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Above -- in pre-Covid Times... Milford Area Chamber President Laura O'Callaghan addresses attendees at a 2018 Honor Scholars Night.
In pre-Covid times, the Honor Scholars Night, which celebrates the high school students that are in the top 10 percent of their graduating class, was a lavish affair, held at Lake Pearl Wrentham. Typically, around 600 people would be in attendance for dinner, including students, proud parents, family members, school faculty, and local legislators and sponsors. Class Presidents would share the accomplishments of their class and introduce each of the students being honored. There were even citations from the state legislature!
That came to a stop in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic. But Laura O’Callaghan, President of the Milford Area Chamber of Commerce, decided the Honor Scholars Night ‘show’ must go on. So, with the help of web-savvy member, Franklin’s Olympia Caswell of Local Business First, they found a way to create a fun and engaging online version of the event, topped off with hand-delivered gift boxes for each of the students -- and that’s what being reprised this year.
This year marks the 34th annual Honor Scholars Night event – typically recognizing about 300 individual students representing 11 area high schools.
“This year we felt people still wouldn’t feel comfortable being in a large crowd, so we are hand delivering special boxes to the students again this year because we still want to recognize their hard work over the past four years,” said O’Callaghan.
And that’s no small task. O’Callaghan and several volunteers log hundreds of miles driving around the many towns represented by the schools covered by the program, namely:
- Bellingham High School
- Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional High School
- Franklin High School
- Holliston High School
- Hopedale High School
- Hopkinton High School
- Medway High School
- Milford High School
- Millis High School
- Nipmuc Regional High School
- Tri-County Vocational Regional Technical High School
Still, “it feels good to acknowledge their hard work and give them a little pat on the back as they head into college and careers,” said O’Callaghan.
The Milford Area Chamber also produces an Honors Scholars keepsake books that all 300 students will receive with a citation of merit from their elected local officials, and a special gift.
The Chamber invites individuals and families interested in supporting the program to add their congratulations. And sponsorships are still available, O’Callaghan noted.
The Milford Area Chamber, a private, not-for-profit, membership-based business-advocacy organization, has been the voice for business in a ten town area representing hundreds of businesses of all sizes and all industries in Bellingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millis, and Upton since 1922. MACC is not a government agency.
