Springfield Garden Club announces three scholarship winners for 2026

The Springfield Garden Club announces the 2026 winners of the Springfield Garden Club Scholarship and the Sandy MacGillivray Scholarship.

Ian Bernier and Cooper Palmer are the recipients of the Springfield Garden Club Scholarships. Bernier, of Andover, is a graduate of Green Mountain Union High School and will be attending the University of Vermont in the fall with plans to major in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. “Throughout my life, I have forged a deep connection to the natural world. Being surrounded by conserved land gave me the freedom to spend countless hours exploring the woods around my home, where I learned to value healthy ecosystems and the importance of conserving them for future generations,” he said.

Palmer, a Springfield resident who graduated from Springfield High, will be attending Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., where he intends to major in Mechanical/Environmental Engineering. He hopes to work toward a success career in engineering. “I want to gain knowledge, skills, and real-world experiences that I can bring back to Springfield and use to help improve my community,” he said.

The Springfield Garden Club Scholarship Committee will present Bernier and Palmer’s colleges with $1,000 for the first semester and an additional $1,000 for the second semester.

Gabe Winther, a graduate of Bellows Falls Union High School and student at River Valley Technical Center in Springfield, is the winner of the Sandy MacGillivray Scholarship. This $1,000 award is given to one River Valley Technical Center student each year in remembrance of MacGillivray, a former teacher, Springfield Garden Club member and outstanding citizen of Springfield.

Winther plans to attend Champlain College in Burlington, saying, “I chose Champlain College as their emphasis on cybersecurity and work experience are invaluable to me for what I wish to pursue.”