Valley Green Bank awards scholarship to Chestnut Hill graduate

When Valley Green Bank opened its doors in 2006, one its first community outreach programs was a challenge to local middle school students in the form of a college scholarship essay contest.  Then 7th grader, Amy Geliebter won the competition in early 2007 and the now recent high school graduate was awarded a $2500 check for her writing skills Friday morning at the bank’s Mt. Airy branch, 7226 Germantown Avenue.

 

Jay Goldstein, President and CEO of Valley Green Bank presented the check to Geliebter, who was joined by her parents.  “We’re proud to have done this and we’re proud of Amy,” Goldstein remarked.

 

Geliebter will be attending nearby Arcadia University in the fall and intends to major in Theater Arts.

 

Geliebter, who graduated from Commonwealth Connection Academy public cyber school this year, won the scholarship while a 7th grader at Our Mother of Consolation Parish School in Chestnut Hill.  The essay contest, themed “What Being Part of a Community Means to Me”  was open to 7th and 8th grade students who resided or attended school in Chestnut Hill or Mt. Airy.

 

Geliebter wrote that taking the concept of sharing a friendly smile by extending it into public service, actively maintaining one’s neighborhood and celebrating its unique personality in a fun manner are the best means to be part of a community.

 

Submitted compositions were judged by the following three jury members:  Michael Bamberger, a reporter for Sports Illustrated, Deb Dempsey, a retired English teacher from Springside School, and Jon McGoran, editor of the Weavers Way Shuttle and author of Drift as well as other works of fiction (many under the pen name, D. H. Dublin).