Stoughton Youth Advisory Council Holds Year End Ceremony, Awards Scholarships to Pair of SHS Seniors

The Stoughton Youth Commission's Youth Advisory Council held its year-end awards ceremony last Wednesday, May 30, at the , honoring its most active members and celebrating a year of service to the community.

The Youth Advisory Council was active in 2011-2012.

YAC leader Melissa Barbosa said the group participated in a number of activities including: the Walk for Diabetes; gathering Thanksgiving food baskets for Stoughton families in need; Christmas in the City (where thousands of homeless families get shuttled in to a location and served meals and kids are given toys); Team Building Day; a Knights of Columbus football game fundraiser (which helped raise money for children with disabilities); a book drive for prisoners at Norfolk County Prison (as a way to say thanks YAC was given an educational tour of the prison).

The group also had a blanket drive for the Stoughton Animal Control Office; a food drive for the Stoughton Food Pantry; and a Bake Sale (a fundraiser for the group with members giving half of the donations to the Council on Aging to help pay for their new Bingo machine).

And YAC participated in the Greater Boston Food Bank Project; the Old Colony Y Youth Conference; Pride of Stoughton cleanup project; Walk for Hunger; and the March of Dimes.

Graduating Stoughton High seniors , the president and vice president, respectively, of YAC this school year, were given scholarships for their service.

Both were recipients of Prone Family Foundation Scholarships (for $1,500 each). Andler was also the recipient of the Stoughton Professional Administrative Employees Association Scholarship (SPAEA).

Other awards included:

Officer Awards - Ross Andler (President); Joseph Ialuna (Vice President); Christopher Madden (Treasurer); Victoria Davis (Secretary)

Senior Awards - Ross Andler; Joseph Ialuna; Kevin Overko

New Addition Awards - MacKenzie Palma; Victoria Davis; MacKenzie Monroe; Christopher Hickman; Katlyn Mahoney; Leslie Camilo; Shelby Sprague

Fundraising/Give Back Award - Delaney Collins (Group raised $600 for the Walk for Hunger and $427 for the March of Dimes $635 of which she raised $635)

Right-Hand-Man Awards - Ross Andler; Christopher Madden; Russell Fraine

YAC Spirit Awards (members who have exceptional attendance at meetings and projects and go above and beyond duties) - Russell Fraine; Christopher Madden; Megan McKeon; Victoria Davis; Delaney Collins; Natasha James

Think-Outside-The-Box Award - Megan McKeon

Constructive Criticism Award - Natasha James

Pride of Stoughton Awards - Natasha James; Megan McKeon; Katie Cellucci; Delaney Collins; Russell Fraine; Jared Marshall; Christopher Madden; Victoria Davis; Shelby Sprague; MacKenzie Palma; Ross Andler; Joseph Ialuna; Monica Peterson

Walk for Hunger Awards - Victoria Davis; Megan McKeon; Natasha James; Katie Mahoney; Ross Andler; Delaney Collins; Christopher Madden; Russell Fraine; Leslie Camilo

The Youth Advisory Council is open to any high school student who is a Stoughton resident, Barbosa said. The group runs throughout the school year and will be starting back up in September.

For more information, contact Barbosa at 781-341-2252, ext. 9454 or via email at mbarbosa@stoughton-ma.gov.