2007 Awards
On June 7, 2007 four deserving Columbia High School seniors were presented with The Christopher Bascom Memorial Scholarship.
Samantha Corvino
She is involved with Columbia Players, Columbia Iron Devils, Once Upon a Stage and is a member of National Honor Society. She played volleyball and has been performing with the dance team from Isabelle School of Dance where she now serves as an assistant teacher. She was voted most promising performer and won gold metals in bench, squat and deadlift. She volunteers by dancing at local nursing homes, does puppet eering for the Leukemia Society, and has twice donated her hair to locks of love. She has been told that her selflessness is her most endearing quality. She will be attending Slippery Rock with a double major in dance and math-chemistry. She states: “as I grew up, I realized that dance was not about fame, but of the art form it possesses. It takes technical skill, endurance and heart.”
Jesse Pavlick
He is involved with Student Council, ski club, Science Olympiad and is a member of National Honor Society. He has played soccer and lacrosse and has been on the high honor roll. He volunteers by teaching kids how to play lacrosse in the Columbia Youth Lacrosse League and has been an integral part of the Nick Pablo Memorial Fund. He knows all too well of the pain of losing a friend and one of his life goals is to carry Nick’s memory with him and spread it throughout the community with joy and laughter. He will be attending the University of Vermont majoring in environmental engineering. When thinking about both Christopher and Nick, this diehard Boston Red Sox fan quoted Babe Ruth from the movie The Sandlot - “Heroes are always remembered and legends never die.”
Lindsay Weir
She is involved in Science Olympiad, Future Business Leaders of America and is a member of National Honor Society. She was named as one of the two top scholars for Columbia High School’s graduating class, was on the principal’s high honor roll, served as the Science Olympiad’s team captain as well as earning 17 medals in the Olympiad’s competitions. She has volunteered to coach Goff’s Olympiad’s team and also volunteers as a nurse’s assistant in the Cardiac Unit at St. Peter’s Hospital. She will be attending Lafayette college with a double major – one in biology and for her love of history – one in policy studies with an ultimate goal of attending law school. In her essay she describes meeting Christopher - “I will never forget Chris. It was my first week of freshman year at Columbia, and with each passing day, the bus ride home from school seemed to become more and more unbearable. The constant taunting from the upper classman finally culminated with one sophomore placing a large piece of gum into my friend’s hair. After that day the teasing stopped, and it was all because of Chris. He was the only junior on the entire bus that defended the small, timid group of freshman that I was a part of. He did not yell, he did not scream. He simply said that everyone should just leave us alone, and they listened. That was when I realized that each person on that bus deeply revered and respected him. From that one act of kindness, that to some may seem small and insignificant, I could gather just how great of a person he truly was.”
Stephen Eames
He is very sports oriented, involved in both varsity basketball and volleyball where he has served as a captain for both. In addition to Columbia High School’s team, he has also been a member of AAU basketball and 518 volleyball club. He was honored with the marketing student of the year and business student of the year. He has worked with his family’s construction company and volunteered by ringing bells for Salvation Army on Dec. 1st in memory of Christopher. He will be pursuing accounting in college with a goal of obtaining his CPA’s and ultimately working in the private sector for a sports team. In his essay, he states: ”Chris was a dedicated student, volleyball player and friend. He always had a smile on his face and was always willing to help. Chris was a friend of mine and he taught me that hard work, dedication and being true to myself, are keys to success in whatever I do. I can only hope that after I leave this year that another volleyball player will take over my role and enthusiasm and without even knowing it, keep Chris alive at our high school. When I needed a friend, Chris was there. When I needed guidance on the volleyball court, Chris was there. When I needed camaraderie as a Red Sox fan in a sea of Yankee fans, Chris was there. Chris was one of a kind and can never be replaced. He was one of the good guys and I will carry him with me forever. He would have made a difference in the world and my hope is to live as Chris did, and change the world.”