Some of the most talented students in Barrington gathered at the library last night, May 31, to receive some financial help for college.

It was the Citizens' Scholarship Foundation (CSF) of Barrington's annual awards presentation. Almost $42,000 in awards went to a dozen graduating seniors and six returning collegians, all seemingly destined for great futures.

The CSF of Barrington was established in 1959, the second organization of its kind in the country. The first was in Fall River, Mass., and the organizers of that foundation helped to start the Barrington CSF.

Scholarships are "awarded through a competitive application process considering academic performance, financial need and community service. Scholarship funds are provided by named endowed scholarships, one time designated grants, grants from a number of civic and community organizations and income from CSF's endowment," according to CSF of Barrington.

Funds are also raised from public donations via an annual mail campaign, and a holiday greetings page in the Barrington Times newspaper.

The first recipient when the CSF of Barrington was established 52 years ago was Ellie Grady.

Grady grew up in Barrington, and after moving away for a while, returned to her hometown with her husband, Ray (the two actually met in kindergarten in what was then West Barrington School, but Grady joked they didn't start dating until they were juniors at Barrington High School) and their two daughters.

The Grady's daughters were both recipients of CSF awards. And even though they'd been involved with CSF since their move back to Barrington 30 years ago, when Ellie and Ray Grady retired, they decided they wanted to give even more back to the organization that had been so generous to their family.

They established the Grady Family Endowment for Scholarship, which this year, was won by Amanda Lucock, who taught English to foreign exchange students at Roger Williams University for her senior project, and who will be attending Ursinus College in the fall.

Some of the award winners faced significant challenges in their quest for excellence.

Kyle DeAngelis is headed to Vassar College in the fall. Kyle studied child psychology at Primrose Hill School, which he himself attended as a youngster. He was mentored by his former first-grade teacher, and received the Robert F. Reid Memorial Scholarship Award from CSF board member and former foundation president, Carolyn Reid-Materne. Reid-Materne is the daughter of the former principal of Primrose Hill School, Robert F. Reid, and was delighted at the connection made. 

What a lot of the attendees didn't know, however, was that Kyle's father died this past March. Despite facing profound grief and loss, Kyle remained undeterred in his responsibilities to his education and future.

"I was always brought up to do my best," said Kyle.

Kyle's mom, Suzanne DeAngelis, said she was "very, very proud," of her son. She credited Kyle's success to a combination of support from their extended family, and having strong expectations for success.

"Whatever I knew my kids were capable of, is what I expected," said DeAngelis.

National Honor Society president and Student Council vice president Sarah Collins, is headed to pre-med studies at Boston College after graduation. She and her brother, Liam, who will be a finance major at Bentley College, are the youngest of Diane and Joe Collins' four children.

The Collins' older two children went on to engineering and economics after they finished high school, and the Collins' said it was important for them to be always be there for their kids, helping them to stay focused on their goals.

"Always be around to help them," said Diane Collins. "Be available to them."

Sarah Hellmann wanted to do her senior project on birth, as she plans to become a midwife when she finishes nursing studies at URI. Unable to get enough contact hours for her project, she switched to quilting, as her aunt is a quilter. In a no-pun-intended moment, Sarah received the Ella V. Quilty Endowment for Scholarship. 

Sarah is also interested in theater arts and was delighted to receive the Charles E. Feeley Memorial Award, established in memory of Feeley, a Barrington High School graduate in 1969, who was active in theater arts and died of leukemia at the age of 37.

Sarah was a foster child until she was adopted by her foster parents, Joel and Sharon Hellman, when she was 13.

During her time in foster care from the age of 5, "school was the place that I could most be myself," she said, and she enjoyed the opportunity to learn in that environment.

While not every young person at the awards presentation may have faced the challenges of Kyle and Sarah, all of them worked hard to be there last night. Here is the complete list of the winners, their choice of college, and their awards.

Sarah Collins - Boston College: Barrington Woman's Club Evelyn Coppell Award, Barrington Firefighters' Union - Local 1774 Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Liam Collins - Bentley College: David Evans Lansinger Memorial Scholarship, Barrington Times Holiday Greeting Card Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Christopher Crawford - Roger Williams University: Barrington Boosters' Award, H. Bickford & Nancy B. Lang Endowment for Scholarship, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Kyle DeAngelis - Vassar College: Robert F. Reid Memorial Scholarship Award, Ian D. & Kathryn I. Malcolm Memorial Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Aiden Gilbert - College of Charleston: Daniel Cole Memorial Scholarship, BHS Class of '63 Scholarship Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Renato Guerrieri - Davidson College: The James K. McMillan & Myrtle R. McMillan Memorial Endowment, S. Martin Billet Memorial Scholarship, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Sarah Hellmann - University of Rhode Island: Ella V. Quilty Endowment for Scholarship, Charles E. Feeley Memorial Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Stephanie Jobin - Rhode Island College: BHS Class of '60 40th Reunion and BHS Class of '62 Scholarship Awards, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Abigail Jones - Brown University: CVS Charity Golf Classic Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Amanda Lucock - Ursinus College: Barrington/Warren Rotary Award, Grady Family Endowment for Scholarship, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Gregory Niguidula - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Ella V. Quilty Endowment for Scholarship, The Thomas J. and Christopher R. Cashill Memorial Scholarship, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Laura Travers - Simmons College: NEA Barrington Award, Albert D. Genetti Scholarship, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Christopher Caisse - University of Rhode Island: Suzanne Lynne Reynhout Memorial Award, Barrington Preservation Society Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Lawrence Jerome - University of Rhode Island: Patrick Cannon Memorial Award, John Hall Memorial Scholarship Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Samuel Jerome - University of Rhode Island: The Bill Sexton Memorial Scholarship Award, John Ruggieri Memorial Scholarship Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Nicholas Jouett - University of Rhode Island: Ann Cuthbertson Memorial Award, Jean Buffum Memorial Fund, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Dane Mainella - University of Pennsylvania: Lt. Jeffrey R. Scharver USMC Award, The Snyder Family Memorial, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.

Hugh Neville - St. Lawrence University: Barrington Garden Club Award, Dorothy M. Teixeira Memorial Scholarship Award, Jacqueline Gage Sarles Memorial Award.