Rachel BlackThe Smithtown Historical Society is proud to once again offer junior year students in the Township of Smithtown an opportunity to win a $1000.00 scholarship. The Mildred Smith Historical Essay Scholarship Contest is open to all 11th graders in attendance at Commack, Hauppauge, Kings Park, Smithtown East & West High Schools, as well as at The Knox School and Smithtown Christian School.
This year winner Rachel Black senior at Hauppauge High School. An honors and A.P. student, she is also heavily invested in extracurricular activities; she serves as the President of the Student Council, Co-President of Science Olympiad, and Treasurer of both National Honor Society and German Club. Rachel is also a member of History Club, Senior Class, Ignition, and Natural Helpers. She is a competitive runner, running Cross Country, Winter Track and Spring Track. As a junior she was Captain of the Cross Country team.
Rachel is an active member in the community; she has been an Altar Server at St. Thomas More Church since she was in the third grade, and she is a volunteer at the local library tutoring elementary school children over the summer. She is studious and loves to learn. Reading historical fiction has been a great favorite of hers since she was very young. As a sophomore, Rachel travelled to Hamburg, Germany with the high school exchange trip and was completely enamored with the people, history and culture of Germany. Rachel plans to attend a four-year college and will likely double major in biochemistry and mathematics with a concentration in pre-med.
The Annual Mildred Smith Historical Essay Scholarship Contest is in its tenth year. This year’s theme was: What is the cultural relevance of the Smithtown Historical Society in 2016 and beyond? Rachel wrote an intense essay. The essay was judge by a panel of Judges. On Thursday, October 20th, at the Smithtown Historical Society’s 2016 Heritage Ball, She was awarded $1000 Scholarship, which she will be using for her college education. Her parents Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Black attended the Heritage Ball with Rachel.
Historical Society Executive Director Marianne Howard said, “Rachel’s essay on the current cultural relevance of the Society was poignant and palpable. The Smithtown Historical Society is so pleased to be able to award her the Mildred Smith Scholarship for her to use for her education. Congratulations to Rachel and to her family for this grand accomplishment!”