Oxford team excels; Day Kimball offers Conn. scholarship.

COLUMN: TAKING NOTE

The Oxford High School Pirate drill teams continue to excel in the Southern New England Drill League. The cadets earned a clean sweep in the fourth meet of the season. Oxford High School students on the Naval Junior ROTC Drill Team and Color Guard continue to hone their skills. They delivered one of their best performances Jan. 12. The competition was at LaSalle Institute in Troy, N.Y. There were 12 schools competing that day. Oxford's cadets were awarded eight trophies for all eight events. They earned the most first-place finishes of any school in the league. Amy Fish and Katelyn Hebden and junior Kathleen Coonan added to the day's achievements by capturing personal medals from a field of more than 400 cadets entered in the Unarmed Individual Drill competition, while junior John Homes captured an individual medal in the Armed IDR competition.

The Day Kimball Hospital Philanthropy Committee in Putnam is offering the 2008 Susan Chilkott Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is given annually to individuals in the 13 towns of Northeastern Connecticut who have an interest in pursuing a career in health care. Among the area towns are Brooklyn, Eastford, Killingly, Pomfret, Putnam, Thompson and Woodstock. Also eligible are family members of a Day Kimball Healthcare employee or a Day Kimball Healthcare employee not eligible for tuition reimbursement. The applicant must be a high school or preparatory school graduate and receive acceptance in an accredited program for training in a health care career. The scholarship is merit-based and applicants must interview before the scholarship committee. The application period begins Feb. 15 and ends April 15. Online applications are available at www.daykimball.org. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact their guidance office or call the Day Kimball Hospital Philanthropy Office at [phone].

Meanwhile, the Day Kimball Hospital recently held its 2007 business meeting at Quinebaug Valley Community College. More than 150 corporators attended. This year's meeting had the theme, "DKH+YOU: One Healthy Relationship."

Elected to the board of directors, with terms expiring in December 2010, were: Garfield Danenhower, MD; Daniel Rovero; Michael Baum, MD; John Miller and Richard Loomis. Elected as officers were: Peter D. Deary, chairman; John P. Miller, vice chairman; Jay Sinha, secretary; David Conrad, treasurer; and Michael Baum, MD, assistant secretary and assistant treasurer.

The Massachusetts Bankers Association Charitable Foundation recently donated $1,500 to the North Brookfield Youth Center. The awards are granted to community organizations and nominated by member banks. Area bank and center officials gathered for a check presentation. They were: Paul Scully, president, Country Bank for Savings; Michael Audette, president, Family First Bank; Marty Toomey, executive director, North Brookfield Youth Center; Michael Robbins, president Spencer Savings Bank; William Kobel, president, North Brookfield Savings Bank; Deb Arnold, chairwoman, board of directors, North Brookfield Youth Center; Barbara and Charles Haddock, board members; and Tina Buzzell, program supervisor.

Also awarded money by the foundation was Baby's Breath Inc. of Leicester. It received a $5,000 award.

Two South County leaders were recently elected to serve as community members oncommittees of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. John W. Hawie, chief investment officer of the Commerce Group, was elected to serve a three-year term on the investment committee; and Marilyn L. Travinski, executive director of Tri-Valley Inc., was reelected to a second three-year term on the nominating committee.