Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship® Winners Recognized in Boston

LYNNFIELD, Mass., May 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- HP Hood, New England's leading dairy processor, today awarded 18 high school seniors with a $5,000 Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship® presented by Hood Milk. During a ceremony held at the TD Garden, three high school seniors from each of the six New England states -- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont -- were honored for their integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the playing field. These students will also be included in the Sportsmanship Exhibit inside The Sports Museum at the TD Garden -- one of the only sportsmanship exhibits in the country.

Hood has been committed to supporting local communities for more than 160 years. Now in its sixth year, the Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship received more than 2,600 entries from New England high school seniors. Ten finalists were determined from each state by a general public vote, which was followed by in-person interviews by a panel of judges who identified the top three in each state.

Gord Kluzak, former Bruins Defenseman and current investment advisor at Goldman Sachs, served as Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship spokesperson and spoke to students about the importance of good sportsmanship. 

"During my time with the Bruins I learned that sportsmanship is something that defines an athlete. I always put respect and integrity above the desire to win, as hard as that sometimes can be," said Kluzak. "The Sportsmanship Scholarship seeks out athletes that instill these qualities at a young age and rewards them for it, which is why I am so proud to be part of this program."

The winners included:

CONNECTICUT
Joshua Goldstein, The Williams School, Georgetown University
Kevin Bates, Granby Memorial High School, University of Connecticut
Katherine Wang, Cheshire High School, Wellesley College

RHODE ISLAND
Ashley Shilko, Smithfield High School, University of Rhode Island
Sarah Morris, Rogers High School, Bard College
Savannah Hersey, Warwick Veterans Memorial High School, Sacred Heart University

MASSACHUSETTS
Samantha Cox, Longmeadow High School, Springfield College
Bryan Flaherty, Beverly High School, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hiroto Watanabe, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, Tufts University

VERMONT
Jordan Godfrey, Rutland High School, State University of New York College at Plattsburgh
Kennedy Pagano, Rutland High School, Elmira College
Rachel Johnson, Randolph Union High School, Norwich University

MAINE
Emily Levasseur, Monmouth Academy, Unity College 
Jamie Gaughan, Sacopee High School, Maine Maritime Academy
Maeve Carlson, Wiscasset High School, University of Maine

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Hailey Mcafee, Newfound Regional High School, Wellseley College
Emily Bouley, Windham High School, Villanova University
Casey Iasillo, Bow High School, Monmouth University

Each applicant was required to meet the following in order to participate in the program:

• Minimum of 3.0 GPA
• Participated in a varsity sport in high school
• Volunteered in his/her community
• Displayed a high degree of sportsmanship while participating in sports in high school

For more information, and rules and regulations, please visit Hood.com.

About Hood
Founded in 1846, today Hood is one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States.  Hood is the number-one dairy brand in New England, and Hood's portfolio of national and super-regional brands and franchise products includes Hood, Crowley Foods, Simply Smart Milk, Heluva Good!, LACTAID®, BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers, HERSHEY®'S Milk and Milkshakes and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze®. For more information about Hood, please visit www.Hood.com. 

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SOURCE HP Hood

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