Yale New Haven. Throughout Lisa’s ordeal, the family home was a constant hub of love and support, with friends and relatives regularly dropping by. Their presence lifted Lisa’s spirits and helped her stay positive during even the toughest moments. The family remains deeply grateful to the community for their unwavering kindness and encouragement.

Born on June 2, 1958, in Bridgeport to Mae and Robert Schmidle, Lisa graduated from Newtown High School in 1976. Lisa first attended Ithica College to pursue a degree in fine arts concentrating on opera. Drawn to a more robust and challenging curriculum, Lisa transferred to Whittier College, Whittier, California earning a Bachelor of Science degree. It was in 1988 that Lisa met and married Robert (Rob) Keller in Newtown, Connecticut. Together, they embarked on a remarkable journey. The couple started small businesses, developed land in Litchfield County and welcomed in quick succession their sons Baxter and Clayton. The growing family discovered the long-abandoned historic Lime Rock Casino in 1993, while attending a race at Lime Rock Park. The couple found it difficult to commute for work while raising a family and restoring a vintage home. Lisa persuaded her husband that chimney sweeping was a noble profession, leading them to purchase the established business, Sultans of Soot Chimney Sweeps. She later leveraged her role into ownership of the largest U.S. importer of vintage Italian reproduction gun parts. Even as her entrepreneurial ventures expanded, Lisa continued managing the pick, pack, and ship operation for Kirst Konverter, though she sold the remainder of the business prior to her illness. Lisa will be remembered for her business acumen, community service, and being a trained vocalist with the Crescendo Coral Group of Lime Rock. Lisa tended the extensive gardens around the home and curated an art collection that adorns the walls within. Baking cookies was a passion. Countless cookie packages were sent world wide to each son and their military friends while deployed. It is still undetermined in the Keller house whether the Army or Marines leave less crumbs. At Christmas, the Lakeville Post Office staff would post over 80 packages of cookies to lucky recipients, while receiving a tray for their effort. Unable to bake cookies in her last year, Lisa selflessly compiled and self-published “ Pot Luck at The Casino”, a 160 page book of all of her favorite recipes, sent to everyone on her cookie list. It was a true labor of love.

Keep ReadingShow less
John Richard Krupinski

LITCHFIELD — John Richard (Jr.) Krupinski, of Winsted, Connecticut passed away on Sunday, July 27, 2025, at Hartford Hospital.

Born on Jan. 13, 1948, in Torrington, Connecticut he was the son of John Joseph Krupinski and Eleanor (Kavesky) Krupinski. John grew up in Litchfield, Connecticut and graduated from Litchfield High School in 1967. While still in high school, John was a member of the Litchfield Volunteer Fire Department.

Keep ReadingShow less