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County High School Runners Invited to Apply for Scholarship January 2, 2008 — High school seniors who reside in Columbia County who have run on their school’s cross country or track and field teams are invited to apply for the Sean Patrick French “Love of Running” scholarship. Applications, available from high school guidance counselors and at the SeansRun.com website, must be submitted by February 15, 2008 to the selection committee. Last year winners of the $500 Love of Running scholarships were Julie Nabozny, Rachel Wright, Richard Messineo and Josh Gilly, all from Ichabod Crane High school. Also winning scholarships were Allison Connor from Hudson High School and Sam Streeter from Chatham High School. Applicants must include an essay describing how running and participation on their teams has prepared them for the challenges of college. A letter of recommendation from their coach must also be included with the application. The scholarship fund was created by the family of Sean French following his tragic death as a passenger in an underage drunk driving car wreck on January 1, 2002. He was a junior a Chatham High School, an honor roll student and an accomplished runner. Sean loved running and established several school records in his abbreviated career, finishing second at the State Cross Country Championship as a freshman. As a sophomore he took second at the state Track and Field championship in the mile, running the distance in 4:18 as a 16 year-old. A scholarship fund which memorializes Sean French also supports four other scholarships annually including two for Cross Country runners selcted by Section II high school coaches and two for Chatham High School seniors. The scholarship fund is administered by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and was established through contributions from family, friends, businesses and a portion of the proceeds from the inaugural Sean’s Run in 2002.
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