WALKS Scholars Named

Three Westminster students have been named WALKS scholarship recipients for the academic year by the WALKS Foundation and another student has been given the annual Barnes Service Award.

WALKS is an acronym for five Hartford area schools — Westminster School, Avon Old Farms School, Loomis Chafee School, Kingswood-Oxford School and Suffield Academy — which more than 50 years ago, combined to form a consortium to provide educational opportunities for deserving students from the greater Hartford area. The WALKS Foundation raises funds from individuals, foundations and corporations to underwrite scholarships in the five schools and sponsors an annual constitutional history essay contest for students of American history.

Westminster’s three WALKS Scholars for 2007-2008 are Kierra Jones, George Payne and Samantha Sobers.

Kierra Jones, a Fifth Former and resident of Middletown, Conn., earned superus status throughout her Fourth Form year, and high honors or honors when she was in public schools. At Westminster, she participates in the Multicultural Student Union, Westminster News, Asian Awareness, the Gay Straight Alliance, soccer and dance. She also was founder of Making a Difference and has been a M.S. Walk volunteer. She aspires to study journalism, law or politics.

George Payne, a Sixth Former and resident of Bloomfield, is a Gummere Scholar, has earned meritus recognition and has received a commendation in biology. He participates in the Multicultural Student Union, plays varsity football and is captain of Boys’ Track. Last summer, he participated in a city service project in New York serving the homeless at the New York City Rescue Mission. He hopes to attend college in the Northeast.

Samantha Sobers, a Sixth Former and resident of Hartford, is a Fierston Scholar, and has received a Hartford Youth Scholars Award. She participates in soccer, tennis and the Multicultural Student Union, and is a yearbook officer and a student mentor. She hopes to become an orthodontist.

In addition to the three WALKS Scholars, Corey Starbuck, a Sixth Former, has been named a recipient of the Barnes Award in recognition of his exceptional volunteer service. Corey has been involved in the Silent Auction, which raised funds for victims of Katrina and for the St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center’s Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Program. He also worked on the Angel Tree project, which provides gifts for the local needy at Christmas. As an active member of S.O.N. (Serving Our Neighbors), he helped raise awareness and funds for the Foundation for Children with Cancer and manned a rest stop for the annual M.S. Walk. Corey received the Headmaster's Award in June for his work in the theater tech department.

All four students attended the annual WALKS luncheon on Oct. 23 at the Pond House in Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, an event that celebrated the WALKS Foundation’s work and the WALKS Scholars from all five schools.

One of the luncheon speakers was George Payne who talked about his Westminster experience. “I never regret the choice I made to come here, because it has helped to mold who I am today,” he said. “The campus is my home and its faculty and students are my family. I can recall one moment last year when I felt that I did not belong anywhere else. I was walking back to the academic building at night, under the full moon. It was very peaceful out that night and I remember thinking for a moment that I was walking back to my bedroom to lie down for the night. This is not to emphasize my hallucination that night but rather to depict how much I feel attached to my school. I appreciate everything that it has offered me and I truly appreciate the people responsible for helping me to attend Westminster. I would like to give my thanks to the entire WALKS foundation for the opportunity they gave me and to Mr. Gummere and his family for their specific contribution.”

A number of the students’ family members also attended the luncheon.