The Mattapoisett Land Trust is pleased to announce that Mattapoisett resident Lowell Copps is this year’s recipient of its Blanche B. Perry scholarship award. Lowell, recently graduated from Bishop Stang High School, will receive $1,000 from the Land Trust’s education fund which will go towards his studies in civil and environmental engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
A keen outdoorsman and competitive runner, Lowell selected Case because he liked the feel of the campus while visiting prospective colleges. “I think it will be a good fit for me,” he said. “I like their engineering program, and they also have a strong cross-country team.”
The Mattapoisett Land Trust has been partnering with educators for the past 20 years. Much of its program funding is provided by the Shoolman Fund, created through a generous bequest from Brant Beach resident Edith Glick Shoolman (1904-2003). Mrs. Shoolman’s dream was to make a difference in the lives of children. This fund has enabled the MLT to develop numerous projects that encourage environmental education, art, and physical activity. The Blanche B. Perry scholarship goes exclusively to an area high school senior pursuing an education in scientific, environmental studies or a related field. The award is disbursed once the student submits a college transcript documenting the completion of their first semester in college.
Applicants undergo a comprehensive selection process, according to Mary Cabral, co-chair of the MLT education committee. “We have a rubric,” she said. “We assign points based on certain criteria and the entries are evaluated by the MLT’s scholarship review committee.” Among the requirements, students who apply must submit an official school transcript, a letter outlining their career goals along with references from a teacher and a community member. Preference is naturally given to individuals who are, or whose parents or grandparents are, members of the Mattapoisett Land Trust. In Lowell’s letter of application, he stated that “I have a very personal connection to the MLT because for my entire life I have enjoyed many of their properties. I can see firsthand what we would lose if these protected areas did not exist.”
For more information on the Land Trust’s mission and goals, visit mattlandtust.org.