By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
NEWPORT — The five members of the Newport School Board had a pleasant task to perform at their meeting on Oct. 11 at the high school.
At two separate public hearings they voted 5-0 to accept two donations totaling more than a quarter million dollars for scholarships that will be presented to graduating seniors at Newport High School for years to come.
The largest donation, $200,000, was described as The Raymond A. McAlpine and Cynthia S. McAlpine Living Trust dated Sept. 24, 1994.
In a letter, Raymond McAlpine said his wife, Cynthia Shepard McAlpine passed away in January of 2018. She graduated from Towle High School in 1953 as Valedictorian of her class. She directed via the referenced trust that a scholarship be established as The Cynthia Shepard McAlpine Valedictory Scholarship Fund.
Each year the sum of $7,500 shall be awarded to the Valedictorian of Newport High School in memory of Cynthia Shepard McAlpine.
The award is to be used only for tuition at an accredited college or university of the awardees choice within four years of the award. It shall be paid directly to the institution of higher learning. If the awardees fails to use the award it hall revert to the fund.
Virginia Irwin, a board member, suggested at some point in the future the word “Valedictorian” may not be used and the wording was changed to “Top Student” if that did occur.
The second scholarship, also approved, donated funds of approximately $63,000 that will cover an annual scholarship for $2,000. In the event of a two-way tie, both students will be eligible to receive a $2,000 scholarship.
This scholarship will be known as the Military Appreciation Scholarship in honor of Justin Rollins, a 2003 graduate of Newport High School. Rollins, the son of Skip and Rhonda Rollins of Newport, was killed while serving in Samarra, Iraq, on March 5, 2007.
The former Elm Street Bridge over the Sugar River in Newport was dedicated to Rollins following his death.
To be eligible for the scholarship, a graduating Newport High School senior must be the son or daughter of a current or former member of one of the five branches of the service, in war or peace. Those students applying for the scholarship will submit a one-page essay entitled, “What Freedom Means to Me.”
A Newport graduate who goes into the service would also be eligible to apply for the scholarship following their discharge.
Following his passing, Rollins’ parents established a motorcycle ride for 10 years in his honor and money left over from those rides along with funds contributed by merchants will now be given back to the community in the form of annual scholarships.
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