Student Selected As Finalist For Weller Scholarship

Newtown High School senior Margaret Boushell, daughter of Steve Boushell and Pat Martin of Sandy Hook, was recently selected as a finalist from a group of 18 applicants to compete for the $12,000 scholarship in honor of the late Barton L. Weller, founder of Vitramon, Incorporated in Monroe.

Established in 1977, the scholarship’s purpose is to encourage academic excellence in a substantial independent research or study project. The scholarship is open to full-time senior-year students at Newtown, Masuk, Joel Barlow, Shelton, and Trumbull high schools.

Entrants were required to submit proposals for projects in any field of study in which they have an interest. Finalists were selected on the basis of originality, format of the proposal, project potential, and care with which the proposal and its planned implementation has been thought through. Each finalist received $200 to help defray expenses during the five-month project period. Prior to the Awards Dinner on May 11at Fairfield University, the scholarship recipients will be announced. At the dinner, the $12,000 scholarship will be presented to the student whose project is judged to be the best. In addition to the $200 previously received as a finalist, all runners-up will, at the discretion of the judges, be eligible to receive a one-time scholarship ranging from $800 to $1,600 for completion and timely submission of their projects. These scholarships will be paid directly to the college or university for deposit into the student’s account. Scholarships will be awarded without regard to the student’s existing financial status.

Margaret’s project, “The Effects of a Home-Heating Oil Spill on the Local Environment,” will examine the environmental water quality by studying the macro invertebrates of the area, soil and finally the water chemistry in four areas near the origin of the spill.

She is competing against four other finalists from Shelton, Masuk, and Joel Barlow high schools.