Stratham Historical Society Scholarships

2026 Scholarship Winners

STRATHAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY AWARDS 2026 ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS

The Stratham Historical Society is pleased to announce that the Winfield L. Foote Award for Academic Excellence 2026 has been presented this year to ten (10) outstanding applicants. They are as follows:

Sebastian Barone, Stratham resident, attending Auburn University in the Fall
Brooke Beaulieu. Stratham resident, attending University of North Carolina (Charlotte) in the Fall
Michael Burke, Stratham, attending University of Wisconsin (Madison)
Maxwell DeKoning, Stratham, attending McGill University in the Fall
Elizabeth DeLello, Stratham, attending University of Rhode Island, in the Fall
Lauren LaFleur of Stratham, attending Villanova University in the Fall
Isabelle Madden, Stratham, attendance to be announced
Alp Matoglu, Stratham, attending Georgia Institute of Technology this Fall
Austin Reeve, Stratham resident, attending Lehigh University this Fall
Elaina Villaflores, an Exeter resident, attending the University of Miami this Fall

Congratulations to all ten of these very deserving students. The Stratham Historical Society is particularly gratified to support their academic achievements in 2026 and wishes them the very best in their next chapter.

The scholarships are made possible by the generosity of the late Mr. Winfield L. Foote, a long-time resident of Stratham and a strong supporter of The Stratham Historical Society. With this year’s awards, the society will have distributed over $160,000 to local students. Special thanks to the Scholarship Committee Chair Gary Abreu and the entire committee for its hard work and outstanding results.

Watch for future announcements and/or check with guidance departments to obtain applications. These are available in February of each year for public and private high school seniors who are Stratham residents, and for students from surrounding communities who are enrolled in the SAU16 School District. In addition, generous awards are offered to college/university rising juniors and seniors, and graduate students who qualify. For more info, email: info@strathamhistsoc.org, or visit the Society’s website: www.strathamhistsoc.org

Benefactor Grant Criteria

Stratham Historical Society Scholarships

Application for High School Seniors

Winfield L. Foote Award for Academic Excellence - High School Seniors

Upload file:

foote_scholarship_seniors.docx

Award Criteria: In keeping with the Mission Statement of SHS, the Society will make a minimum of two $1000 awards annually to high school seniors based on academic excellence in history/social sciences or agriculture. Stratham residents from any high school will have priority, non-Stratham residents including SAU 16 students who are enrolled in the Animal and Plant Science course at the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter are also qualified to apply.

The due date for applications shall be April 1st.

The application includes:

Application Form (link at the top of this page).
Official high school transcript including grades from the first two terms of the senior year.
Brief description of extracurricular activities including athletics, drama, music, student government, etc.
List of awards received (if any) during high school including the National Honor Society or other organizations reflecting academic excellence.
Brief description of volunteer or community service activities.
Brief description of any employment.
Essay of a minimum of 250 words delineating their educational goals.
Two faculty recommendations.

Award: The award shall be paid to the college/university the awardee will be attending. It is suggested that the student request the award be subtracted from the loan portion of the financial aid package. The scholarship committee decision is final.

Please note that a complete application must include all items listed above.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to gather all paperwork required to complete the scholarship application and submit by mail, in one envelope, to:

The Scholarship Committee
Stratham Historical Society
P.O. Box 39
Stratham, NH 03885

Completed application packets must be received by the April 1st deadline in order to be considered.

**Questions may be left on the voicemail at (937) 478-0125 (well in advance of the deadline).**

Application for Rising College Juniors and Seniors

Winfield L. Foote Award for Academic Excellence - Rising College Juniors and Seniors

Upload file: Office Document

foote_scholarship_rising_jr_sr.docx

Award Criteria: The Society will make awards to rising college juniors and seniors. Each award will be a minimum of $1,500. Awards will be made to applicants majoring in one of the following areas of study:

Agriculture
Anthropology
Archaeology
Civil engineering
Community planning/town planning
Environmental law
Environmental science
Genealogy
History
Museum studies
Sociology

Awardees will be selected based on academic excellence. Legal residents of Stratham, Brentwood, East Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, and Newfields attending an accredited college or university may apply. Nonresidents who were residents of Stratham at the time of High School graduation may apply. Awards will be made based on the match between the student's professional goals, the mission of the Stratham Historical Society, and demonstrated academic excellence and leadership. In case of a tie, Stratham residents will have priority.

