The members of the Danvers Historical Society presented the Trailblazer Scholarship to Danvers High School graduate Kobi Dawe and the Anne Lemist Page Scholarship to Danvers High School graduate Skyla Lightbody
The Trailblazer Scholarship acknowledges family trailblazers throughout the Town’s history, no matter how recent or from which previous generation in the student’s heritage. Trailblazers take risks and forge a path to make better lives for their families. They arrive in what we now know as Danvers from all over the world and some have been the original keepers of this land for over thousands of years. All are sharing their stories to enrich our understanding of our community and our outlook on the world. From indigenous peoples and Europeans who came to this area for its abundance of natural resources to those who have pursued freedoms and education, trailblazers have seen this area as a place to thrive and nurture their descendants.
This scholarship is available to a Danvers High School senior who has been accepted into a post-secondary education program. The candidate must have exhibited consistent participation in one or more of the following: Affinity Group, Prism, Model UN/Government, English Language Learning, Women of the World.
Excellent candidates shared how their family’s heritage taught them a valuable skill or approach to life and how their family Trailblazer was most influential.
The Anne Lemist Page Scholarship is in honor of Anne L. Page who opened the first kindergarten in Essex County at the Jeremiah Page House in Danvers Square. She believed Plato’s words, “. . . power of children’s love of play should be used in education”, and in Froebel’s philosophy of creating fun ways to learn. Anne, along with Elizabeth Peabody and Mary Mann, founded the American Froebel Union, to advance early childhood education. Anne was on the Danvers School Board and petitioned to fund public classrooms for 5- and 6-year-olds. That did not happen until the 1950s. Anne founded a Normal School to train teachers to open other private kindergartens. Wellesley College’s Child Study Center, built in 1913, was originally named the Anne L. Page School maintaining the highest standards of early childhood education. Anne founded the Danvers Women’s Association in 1882 to fund kindergarten type schools and find solutions to other community issues such as abolishing slavery and obtaining the vote for women.
This scholarship is available to a Danvers High School senior who has been accepted into a post-secondary education program. The candidate must have exhibited consistent participation in one or more of the following: Danvers High School Life Skills Program, The Danvers Best Buddies Chapter, Unified Basketball, Northeast ARC Friends of Special Olympics, DECA, and/or the Student Assistantship Program.
Excellent candidates shared their experiences in how play helped them learn valuable skills; how a teacher inspired them, and how extracurricular endeavors contributed to the desire to pursue their education in serving others. The candidates are moving on to education, history, engineering, bioengineering, speech pathology, international relations, political science, social work, Molecular Biology, Nursing, and Athletic Training.
They shared how program(s) and/or classes influenced their educational goals and life pursuits. The candidates are moving on to medicine, psychology, education, archival studies, engineering, speech pathology, international relations, political science, social work, nursing, and neuroscience.
When younger, Kobi Dawe did not understand the concept of heritage, and has come to recognize values from family roots, such as storytelling, grit, and resilience. Inheriting perseverance and spirit from ancestors are such important qualities to use to bounce back from challenges, adapt and keep going, even when things get tough.
From the other side of the family, Kobi saw a different kind of strength, one that was practical, hardworking, and undoubtably loyal. Kobi’s ancestors immigrated and built a life through sheer determination and passed down a no-excuses mindset that is the pride of the family. Kobi is constantly looking back to family trailblazers on how to approach life and overcome obstacles.
Kobi’s Grandmother is the most kind, generous, selfless, and talented person they’ve ever met. She taught Kobi to always pursue dreams. Her support has been life changing. She always made a point of how important it is to be yourself and to not care what other people may think of you. Her support through Kobi’s journey has been so incredibly supportive, inspirational and influential. Kobi hopes to inspire and support others in just the same way.
Being a member of the Danvers High School marching band has shaped Kobi’s discipline, leadership, and sense of community. Kobi developed essential skills such as time management, that carried over into academic life, staying focused and achieving goals.
Beyond the music, marching band fostered Kobi’s love for learning, being captivated by the process, mastering the drill, improving communication, and teamwork amongst a diverse group of individuals, each with unique backgrounds, personalities, and ways of thinking.
Observing these differences sparked Kobi’s curiosity about the brain and how people develop, how thought processes evolve, and, ultimately, how neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s can alter minds. This fascination has driven Kobi to explore neuroscience, with the goal of contributing to research in these areas.
Skyla Lightbody shared with us how being a young flyer on a cheerleading team taught trust and teamwork. Skyla’s scholastic experiences had not been positive until a high school teacher proved school could be different. Skyla is forever grateful for Mr. P’s understanding, compassion, trust, and most of all his patience. He influenced Skyla to be more open-minded and not always think so negatively about situations.
As a swim instructor for young children, Skyla loves seeing students’ faces completely light up when they finally understand something they’ve been struggling with. Hearing children tell long, vibrant, detailed stories that don’t always make sense are ‘thee best’ to listen to! Receiving cards and drawings that children take time to create with their big imaginative minds brings Skyla great joy.
The Members of the Danvers Historical Society funded the scholarships and wish Kobi and Skyla all the best for their future endeavors.