March is important month for HPS musicians

The Hopkinton Public Schools Music Department had a number of students who earned selection into the Central District Massachusetts Music Educators (CDMME) Senior Festival, CDMME Junior Festival, and All-State Festival.

Representing Hopkinton at the Senior Festival, which took place Jan. 18 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, were Advait Nene (band), Allison Chen (orchestra), Bryce Foti (chorus), Carly Ozmun (orchestra), Jacob Chastain (jazz ensemble), Jessie Franks (orchestra), Kira Sward (band), Luciano Duca (chorus) and Tony Weissinger (chorus). An-Chi Huang (orchestra), Andrea Liu (orchestra) and Linnea Pappas-Byers (chorus) were selected for both the Senior Festival and the All-State Festival, which is the weekend of March 5-7 at Symphony Hall.

Representing Hopkinton at the Junior Festival, which is May 2 at Franklin High School, are Abigail Baskin (orchestra), Anjana Venkatram (chorus), Brandon Fu (band), Daniel Applebaum (orchestra), Holly Thompson (band), Jeffrey Wu (orchestra), Megan Cappetta (chorus), Peter Liang (band), Saahi Minocha (orchestra), Sean Miniman (band) and Tarun Prasanna (band).

Meanwhile, March is Music in Our Schools Month, and Hopkinton will have a number of events. The Hopkins School concert is Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. at the High School Athletic Center. The Grade 6 concert is Monday, March 16, at 7 p.m. at the Hopkinton Middle School auditorium. The Grade 7 band and chorus concert is Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at the HMS auditorium. The Grade 8 concert with the Grade 7/8 orchestra is Tuesday, March 24, at 7 p.m. at the HMS auditorium. Finally, the HHS concert band, symphonic band, chorus and orchestra will perform on Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at the HHS auditorium.

Then the weekend of April 3-5, HHS again will serve as one of the host sites for the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association (MICCA) Concert Festival. The public is welcome at all evaluation sites, and a one-time admission fee gains admittance to every site throughout the weekend. For more information, visit miccamusic.org.

Scholastic Art award winners

Students from the Hopkinton Public Schools Visual Arts Department won 23 state level awards in the Scholastic Art Awards Competition. Winners were selected based on three criteria: originality, technical skill and the emergence of personal voice or vision.

Gold and silver key winners will be recognized at a regional ceremony on March 14 at Tufts University. Gold key award-winning work will be exhibited at the Massachusetts Scholastic Art and Writing Awards regional exhibition at Breed Memorial Hall on the campus of Tufts University from March 14-22. Gold key winners also advance for national judging.

HHS sophomore Cindy Yang had two gold key winners and two silver key winners, all in the drawing and illustration category. Sophomore Deeksha Vaidyanathan had a gold key winner and honorable mention, both in digital art. Senior Madeline Mezitt had silver key winners in the drawing and illustration and art portfolio categories, as well as three honorable mentions in drawing and illustration.

Other gold key winners included 10th-graders Joshua Blangeard (mixed media) and Emma Lucy (digital art).

Silver key winners included 11th-grader Hope DeLuca (digital art), ninth-grader Casey Tourigny (design) and seventh-grader Mahnoor Haider (design).

Honorable mentions went to senior Linnea Pappas-Byers, (drawing and illustration) junior Lily Vaughan (drawing and illustration), junior Soleil Randall (painting), sophomore Emma Hansen (painting), eighth-grader Lillian Gallagher (photography), seventh-grader Audrey Johnson (design) and seventh-grader Grace Losada (mixed media).

Canty’s Underdog Scholarship

Canty’s Underdog Scholarship is being offered in memory of Brad Canty, HHS Class of 2018. There will be 10 $1,000 scholarships awarded to qualified seniors from Hopkinton who have been accepted to a post-secondary program.

Brad had to work harder than most due to gastrointestinal and immune issues, causing him frequent school absences. This did not take away from him being a thoughtful, kind, compassionate young man who would go out of his way to make someone else’s day better.

The purpose of this scholarship is to recognize a student who has strength of character, a deserving student who may have gone unrecognized while in high school.

Applicants will have demonstrated good character, kindness and empathy toward others. Applicants also may have overcome health challenges, had to work really hard on school work and/or overcome obstacles.

Applications are available in the High School Counseling Office or by downloading through Naviance on the HHS website. Deadline to apply is April 17.

Blackstone Valley Wealth Management scholarship

Blackstone Valley Wealth Management, a financial planning and advisory firm located on South Street, is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a Hopkinton High School student who is graduating this spring.

To be eligible, a student must plan to pursue a higher education at a college or university immediately after high school and be a child in a single-parent home who can display financial need.

The application deadline is April 10. For more information and an application, visit https://www.blackstonevalleywealth.com/p/scholarship.