The Lynn Rotary Club recently gave out three $1,000 scholarships to students from Lynn High Schools.  Students had to submit applications which were reviewed by a committee of 3 Rotarians. The chosen students were invited, along with family members, to a luncheon meeting where the awards were given out.

 

The Thomas P. Maloney and Robert A. Hastings Rotary Club of Lynn Memorial Scholarship 2016

 All three scholarship winners are all excellent students, role models and student leaders in their respective high schools and shared some very compelling and deeply personal stories in their application narratives.

 

Christina Behen, Lynn Classical High School - Christina ranks 51st in her senior class of 377. She has a Grade-point average on 3.82 in all Honors and Advanced Placement courses. She participates in softball, basketball, spring track and volleyball. Christina is a religious education kindergarten teacher and attended SNOWCAMPS. Christina plans attend St. Anselm’s College in NH where she was accepted in the school’s highly competitive nursing program.

 

Kaylin Deschenes, St. Mary’s High School - Kaylin is an outstanding athlete and top student for the Spartans. Like Christina and Marie, Kaylin is enrolled in Honors and Advanced Placement courses and her GPA is 2.45. She participates in lacrosse, soccer and is a two-time National Champion in Judo. She is a member of the Student Council, a Student Ambassador, volunteers at My Brother’s Table and at Massachusetts General Hospital.

 

Marie Tchoumi, Lynn English High School - Marie currently ranks 12th in her class of 311 seniors, Her GPA is 3.9. Marie is a mentor at the Barbizon School of Modeling. She volunteers at My Brother’s Table, LIFT, a food pantry of the homeless and Upward Bound. She’s a teen leader at the Lynn Public Library and hopes to attend UMAss-Dartmouth. Her goal is to become a surgeon.

Despite having five high schools in the city: one charter, three public and one private, it has been many years since the Rotary Club of Lynn sponsored an Interact Club, but it appears that is about to change.

 

Back in April, two Lynn Classical High School juniors, Juan Rodriguez and Nestor Medrano, approached their guidance counselor, Mr. Chris Hayward, and inquired about how to start a Rotary Club at the school. Hayward contacted Lynn President Ray Bastarache, and a meeting was arranged. Bastarache followed that initial meeting by reaching out to District 7930 Interact Chairman Keith Harris who came to Lynn and met with some 12 interested students. Keith explained how Interact members (age 12-18) tackle community or school issues that are of concern to the members and presented a slide show on some of the activities the Ipswich Interact Club has worked on over the past few years. The group of 12 expanded to 16 on the following Wednesday when the students elected Club officers and a Board of Directors. Rodrigues and Medrano,, the two students who got the ball rolling, were voted President and Vice-President respectively. At the election meeting, three new members were present.

 

With the school year coming to a close, the Board of Directors have agreed to meet periodically during the summer to keep the momentum going. Classical Principal Gene Constantino has asked club members to assist in the selection of a faculty moderator which is a stipend position. The Classical Interact members have already signed on to a volunteer opportunity in July at My Brother’s Table Soup Kitchen. In thinking about a Rotarian to serve as liaison to Interact, Bastarache has many possibilities. Rotarians Jeff Weeden and Steve Upton are Classical graduates and Upton is an officer in the school’s alumni association. Rotarians Jared Nicholson and Patricia Capano and very involved in the Lynn Public Schools as both serve on the School Committee.

 

Club member Jared Nicholson has been working with the Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach and Boston Youth Wrestling to host a beach wrestling tournament on Saturday July 23rd at DCR's Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation. Jared, a School Committee member, recently was instrumental in introducing wrestling into the Lynn Public Schools.  Club members are invited to visit the tournament and enjoy the competition, as well as a great day at the beach.

 

Enclosed is the link to the flyer, and here is the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1678122552454875/.

https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000006213/en-ca/files/homepage/lynn-beach-wrestling-tournament/Lynn-Shore-Showdown-Flyer-vF.pdf

Jared and wrestling advisors started a middle school team in Lynn this year at the Marshall School and are hoping to expand to high school next year. They're holding this tournament to get some new folks down to our beach, bring this summer version of wrestling to Mass. (RI and NH also have tournaments), and try to raise some funds and attention for the new Lynn team.  Rotarians are urged to support these efforts to launch a new sport into our schools and to support the efforts of one of our own club members.

Greeters are reminded to set up before the meeting and to put Rotary items away after the meeting.

On June 30th, the District is holding an Installation Dinner for all incoming Club Presidents.  The event, to be held at the Danversport Yacht Club, promises to be a great event.  The event information is enclosed, as well as the link which can be used to register.  All Lynn Rotarians are urged to support President Ray in his second year as president and thank him for the great job he is doing.  The attached picture shows President Ray in action last year, dressed for "service above self".

 

The link is as follows: