Hancock graduates win scholarships

July 15, 2004|by TARA REILLY

Recent Hancock High School graduate Wayne Keefer wrote that Hancock's family-owned restaurants served some of the best food around.

His fellow graduate, Danielle Yost, described the town as a safe, comfortable place.

Both Yost and Keefer, who graduated this year, each received $500 scholarships for their essays about life in Hancock.

The Hancock Town Council awarded the scholarships, paid for by Pepsi, at Wednesday night's Town Council meeting.

Despite it being a small town, Yost wrote that there was "always something to do" in Hancock. She also said she felt safe and comfortable walking around town and leaving her doors unlocked.

She also said kids aren't hassled by police just for hanging out.

"It's fun. It's comfortable," Yost wrote. "Whatever I do, I'm safe."

Keefer wrote that he, too, enjoyed living in Hancock. The town has a lot of activities, such as hiking on the towpath and riding bikes on the Rail Trail, and the people are friendly, he wrote.

"You almost never meet a sour grape," Keefer wrote. "Hancock is, without a doubt, a special town I'm glad to call home," he wrote.

Mayor Daniel A. Murphy praised Pepsi for its scholarship contribution.

"Pepsi was very generous and said 'let's get this thing rolling,'" Murphy said.

He said he worked with the school's guidance counselor to find the recipients.

"It would not have come together if it wasn't for the ability of the two students to write an essay," Murphy said. "They earned it by what they wrote."

Last month Murphy suggested that students write an essay about living in the town and that the winners receive the scholarships.

Hancock made Pepsi the official beverage of the town in November 2003. The scholarship money is part of the town's contract with Pepsi Bottling Group in Williamsport. Pepsi contributed $1,000 to the town for scholarships, and the Town Council last month voted to distribute two $500 awards.

The agreement allows Pepsi to place vending machines at several town-owned locations.

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