Since 2008 RC 10 has been awarding scholarships to high school seniors who plan on pursuing a
career in education. Four scholarships are given, one for each of the counties represented by
RC 10 members: Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Washington. Each scholarship is a $1,000
award, payable to the student upon receipt of a successful fall semester transcript. This year we
were pleased to be able to grant an additional scholarship in memory of a deceased.
Tony McCann, a member of RC 10 and an active union member, graciously donated a $1,000
scholarship to honor his friend and fellow teacher Patrick Longo who passed away in 2020. Pat
was an active union member acting as President of the South Colonie Teacher’s Association,
serving as Director of the Greater Capital Region Teacher’s Center and retiring as Director of
Retirement Services at NYSUT. We thank Tony for his generosity and believe Pat would be
proud of the recipient of his award.
Students must complete an extensive application, which is then evaluated by a committee of
RC 10 members. Each application is read and rated by three different committee members.
Students are assigned points on each of two essay questions, class rank/GPA, course selection,
activities, and other criteria. The essay question that is answered by all students is “Why I have
chosen to enter education as a career field.” The second question is a choice between: Sometimes
an experience or event can have a major impact on your life. Describe an experience or event
that has been important to you and explain how it has affected your thinking or actions” OR
“One person can be an important influence in your life. Describe how one person, living or
deceased, has had an impact on your actions or thinking.”
The recipients and their families are invited to a dinner in early June where they are honored by
our organization.
This year’s winners are:
- Ian Shaffer from Guilderland High School in Albany County; Ian will be attending St.
John Fisher in the fall.
- Molly Graiff from Columbia High School in Rensselaer County; Molly will be attending
Hudson Valley Honors College in the fall.
- Amelia Miller from Stillwater High School in Saratoga County; Amelia will be attending
SUNY Potsdam in the fall.
- Molly Abate from Greenwich High School in Washington County; Molly will be
attending SUNY Oneonta in the fall.
- Carl-Hanee Coquillon from Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School in Albany County is
the recipient of the scholarship given in memory of Patrick Longo. Hanee will be
attending Columbia University in the fall.
The committee was very pleased with the number and quality of this year’s entrees. We are
always impressed with how involved and active all the students are. In spite of how busy they
are, all carry a high GPA and are excellent students in the classroom. If our winners are
representative of those entering the field of education, it bodes well for the future of our
profession. Congratulations to all five winners; we wish them all the best in their future
endeavors.
Also recognized were our four county RC 10 retirees of the year: Cliff Brosnan, Jeanne Bush, Michelle Doodian,and Ruth Shippee.
