Franklin Savings Bank’s Community Development Foundation has awarded college scholarships to 13 local students.

The 2008 Franklin Scholars are:

Rangeley Lakes Regional School: Benjamin Morton, son of John and Sheryl Morton of Rangeley, who will study Business at the University of Maine at Orono.

Mt. Abram High School: Emily Gordon, daughter of Ann and Wade Gordon of Kingfield, who will study Mortuary Science at the State University of New York at Canton.

Mt. Abram High School: Jason Parrett, son of Ann Kessler-Parrett & Stephen Parrett of Langtown, who will be attending Colby College in the fall to study Economics.

Mt. Blue High School: Samuel L. Whittle, son of Beth Whittle of Farmington, who will be attending Suffolk University, Sawyer Business School in the fall to major in Marketing and Advertising.

Mt. Blue High School: Karina Durrell, daughter of Gene and Tracy Durrell of Farmington, who will study Business Administration and Finance at Husson College.

Skowhegan High School: Emily A. Madore, daughter of Richard and Shirley Madore of Skowhegan, who will study Business Management at the University of New Hampshire.

Madison Area Memorial High School: Amanda Costa, daughter of Lori and Jason Costa of Athens, who will study Accounting at Thomas College in the fall.

Madison Area Memorial High School: Peter Belanger, son of Ellen and Dan Belanger of Madison, who will be attending Kennebec Valley Community College to major in Business Administration.

Madison Area Memorial High School: Joshua Newhall, son of Lisa LaChance and Kirk Newhall of Madison, who will major in Business Administration at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

Livermore Falls High School: Whitney McDaniel, daughter of Lee and Patricia McDaniel of Livermore, who will study Business at the University of Southern Maine.

Jay High School: Brittany Shardlow, daughter of Tammy and Fred Shardlow of Jay, who will be attending the University of Maine at Orono to study Business.

Mountain Valley High School: Paige Carter, daughter of James and Gloria Carter of Rumford, who will study Business Management at Bentley College in the fall.

Dirigo High School: Benjamin McCollister, son of Benjamin and Marjorie McCollister of Canton, who will study Business at the University of the Pacific.

“This is a great group of young people. They’ve worked very hard to achieve many great things while in high school. It’s our pleasure to help them pursue their goals for higher education. I’m confident they will continue to succeed,” said Peter Judkins, President and CEO at Franklin Savings Bank.

Scholarships from the Franklin Savings Bank Community Development Foundation were awarded to students who plan to attend a four-year college with studies concentrating in accounting, finance, marketing, management, computer sciences or other business related courses.  The graduating seniors were selected as Franklin Scholars based largely on high academic achievement, which alone represented 70 percent of the criteria for scholarship selection. The remaining 30 percent was based on community citizenship, participation in extra-curricular activities, such as athletics, band, school clubs or drama, and financial need.

The bank’s Community Development Foundation grants the scholarships to the schools, which select the student and administer the scholarship.

Franklin Savings Bank’s Community Development Foundation was created in 2000 to support community, economic and educational needs within the communities served by Franklin Savings Bank.  The bank normally awards 10 scholarships annually, totaling $34,000, but had three additional scholarships to re-award this year on behalf of previous student winners who were not able to continue with their original plans.