Lukas Baker COURTESY PHOTO CONVAL THEATER DEPARTMENT
By JESSECA TIMMONS
Monadnock Ledger Transcript
ConVal junior Lukas Baker of Antrim has been awarded a full scholarship to the college of his choice through the QuestBridge National College Match Program.
Baker will attend Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., where he was admitted early. Baker will graduate early from ConVal to attend Hamilton next year.
ConVal Principal Heather McKillop announced the news to the ConVal School Board at Tuesday night’s meeting. McKillop said she had received the news from the QuestBridge organization on Monday.
“Lukas has worked extremely hard over his high school career. He has been involved in the theater, the History Club and a multitude of different things, and the ConVal Nation is extremely proud of him,” McKillop said.
QuestBridge, based in Palo Alto, Calif., connects high-achieving high school seniors with full four-year scholarships to 52 of the nation’s top-ranked colleges. Students must meet income eligibility to qualify for the scholarship. The average GPA of QuestBridge applicants is 3.94.
“Lukas’s selection as a QuestBridge recipient is a testament to his extraordinary dedication, resilience and intellect. This prestigious honor reflects his unwavering commitment to excellence and his bright future ahead. I couldn’t be prouder of him!” McKillop said.
According to QuestBridge, in 2024, over 25,500 applicants from all 50 states applied to the college match program. Of those 7,288 students were selected as finalists, and 2, 627 students were matched with colleges.
“The match program will take care of all of Lukas’ expenses, books, tuition, for board, for everything,” McKillop said. “It is an incredible opportunity.”
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Ana Rowena Mallari, co-founder and CEO of QuestBridge, stated, “We are delighted to welcome this record-breaking number of QuestBridge Scholars. These Scholars will contribute a rich diversity of perspectives and experiences to our college partners, enhancing the vibrancy of their campus communities.”
The School Board continues to work on the fiscal 2026 operating budget, which will be discussed at the School Board meeting Dec. 17. The public is welcome to attend.
No members of the public attended Tuesday night’s meeting.
Jim Fredrickson of Sharon, who is chair of the Budget and Property Committee, asked board members to continue to look at the working budget draft.
“We need to take everything we can out of the budget in the next two weeks,” Fredrickson said.
High-cost items in the fiscal 2025 school budget included a 25% hike in health care costs for employees. Fredrickson stated that while the costs for employee health care are not expected to be as high as they were, premiums for the three most-popular health insurance packages offered to ConVal employees are going up 14%.
“The costs this past year were out of our control,” Fredrickson said. “Health care is part of the teachers’ contract. We cannot switch health care providers without going back to the union because it is part of the collective bargaining agreement.”
ConVal Business Manager Rob DiGregorio confirmed that going forward, ConVal’s benefits provider, HealthTrust, will provide a set rate which will not change, and that ConVal will receive this number prior to the creation of the budget each year.
“I believe the 25% increase in health care costs this past year was an anomaly from the effects of COVID. There were a few years where no one went to the doctor, and then everyone went to the doctor, and what (HealthTrust) paid out in cost fluctuated wildly. They are rebuilding their capital based on newer health trends. The belief is that the 25% increase was an outlier,” DiGregorio said.
HealthTrust is a nonprofit benefits services provider to the NH public sector which is governed by a board of public employers and employees.
Detailed information about the ConVal budget process can be found under Financial Updates at conval.edu.
The board voted to authorize South Meadow School to accept a gift of $2,000 from Renew Church in Hancock, which will be used to assist families in need in the ConVal district.
12-05-2024 1:00 PM
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