Chelsey Hoole-Shlakman Wins
Kevin Sze Scholarship
A scholarship in memory of Kevin Sze, who is remembered around the Huntington School District as a kind and gentle soul, was presented to senior Chelsey Hoole-Shlakman, who is headed to SUNY College at Morrisville in the fall.
The $1,600 scholarship was awarded by Woodhull School nurse Martha Ironman and Mr. Sze’s mother, Mae, at the high school’s senior academic awards night held earlier this month, at which tens of thousands of dollars of scholarships were dispensed to the top members of the Class of 2010.
Mr. Sze, who attended Woodhull, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma during the summer following fifth grade. “He underwent surgeries, chemo and radiation therapies and through it all managed to remain positive and upbeat,” Mrs. Ironman said. “For 16 years he gave 100 percent to all that he did.” Those two numbers form the basis for the scholarship totaling $1,600.
The upbeat teenager passed away in April 2008 during his junior year at Huntington High School. It was a devastating loss for the teachers and classmates who cherished the well-liked young man. A scholarship fund in his memory was established in short order “to recognize seniors who have faced an obstacle and how that obstacle was overcome,” Mrs. Ironman said.
Applicants for the award were asked to describe how a particularly difficult experience had served to help them in life. The seniors who applied for the scholarship wrote about medical, emotional and physical obstacles they have encountered.
After reading through each of the applications, a committee selected Ms. Hoole-Shlakman as the scholarship’s second recipient. Jeffrey Bishop, who recently finished his freshman year at George Washington University, won the inaugural award last year.
Ms. Hoole-Shlakman, who has a famous sense of humor, was clearly happy to have received the scholarship, posing for a photo on stage with Mrs. Sze and Mrs. Ironman while wearing a huge smile across her face.
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