The Andrew D. Rossetti Scholarship Fund Committee awarded $2,500 scholarships to high school seniors from the Oneida and Stockbridge Valley school districts who plan to pursue a career in teaching.

Seth O’Connell, from the Oneida school district, plans to study math and adolescent education Le Moyne College. He is the son of Heather and Paul O’Connell of Oneida.

Rachel Mennig, from the Stockbridge Valley school district, plans to study early childhood/childhood education at SUNY Oneonta. She is also a student in the MOBOCES Career and Technical Education program. She is the daughter of Pam Mennig and Lee Mennig of Munnsville.

The Rossetti Scholarships, awarded on June 1, were created in 1988 to honor Andrew D. Rossetti, an Oneida resident and district superintendent of Madison-Oneida BOCES from 1973 to 1984.

Rossetti, also a former Vernon-Verona-Sherrill superintendent, had a lifelong passion for teaching.

Rossetti’s wife, Lillian, and MOBOCES District Superintendent Scott Budelmann were among those at the ceremony to recognize these two future educators. They heard from two past recipients of the Rossetti Scholarship: Abigail Walker, a 2019 Camden graduate who is studying early childhood education at SUNY Oswego, and Oneida High School Assistant Principal Erin Belanger, a 2001 recipient of the award.

Belanger gave this year’s recipients two pieces of advice to carry with them as they prepare for careers in teaching.

“Always lead with kindness,” she said, “And always ask yourself, ‘Would I want to be a student in this classroom?’”