#Alice Sullivan Scholarship

[riilsports]

2024 Alice Sullivan Scholarship winner Kelley ready to "challenge the status quo" in athletics

June 25, 2024

"My favorite thing in the entire world is to be part of a sports team," says Caitlin Kelley. "There is nothing that compares to the bond you create with your teammates, the environment of intense competition, and the feeling of accomplishment."

The multi-sport athlete and recent Smithfield High School graduate wants to see more young women reap the benefits that athletics can provide and says she has "a passion for bringing more women into the sports industry."

Selected as this year's recipient of the Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship, Kelley has already had an opportunity to further that mission as a youth referee and coach and hopes to continue on that path at the University of South Carolina, where she will be majoring in Sports Management beginning this fall.

"It is essential to me to encourage the next generation of female leaders to pursue their dreams without limits due to their gender," Kelley wrote in her scholarship essay. "I hope to be a strong female referee and coach in the future so I can make a difference in young female athletes' lives."

Indeed, that was the mission of Alice Sullivan, in whose memory this scholarship was established nearly 20 years ago. A teacher and administrator at East Providence High School for four decades, Sullivan also served as the Assistant Executive Director of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and was the moving force in the early 1970s for the development of girls athletics in our state. 

Earlier this month, Kelley graduated Suma Cum Laude with Great Distinction from Smithfield High School, where she also was a four-year member of the Sentinels' varsity tennis, basketball and lacrosse teams. A member of the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America and the Rotary Club, she also started a 10-week program called FLITES (French Learning In The Elementary Schools) in which she and a few classmates would teach French to fourth-graders at Pleasant View Elementary School.

Throughout high school, Kelley coached at a summer youth basketball clinic and refereed youth basketball games and hopes to continue to develop her skills as a referee through USC's intramural program. In addition, she spends her summers teaching children ages 5 to 14 how to play tennis through the Smithfield Tennis Recreation Program.

In between their own high school basketball games, Kelley and a teammate would provide play-by-play for Smithfield boys basketball games as members of the "Sentinel Sideline" broadcasting club. They advocated strongly for the girls games to be broadcast with commentary, as well.

"I want young boys and girls to know that female sports are just as important as male sports," Kelley continued in her essay. "I am dedicated to creating opportunities that amplify the ideas and voices of women in the industry.

"I believe that women deserve to be taken seriously in sports and they deserve respect."

[livinglikebritishroyalty]

𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒾𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹

♕ 𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒: Richard Alexander Walter George

♕ 𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒯𝒾𝓉𝓁𝑒: His Royal Highness Prince Richard Alexander Walter George The Duke of Gloucester

♕ 𝐵𝓸𝓇𝓃: Saturday, August 26th, 1944 at St. Matthew's Nursing Home in Northampton, England

♕ 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈: His Royal Highness Prince Henry The Duke of Gloucester (Father) & Her Royal Highness Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester (Mother)

♕ 𝒮𝒾𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: His Royal Highness Prince William of Gloucester (Brother)

♕ 𝒮𝓅𝓸𝓊𝓈𝑒:  Her Royal Highness Birgitte The Duchess of Gloucester (M. 1972)

♕ 𝒞𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃: Major Alexander Earl of Ulster (Son), Lady Davina (neé Windsor) Lewis (Daughter), & Lady Rose (neé Windsor) Gilman (Daughter) 

♕ 𝐸𝒹𝓊𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓸𝓃: Barnwell Manor (In Northamptonshire, England), Wellesley House School (In Kent, England), Eton College (In Berkshire, England), & Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge (In Cambridge, United Kingdom: Studied Architecture, Bachelor & Master of Arts Degrees in Architecture)

