Maureen "Moe" Graham Memorial Scholarship

I overcome daily challenges while helping other people when I am in my band class. I am a senior, which makes me one of the oldest people in my class. I help the under class man when they ask me questions, and also help out my teacher when he needs help. Also, being one of the older people in the class makes people look up to me, and also ask me questions. I help people when they are struggling, and I teach them how to overcome their challenges. Another way I am helpful in the band is to keep the classroom in orderly fashion. After concerts, people just carry items from mallets, to stands into the room, and just leave them right next to the entryway. This creates obstacles, and chaos because no one can go in or out of the room. So, I help organize the room, and put everything where it is supposed to go. This makes it much easier to move around the room and get things put away. Most of the time my teacher is out talking to people and thanking them for coming, and he likes to walk into the band room, and seeing that it is all put away properly because when we have a concert day he gets there by 7:00 AM and doesn’t leave until 10:00 PM. He works very hard and makes everything go so smoothly. I help with everything, and in return I get a better learning experience. All my life, I was always a part of community service that benefited my community. When I was only six years old, I was an altar server at the Troy Church, then I would help my Pepere deliver collected food to the Jay Town Clerk’s Office for those in need. When I was seven years old, our family moved to Jay, VT where we are currently living. We participated and volunteered for many community events like cleaning up the Jay Rec Trail, participating in Green Up Day, cleaning garbage on the local Vermont Association of Snow Travels trails system and our private road. My family helps out our local snowmobiling group, Country Riders, because we own about three miles of trail that we let them use, by picking up trail markers and picking up garbage. We used our equipment to help them last year by rebuilding a bridge that was not safe for riders, and we made improvements to the trail. In September of this year, we replaced a gate using our equipment to help out. Furthermore, when I was in 7th grade, my brother and I helped the Jay Focus Group with a slide show that they used to benefit our community in a Rotary Club competition. They didn't win, but we had fun meeting people and putting that together for them. Once in high school, I joined the band and a Club called Future Farmers of America (FFA). In band we often get invited to perform for the football team, Veterans or community events. In the FFA club, we volunteered for area farmers and brought elementary school students on farm trips to apple orchards, dairy farms or logging operations. I’ve been taught that doing good in life is good for your community because your work will not only benefit yourself but others in the long run. Whenever you help someone, you better the community. I love my community and want it to be the best that it can be. If everyone chips in a little, the world will be a better place.