The due date for applications shall be April 1st. The application includes the following:

Application Form (see link to document at top of page).
Official college transcript including first semester of the current academic year.
Curriculum Vitae
Essay (500 words or more) discussing the applicant’s professional goals.
Two recommendations from college/university faculty members in the student’s major field of study.

Award: The amount and number of awards will be based on the payout from the Winfield L. Foote Endowment and the number of qualified applicants. The award will be made to the awardee’s account at his or her college/university. The Scholarship Committee decision is final.

Please note that a complete application must include all items listed above.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to gather all paperwork required to complete the scholarship application and submit by mail, in one envelope, to:

The Scholarship Committee
Stratham Historical Society
P.O. Box 39
Stratham, NH 03885

Completed application packets must be received by the April 1st deadline in order to be considered.

**Questions may be left on the voicemail at (937) 478-0125 (well in advance of the deadline).**

Application for Graduate Students - Thesis/Dissertation Award

Purpose: It is the purpose of the Stratham Historical Society, Inc. a non-profit organization to
establish a program of educational awards, with the moneys received from the investment of the
Winfield L. Foote Endowment Fund. These scholarships and awards shall be known as “The
Stratham Historical Society Winfield L. Foote Award for Academic Excellence”. The criteria for
awarding these monies shall be in keeping with the stated mission of the Society – “to promote the
study of the prehistoric and historic past of Stratham, New Hampshire, and the communities and
cultures related to that history.”

Award: The Society will make awards to graduate students for thesis or dissertation support on a
topic related to the mission of the Historical Society. Proposals from history, sociology, or
anthropology are encouraged. Other fields or disciplines will be considered. The amount and
number of awards will be based on the payout from the Winfield L. Foote endowment and the
number of qualified applicants.

A $2,500 award will be made to qualified applicants. The award will be announced on or about
May 1st each year and will be paid directly to the awardee. The decision of the committee is final.

Award Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the overall quality of organization and
written expression, the appropriateness of the research methods to the research question, and the fit
with the mission of the Society.

Priority will be given to:

Topics specifically related to Stratham and Seacoast New Hampshire.
Stratham residents of any accredited college.

Non-Stratham residents shall be limited to graduate students attending a New Hampshire
college/university and those who were residents of Stratham at the time of High School graduation.

Completed application packets must be postmarked by the April 1st deadline and arrive no later than
April 7th in order to be considered. The application must be typed and double-spaced and shall
include the following:

Cover letter stating the applicant’s professional goals and a brief explanation of the fit between the research and the criteria for the award.
Research proposal (3-5 pages) including the purpose of the research, specific research goals and research methods.
Two letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s qualifications to conduct this research. One letter shall be from the chair of the applicant’s thesis or dissertation committee documenting committee approval of the research proposal.
Budget for requested funds with justification.
Curriculum vitae.

Report to the Society: The awardee will present his or her research findings at a meeting of the
Society the year following the granting of the award.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to gather all paperwork required to complete the scholarship
application and submit by mail, in one envelope, to:

The Scholarship Committee
Stratham Historical Society
P.O. Box 39
Stratham, NH 03885

**Questions may be left on the voicemail at (937) 478-0125 (well in advance of the deadline.)**

Services

Forms

All of Stratham, NH tab

Stratham Historical Society Scholarships

Winfield L. Foote Award for Academic Excellence - High School Seniors

Winfield L. Foote Award for Academic Excellence - Rising College Juniors and Seniors

Contact Us

General Information

Services & Operations

Community Resources