Gabrielle Griffin-Fetsch Awarded Danvers Historical Anne Lemist Page Scholarship

DANVERS, MA — Danvers High senior Gabrielle Griffin-Fetsch was awarded this year's Danvers Historical Society's Anne Lemist Page Scholarship out of a field of 10 finalists who spoke to the Scholarship Committee about how their experiences helped them learn valuable skills, how a teacher inspired them, and how extracurricular endeavors contributed to the desire to pursue their education in serving others.

In her assistant group leader position in the after-school program, Fun Club, Griffin-Fetsch said her experiences resulted in life lessons of confidence, leadership and mediation. She said her teachers at Danvers High provided a safe place to express anxiety while building her confidence with constructive criticism, problem-solving and teamwork.

She said her projects with DECA and World Language National Honor Society also enriched her knowledge of formulating relationships and becoming more open-minded, culturally sensitive and globally intrigued.

The scholarship was founded in memory of Anne Lemist Page, who opened the first kindergarten in Essex County at the Jeremiah Page House in Danvers Square. She was on the Danvers School Board and petitioned to fund public classrooms for 5- and 6-year-olds.

She founded a Normal School to train teachers to open kindergartens and founded the Danvers Women's Association in 1882 to fund schools and find solutions to other community issues such as slavery and obtaining the vote for women.

The scholarship candidate must have exhibited consistent participation in the Danvers High School Life Skills Program, The Danvers Best Buddies Chapter, Unified Basketball, Northeast ARC Friends of Special Olympics, DECA and/or the Student Assistantship Program.

The finalists included those pursuing degrees in education, history, engineering, bioengineering, speech pathology, international relations, political science, social work, molecular biology, nursing and athletic training.

The Members of the Danvers Historical Society funded the scholarship and wish Griffin-Fetsch all the best in her future endeavors.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)