The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Arts Council handed out five $1,000 scholarships to students in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Selection was based on a combination of demonstrated artistic impression, technical skill and level of presentation, grades relating to the artistic category, personal resume and planned attendance at a post-secondary institution.
Brendan Williams of Thomas Haney, Rosie Elphick and Jacob Pryanthan of Maple Ridge Secondary, Carla Haldin of Samuel Robertson Technical, and homeschooled student Jeremy Laity were named this year’s recipients.
“These students want nothing but to continue their education and better themselves,” said Brad Tones, arts council board and scholarship committee member. “They should be proud of the work they’ve done in the arts and in school, it will give them the head start they need to become great artists. I was inspired by what I saw at the auditions and wish them the best in post-secondary”
The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows scholarship program has been offered to students in School District No. 42 for many years and, since 2005, the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Arts Council has provided $55,000 in support.
Korleen Carreras, arts council board president, said it is an honour to support their journey in the arts.
“We are very lucky to have so many talented youth in Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows,” said Carreras.
Bob D’Eith, arts council board member and chairperson of the scholarship awards committee, said they were really impressed with the level of talent this year
“It was difficult to make the final choices, but we believe that our award recipients have a lot of potential to have careers in the arts,” said D’Eith.
The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Arts Council awards scholarships in the areas of music, dance, drama/technical theatre, visual and media, and literary.
The 2015 scholarship recipients:
(Visual arts)
• Brendan Williams – THSS.
“Words simply cannot describe my gratitude towards receiving this scholarship. It will help me tremendously with tuition costs as well as allow me to focus solely on my film projects during my time in Capilano University’s Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts Program. Receiving this scholarship gives me more confidence than ever going into the future.”
• Rosie Elphick – Maple Ridge secondary
“It has been my dream for the past two years to pursue a career in animation after high school graduation. However, like so many dreams today, they require financial and emotional support. The money provided by your scholarship, along with the validation of my work by the arts council, are a welcome boost to my confidence and my bank account.”
(Music)
• Jeremy Laity – homeschooled
“I am extremely grateful to have received this scholarship, it will be a great benefit as I move on into post-secondary. It’s an honour to be recognized for something that I love to do and I look forward to future opportunities to give back to the community.”
• Jacob Pryanthan – Maple Ridge secondary.
“This scholarship is such an honor to receive, and a great testament to my growth as a musician. I’m graced just to be selected, and I will absolutely put this award towards my career in jazz studies, and hopefully to help bring back jazz as a massively popular genre.”
(Literary)
• Carla Haldin – Samuel Robertson Tech.
“The art council’s support for writers in our community is exceptional. We have many fine young writers and the scholarship is encouragement and recognition of that talent,” said Katherine Wagner, Golden Ears Writers.