♕ 𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒲𝓸𝓇𝓀: Interests: Armed Forces (Air Force, Architecture, Court System, Defense, Disabled, Fallen Soldiers, Heraldry, & Security), Education, Food (Wine Trade), Health (Blindness, Cancer, Historic Sites, Hospitals, Leprosy, Medicine, & Support Animals), Nature (Agriculture, Conservation, Forests, Horticulture, Land Management, Soil, & Wildlife), People (Disabled, Elderly, Homelessness, Religious, & Trade), Science (Anthropology, Archeology, Art History, Engineering, Technology, & Transportation (Cars, Trains, & Trams)), Sports (Golf & Rowing), & The Arts (Architecture, Metal Work, Music, Shoe-Making, Stonemasonry, & Theatre). Work: Chancellor of The University of Worcester, Commissioner of the Historic Building & Monuments Commission for England, Co-Patron of Abbotsford Trust Appeal, Corporate Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Fellow of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts/Manufactures/Commerce, Founding Chancellor of The University of Worcester, Freeman of The City of London, Freeman/Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Masons, Honorary Fellow of The Institution of Civil Engineers, Honorary Fellow of The Institute of Clerks of Works and Construction Inspectorate, Honorary Fellow of The Institution of Structural Engineers, Honorary Fellow of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Honorary Freeman of The City of Gloucester, Honorary Freeman/Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Honorary Freeman/Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Vintners, Honorary Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Grocers, Honorary Life Member of The Bath Industrial Heritage Trust Ltd, Honorary Life Member of The Farmers Club, Honorary Life Member of The Friends of All Saints Brixworth, Honorary Life Member of The Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps of Transport Association, Honorary Member of The Architecture Club, Honorary Member of The Friends of Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens, Honorary Member of The Oxford & Cambridge Club, Honorary Member of The Petal Childhood Cancer Research, Honorary Member of The Reform Club, Honorary Membership of The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Association, Honorary President of The The 20-Ghost Club Limited, Honorary President of The BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust, Honorary President of The Somme Association, International Advisory Board Member of The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, Joint President of Cancer Research UK, Member of The International Advisory Board for The Royal United Services Institute, Member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Member of The Scottish Railway Preservation Society, Member of The St George's Chapel Advisory Committee, Patron of Action on Smoking & Health, Patron of Canine Partners for Independence, Patron of English Heritage, Patron of Flag Fen, Patron of St Bartholomew's Hospital, Patron of The Architects Benevolent Society, Patron of The Black Country Living Museum, Patron of The British Association of Friends of Museums, Patron of The British Homeopathic Association, Patron of The The British Korean Veterans Association, Patron of The British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association, Patron of The British Mexican Society, Patron of The British Society of Soil Science, Patron of The Built Environment Trust, Patron of The Built Environment Education Trust (SHAPE), Patron of The Church Monuments Society, Patron of The Cresset (Peterborough) Ltd, Patron of The Construction Youth Trust, Patron of The De Havilland Aircraft Museum, Patron of The Essex Field Club, Patron of The Forest Education Initiative & Forest Education Network, Patron of The Fortress Study Group, Patron of The Fotheringhay Church Appeal, Patron of The Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society, Patron of The Friends of Gloucester Cathedral, Patron of The Friends of Peterborough Cathedral, Patron of The Friends of St. Bartholomew the Less, Patron of The Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Patron of The Gloucestershire Millennium Celebrations, Patron of The Grange Centre for People with Disabilities, Patron of The Guild of the Royal Hospital of St Bartholomew, Patron of The Heritage of London Trust, Patron of The International Council on Monuments & Sites, Patron of The Isle of Man Victorian Society, Patron of The Japan Society, Patron of The Kensington Society, Patron of The Learning in Harmony Project, Patron of The Leicester Cathedral's King Richard III Appeal, Patron of The London Chorus, Patron of The London Playing Fields Foundation, Patron of The Magdalene Australia Society, Patron of The Mavisbank Trust, Patron of The Middlesex Association for the Blind, Patron of The Norfolk Record Society, Patron of The North of England Civic Trust, Patron of The Northamptonshire Archaeological Society, Patron of The Newcomen Society, Patron of The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, Patron of The Oriental Ceramic Society, Patron of The Oundle Town Rowing Club, Patron of The Peel Institute, Patron of The Pestalozzi International Village Trust, Patron of The Richard III Society, Patron of The Royal Academy Schools, Patron of The Royal Air Force 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Association, Patron of The Royal Anglian Regiment Association, Patron of The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Patron of The Royal Blind (Services for the Blind and Scottish War Blinded), Patron of The Royal Epping Forest Golf Club, Patron of The Royal Royal Pioneer Corps Association, Patron of The Scottish Society of Architect Artists, Patron of The Severn Valley Railway, Patron of The Society of Antiquaries of London, Patron of The Society of the Friends of St Magnus Cathedral Association, Patron of The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Patron of The St George's Society of New York, Patron of The Three Choirs Festival Association, Patron of The Tramway Museum Society, Patron of The United Kingdom Trust for Nature Conservation in Nepal, Patron of The Victorian Society, Patron of The Westminster Society, Patron of The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers, Patron-In-Chief of The Scottish Veterans' Residences, Patron-In-Chief of The Friends of St Clement Danes, Practicing Partner at Hunt Thompson Associates Architectural Firm, President of Ambition, President of British Expertise International, President of Christ's Hospital, President of The Britain-Nepal Society, President of The Cambridge House, President of The Crown Agents Foundation, President of The Greenwich Foundation, President of The Institute of Advanced Motorists, President of The London Society, President of The Lutyens Trust, President of The Peterborough Cathedral Development and Preservation Trust, President of The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, President of The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, President of The Society of Architect Artists, President of St Bartholomew's Hospital, Ranger for The Epping Forest Centenary Trust, Royal Bencher for The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, Royal Patron of Bede's World Museum, Royal Patron of Habitat for Humanity (UK Branch), Royal Patron of The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust, Royal Patron of The British Museum, Royal Patron of The Global Heritage Fund UK, Royal Patron of The Global Heritage Fund UK, Royal Patron of The Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, Royal Patron of The Nene Valley Railway, Royal Patron of The Peace and Prosperity Trust, Royal Patron of The Royal Auxiliary Air Force Foundation, Royal Patron of The Strawberry Hill Trust, Royal Patron of The Wells Cathedral - Vicars' Close Appeal, Senior Fellow of The Royal College of Art, The Duke of Gloucester Young Achiever's Scheme Awards, The Offices Development Group for the Ministry of Works, Vice Royal Patron of The Almshouse Association, Vice Patron of The National Churches Trust, Vice President of LEPRA, Vice President of The Royal Bath and West of England Society, Vice President of The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, Vice President of The Royal Smithfield Club, & Visitor of The Royal School Dungannon

