E.J. Herrmann Scholarships Awarded

The East Utica Optimist Club has announced its 2011 recipients of the E.J. Herrmann Scholarships. The 2011 recipients were William Reis, Matthew Cheney, and Deidre Beller.

William Reis graduated from Cooperstown High School in June of 2011. Throughout his high school career, William competed in five Herrmann Invitationals. He was a member of the cross country and outdoor track teams for six consecutive years; four of those years on varsity. William led his cross country team as captain during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons. He also made the All-Star team for Center State Conference in 10th and 11th grade. During his time on the track and field team, William excelled in various areas of the sport. A few among his many accomplishments include, winning 4th place as the anchor leg in the 4x800 relay in the NY State Division II meet, record holder for the 800m, MVP award winner and 2 year member of the All-Star team for the Center State Conference. He also was captain of the swim team his senior year; holding the school record in the 200 yard freestyle relay. In addition to his athletic achievements, William graduated in the top 5% of his class and was nominated and earned many awards as a member of the National Honor Society. William also volunteers his time giving back to his community. He is an active member of the Boy Scouts and played a large role in cultivating The Kid Garden of CCS.

Matthew Cheney, 2011 graduate of Beaver River Central School has competed in six E.J. Herrmann Invitationals. He also competed in one year of indoor track and six years of outdoor track. In this time, Matthew has earned the respect of many for his accomplishments. While maintaining an exceptional GPA, Matthew also earned recognition for his musical abilities. He won various musical awards some of which include "Outstanding Achievement" in senior chorus and "Most Improved" in Jazz ensemble. He was also a recipient of awards acknowledging his outstanding achievements in Science, History and Spanish as well as the Academic Honors Convocation: "Top Ten Award", for three consecutive years. Matthew has also played an active role in giving back to his community. He volunteered his musical abilities as a Bugler for military funerals. He has also volunteered his time maintaining the Denmark Baptist Church as well as participating in the Christmas Shoe Box Ministry for children in Mexico for four years. Matthew's dependability and strength of character have set him apart from his classmates. He is highly respected by staff and peers for his level of integrity, honesty and thoughtfulness.

Deidre Beller graduated from Beaver River Central School in 2011. During her high school career, Deidre raced in the E.J. Herrmann Invitational for 5 consecutive years. Deidre has a true passion for the sport of running. She sacrificed sleep for early morning runs with her teammates seeking and providing encouragement to be better. She also acted as captain her senior year. Due to her hard work and dedication to this sport and her team, Deidre placed among the top ten Class D cross country runners in New York State. She also earned top honors in the Section III Steeplechase competition. In addition to her exceptional athletic abilities, Deidre also participated in the BRC's select choir, was involved in the Art Club and served as Editor-in-Chief for the Beaver River yearbook. Her talents run deep and she has proven this through all of her extracurricular activities; including her volunteer work. She has supported cancer research, assisted with local benefits and blood drives, and teaches Sunday school. Deidre leads by example, exuding kindness and compassion in all that she does.

Past E. J. Herrmann Scholarship Winners

Ambruso, Amara
Arthur, Joshua
Aziz, Jonathan
Bronson, Kevin
Chaple, Richard
Choiniere, Katelyn
Crossman, Eric
Dalton, Alyson
DeRocco, Patrick
DeRocco, Vincent
Drescher, Matthew
Fanelli, Kristi
Jackson, Jonathan
Johnson, Joseph
Kiefer, Kelsey
Kobielski, Megan
Marcellus, Adriane
Morris, Ryan
Newman, Kelli
Nicotera, John
Okanovic, Najda
Peek, Kelsey
Petzoldt, Emma
Phaneuf, Matthew
Powell, John
Reis, Brian
Roth, David
Roth, Jim
Soblosky, Nicole
Stedman, Samantha
Syrotynski, John
Syrotynski, Russell
Vandewater, Lindsay
Vroman, Heather
Walker, Aaron
Washington, Reginald
Wetzel, Jonathan