Two Soon-To-Be Grads Set The Bar

You can call them students of the year, government style.

Setting the bar of success high for those who may follow in their footsteps are two deserving students from The Morgan School, the town’s second recipients of The Morgan School Board of Selectmen Award.

Morgan Allen and Chris Bristol, both seniors due to graduate from The Morgan School June 20, are the second young lady and young man to receive the award.

Last year, Andrea Lee and Robert Mancini, both of the Class of 2010, were the first to win the award presented to them by the First Selectman and Board of Selectmen.

Recipients of the award are chosen by the Morgan faculty. The five-member Board of Selectmen and other town employees such as the town clerk give of their own money to provide for the cash prize. No town money is used for the award.

First Selectman Willie Fritz said he hopes the honor will continue to be awarded to one male and one female graduating senior at the school for years to come.

Recipients of the award are chosen for their overall achievements - in the community, volunteering outside school, scholastically, in extra-curricular activities and in sports.

Allen said she will be heading to Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire to work towards an environmental major. Bristol said he will be attending Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont to study mechanical engineering and play soccer. At school, he will join the Navy ROTC and intends to serve his country by pursuing a career as an active duty Naval aviator or pilot.

Morgan School Library Director Linda Gworek, who will be retiring this year, noted that these two students are so deserving of the honor. 

"It's not just about sports or academics - it's about leadership," she said.

The plaque will hang in the showcase in The Morgan School's lobby.