[naughtyxstories]

Modern Verses

Of course all of my lovely muses are available for modern verses. Personal favourites:

University threads - Bjorn the jock, Ivar the outcast, Charlie the scholarship kid with the brilliant mind. Sullivan as a manipulative professor. Alice as the guest lecturer that everyone has a crush on. Sophia as a grad student. Lots of fun possibilities.

D/s threads - a very personal favourite. There are two spins on D/s - a world where Dominance and submission are biological and therefore a needed interaction OR a world where it is simply a type of relationship that two people have because it is satisfying and pleasing.

Employer/Employee threads - ah, this kind of smut - so wrong in the real world but so much fun in rp world. Sullivan as a dirty boss who takes a junior employee on a business trip but somehow only one hotel room is booked - such a pity. *evil smile*. Or simply a flirtation between two colleagues that gets out of control.

Naughty Nanny/Babysitter - we could make this as dark or as sweet as you might like. Lots of fun.

I am also willing to explore twisted versions of things that go on in the world. We can have lots of fun here. My only caveat is no infidelity/cheating plots. To be honest, I see them too much in real life at work that they just have no appeal for me in rpg world. Sorry my lovely writing partners.

[mack-drawingtwo]

Drawing 3

Researching Art and Artists

Victoria Sullivan Project

From the start of my research into Fairweather portrait by Vicki Sullivan I was lead to believe she was the daughter of Dr John Sullivan, a prominent Brisbane pathologist.

