The Boothbay Region Student Aid Fun (BRSAF) awarded 30 scholarships to graduates of Boothbay Region High School, class of 2015. The scholarships were presented during awards night, May 27 by BRSAF Board President Sue Norton and Vice President Rob Wheeler.

This year, 74 awards totaling $308,500 were issued. In addition to the 30 presented to the graduating seniors, 42 awards were made to BRHS graduates in the second, third or senior year of post-secondary education, and two were presented to students in post-graduate programs. Of the 74 scholarships, 67 were named scholarships.

Each year, the board of BRSAF also presents an honorary scholarship award recognizing a significant contribution to the BRSAF, to education or to the general welfare of the community. This year's award honor Doris Welch, who performed invaluable service to the BRSAF for many years as its administrative assistant. This year's award went to David Machon, who will attend Wentworth Technical Institute in Boston to study architecture.

The average award for 2015 was over $4,000, an increase over previous years. The number of recipients also increased over last year, from 63 to 74, as did recipients continuing their post-secondary education, from 40 in 2014 to 42 this year.

The cost of higher education continues to rise at a steep rate, as do associated costs. The BRSAF will continue to work to meet the challenge of helping our graduates attend college, university, professional or technical schools of their choice through the generosity of the community.

Class of 2015 awards and scholarships

Karl Alamo: BRSAF Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club Scholarship; The Bank of Maine Scholarship

Kyle Alamo: BRSAF Abbott Family Scholarship; University of Maine Recognition Scholarship

Brenna Alley: BRSAF John F. Andrews Sr. MD Scholarship; Clinton Barlow Award

Andrew Blackman: BRSAF Helen Clement and Burtin M. Edwards Memorial Scholarship

Courtney Brewer: Valedictorian-West Scholarship; Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club "Service Above Self" Scholarship; Boothbay Region Art Foundation Scholarship; Hardwood Products and Puritan Medical Products Scholarship for High Education

Lindsey Buckingham: BRSAF Fannie Forbes Scholarship; Sophie McKown Scholarship

Nicholas Burge: BRSAF Yardley Family Fund Scholarship

Kyler Carty: G & G Towing and Quick Service Scholarship

Morgan Crocker: BRSAF Arthur Ridlon Memorial Scholarship; Boosters Club Athletics Award; U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award

Sara Durgan: BRSAF Wilson Wilde Family Scholarship

Eben Goodwin: BRSAF Elizabeth Ann Leach Charitable Trust Scholarship; Jonathan and Linda Chorney Scholarship; University of Maine Farmington Academic Distinction Scholarship; Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship

Christopher Groneng: BRSAF Paul Coulombe Scholarship; First Federal Savings Bank Scholarship

Evan Hepburn: BRSAF Frank L. Sample Jr. Memorial Scholarship

John Hepburn: BRSAF Manley Reed-Juniper Point Memorial Scholarship; New England Furniture & Design Competition second place

Chloe Hoecker: BRSAF Julia L. Berry Memorial Scholarship; Boothbay Region Education Association Scholarship; University of Maine Farmington Academic Distinction Scholarship; Lincoln Arts Malama Robbins Scholarship

Nicholas Kilgus: BRSAF Tim Allen Memorial Scholarship; New England Furniture & Design Competition honorable mention

Kanisha KuyKendall: BRSAF Southport Island Association Annual Scholarship

Nicole LaBrecque: BRSAF Mike and Sallie Erhard Scholarship; St. Andrews Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship; Maine Principal's Association Principal's Award; Arthur S. Bryant Scholarship

Lucus Leighton: U.S. Marine Corps Semper Fidelis for Musical Excellence

David Machon: BRSAF Honorarium Award; Boothbay Region Arts Foundation Scholarship; MELMAC Tyler/Grandmaison Principal's Scholarship

Page Markee: BRSAF William M. O'Byrne Scholarship

Antonio Maulolo: Boosters Club Athletic's Award; U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award

Trystan Mercier: BRSAF Commander Kenneth B. Russell, USN Scholarship; Isaac Giles VFW Memorial Scholarship

Sinead Miller: Salutatorian-West Scholarship; BRSAF Charles and Betty Koch Scholarship; Patriotic Club of Bremen Scholarship; Sheepscot Valley Choral Arts Scholarship

Jared Morgan: Early College for ME Scholarship

Jasmine Page: BRSAF George and Ann Cochrane Scholarship

Quinton Perkins: BRSAF F. Roscoe and Vila B. Webber Memorial Scholarship; Eastern Star Crescent Chapter #54 Scholarship; Bayview Masonic Lodge Scholarship

Taylor Pinkham: BRSAF Lion Community College Fund Scholarship; Early College for ME Scholarship

Ashley Reed: BRSAF J. Blenn Perkins Jr. and Patricia A. Perkins Memorial Scholarship

Maya Schwehm: BRSAF Bill and Carol Ostermann Scholarship; Boothbay Region Land Trust Scholarship

Brook Smith: BRSAF Jane and Ted Heidenreich Scholarship

Collin Thompson: BRSAF Eliot Winslow Memorial Scholarship; BRSAF Lloyd Jacobs Memorial Scholarship; Boothbay Region Farmers' Market Scholarship

Zachary Vise: BRSAF Boothbay Region Garden Club Scholarship; University of Maine Blue and White Scholarship; Bigelow Laboratory Scholarship

Taylor Walby: BRSAF Jennifer Larson Scholarship; Bath Savings Institute Scholarship; Bayview Masonic Lodge Scholarship