Corry Alumni’s Virgil G. Curtis Scholarships Total more than $37,000 for 2026

Corry Alumni Association

Celebrating 100 years of the Virgil G. Curtis scholarship, Corry High School Alumni Association Inc., awarded $37,279 in scholarships to fourteen Class of 2026 graduates during the 152nd annual alumni dinner at Corry Area Middle-High School.

The scholarship fund was established during the 1925 meeting of the association; the first scholarship, in the amount of $50, was granted in 1926. The scholarship fund is earmarked strictly for the purpose of distributing scholarships. It has grown over the past one hundred years first through fundraising efforts by the alumni and in later years by donations and generous contributions from trusts established by alumni.

In 2024, the association was notified that a trust established by Class of 1935 alum Robert Brockmann would more than double the fund, which has led to significant increases in the amount of scholarships the alumni association could award. In 2025, the influx led to an additional $6,000 in disbursements. This year, the total value of scholarships grew more than 40 percent. In total, the alumni association has awarded more than $505,000 to deserving Corry graduates.

“We recognize that pursuing post-secondary education is both a meaningful commitment and a considerable financial investment,” said Danielle Elchynski, chairman of the alumni association board of trustees. “It is our privilege to serve as stewards of this scholarship fund, established with extraordinary foresight more than a century ago. Through the generosity and vision of those who came before us, we are honored to continue supporting future generations of students.”

From the 19 applicants, the alumni’s scholarship committee selected 14 recipients who were honored during the annual dinner.

Graduates receiving a $4,000 scholarship include Rachel Moats, who plans to study pharmacy at Ohio Northern University; Kamdyn Moon, who plans to study engineering at Penn State Behrend; and Ava Wetherbee, who plans to study pharmacy at University of Pittsburgh.

Recipients receiving a $2,874 scholarship include Madelyn Goodwill, who plans to study civil engineering at University of Pittsburgh; Sydney Mineo, who plans to study biobehavioral health at Penn State University; Parker Trask, who plans to study cyber security at Mercyhurst University; Brynley Watrous, who plans to study nursing at Mercyhurst University.

Those receiving a $1,969 scholarship include Olivia Gilliland, who plans to study nursing at UPMC Jameson School of Nursing; Mahra Goodwill, who plans to study biomedical engineering at University of Mount Union; Ava Hallberg, who plans to study biobehavioral health at Penn State University; Joseph Johnston, who will plans to enter Mercyhurst University as an undecided music major; Katelyn Mulvin, who plans to study biology-premed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Kendall Passinger, who plans to study animal sciences at University of California, Davis; and Addyson Zajac, who plans to study biology at Penn State Behrend.

In addition, the alumni association has the honor of serving as the stewards of the Stacey R. Skinner scholarship fund. Bailee McCray was chosen as the recipient of the scholarship in the amount of $461. She plans to study biology at Penn State University.

According to the alumni association’s bylaws, the trustees are charged with annually awarding the growth proceeds of each scholarship fund.

Corry High School Alumni Association was established in 1874 and was incorporated in 1929. It is the oldest continuous alumni association in the United States, maintaining an annual meeting each year, including 2020, which was held without a dinner due to restrictions.

The Alumni Association exists solely to honor and preserve the traditions and values of Corry High School through events such as homecoming and the annual alumni dinner. Contributions made to either scholarship fund – Virgil G. Curtis and Stacey R. Skinner – are strictly regulated and may be disbursed only as scholarships, preserving the intent of donors and supporting deserving students for years to come.