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Grace Kenna holds her basket

Eliza McGinn thanks the League Wayne Butler introduces Ben Coffeen

New Buffalo students honored with Service League scholarships

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

In the words of Irene Brinkman, a former chair of the New Buffalo Service League Scholarship Committee who passed away in 2021, member Amy Hunt-Reimann State University; Ben Coffeen, who will be majoring in chemical engineering at Purdue University; and Grace Kenna, who will be double majoring in neuroscience and Spanish and who plans do something gave this year’s scholarship recipients some last-minute advice before stepping out into the world.

“We’re very proud of you - have fun, study hard and thank you,” HuntReimann, who served as cochair of this year’s scholarship fund with member Barb Coffman, said during this year’s ceremony at the New Buffalo Yacht Club Wednesday, May 11.

This year, the League gave out scholarships to six seniors from New Buffalo High School. Funds for the scholarships are raised through the league’s annual Arts and Crafts Show, which is held in the two gyms at the high school every October.

The recipient of this year’s Mary Anne Frey Scholarship, which is worth $1,500 and was named in honor of the valedictorian of New Buffalo High School’s class of 1962, was Georgia Arvanitis.

Arvanitis will be attending the University of Michigan, where she plans to major in movement science.

Arvanitis’ name will appear on a plaque (which contains several extensions) next to the high school’s media center with honorees of the scholarship, which began in 1962.

Recipient of this year’s $1,200 Irene Brinkman Memorial Scholarship was Zoe Price, who will be majoring in marine biology with a concentration in biology at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida.

Members had voted to honor Brinkman, who had also served as chairwoman of the arts and crafts show for many year, with the scholarship in 2018.

The following students were recipients of the league’s $1,000 scholarships: Eliza McGinn, who will be majoring in literature at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids; Michael Bombin, who will be majoring in mechanical engineering and specializing in automotives at Michigan research-based at the University of Michigan. In addition to the scholarships, students also got a proper send-off with laundry baskets, which member Liz Rettig said weighed about 50 pounds each, that were full of all items donated by the league members that will make college their home away from home next year. The laundry basket effort was spearheaded by Rettig and member Elaine Rozycki. Students also received a couple more keepsakes: customized laundry bags in the students’ respective future school colors made by member Joan Putzke and customized stockings (also made in their school colors) by Kathey Mitchell.

New Buffalo High School Principal Wayne Butler, who’s retiring this year, also received a gift from the league.

“On behalf of all the families and students and of the school, thank you to the ladies of the service league - you do wonderful work,” Butler said.

New Buffalo Area Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Leslie said he enjoys the partnership the school has with the league, calling their crafts show “one of the highlights of our school year.”

“This is a little bit of a glimpse and quality of the students we have here in New Buffalo - when I hear about some of the things they’re looking to do, like a lot of research, a lot of science -based engineering, that’s just a phenomenal tribute to teachers in the science and math departments we have well represented here, so I’m looking forward to what you all can do,” he said.

Leslie added that he also thanks the parents for their support because “no child gets to this stage without some help.”

Zoe Price (with Amy Hunt-Reimann and Wayne Butler) recieves the Irene Brinkman Honary Scholarship

Michael Bombin recieves his basket from Liz Rettig Amy Hunt-Reimann thanks Wayne Butler for his support of the League