The link to this website traces Dr John Sullivan’s career. It is the first website I have found that lists the name of his wife and children. It does not list a daughter named Victoria.

Dr John Sullivan (1925- )

Born: Southport 1925

Dr John Sullivan was born at Southport, Queensland, in 1925. His mother died when he was four and he was sent to live with his grandmother’s sister, who had a farm at near Beaudesert. Over the following months, still recovering from the loss of his mother, he battled a string of childhood illnesses including diphtheria. He found the local doctor, Dr Ashley Beet, inspiring for his blend of medical care and compassion.

A bright boy, John’s talents were recognised by the local schoolteacher, who collected £50 in small donations from family and friends to send him to Brisbane’s Nudgee College. There was just enough for a year. He more than justi ed their efforts. Through working hard he topped the state in the school’s sub-junior exam, winning a scholarship for the following year. At the end of that year, he topped the state-wide junior public exam, winning a further two years at Nudgee. John became school dux, receiving the Collins Cup for leadership in sport and study.

Awarded an open scholarship to the University of Queensland he chose to study medicine. He topped his nal year in 1950 and then passed the Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ examinations. At the completion of his training he joined the department of Pathology at the Brisbane Hospital.

Dr Sullivan became a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists in 1956 and of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1967. In 1965, he became vice-president of the Haematology Society of Australia. He had a special interest in skin cancer and in 1975, was elected president of the Australian Society of Dermatopathology. He lectured on skin cancer internationally.

For more than 20 years, Dr Sullivan tutored UQ pathology students and he was visiting senior pathologist at Royal Brisbane Hospital for 25 years. Later, he would explain why he had chosen pathology. “I liked the scienti c side of it—you felt you were at the cutting edge of medicine, with all the new advances—and I liked teaching.”

Dr Sullivan married fellow university graduate Helen ‘Nell’ Guinn in 1954. They went on to have three children: Marian, Edward and Alice Ann. Dr Sullivan retired in 1990 but worked part-time in the practice until 2000.

[riilsports]

Teaching has been lifelong dream of Broncos softball pitcher and 2023 Alice Sullivan Scholarship winner Colbert

Thursday, June 22, 2023

 BY CAROLYN THORNTON

Rhode Island Interscholastic League

    To add to the celebration of her recent graduation from Burrillville High School, Julianna Colbert received the news Thursday afternoon that she has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship.

     The scholarship is awarded in memory of Alice Sullivan. A teacher and administrator at East Providence High School for four decades, Sullivan also served as the Assistant Executive Director of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and was the moving force in the early 1970s for the development of girls athletics in our state. 

Colbert will be attending Southern New Hampshire University in the fall, where she plans to study Secondary Education with a focus on history and also play for the Penmen softball team.       

     Becoming a teacher has been a lifelong dream, Colbert wrote in her scholarship essay. She says history has always fascinated her and that she began leaning toward teaching at the high school level “because it would allow me to grow deeper connections with my students and be a positive role model throughout a difficult time in their lives.”

      A member of the National Honor Society, Colbert graduated earlier this month from Burrillville High School, completing the Education Pathway that included a teaching internship with an eighth-grade classroom this year at Burrillville Middle School.

     An EEP History class that she took in her junior year provided further confirmation this is the career path Colbert would like to pursue.

    “Having a teacher who loves her job and has a passion for what she is teaching makes a huge impact on you as a student, and I hope to be like her when I become a teacher,” Colbert said of Burrillville High School’s Social Studies Department Chair Stacy Lamontagne, who also taught an AP European History Class Colbert took this year. 

      Colbert could also see a softball coaching career possibly being in her future. When she is not playing herself, she works as a pitching instructor and also gives back to the Burrillville Girls Softball League umpiring in the summer when they are shorthanded, helping to maintain the fields and instructing the younger girls with the basics. 

RIIL/CAROLYN THORNTON

Colbert earned All-Division and All-State honors after helping the Burrillville/North Smithfield Co-op team to the 2021 Division III Softball Championship. 

      In the ideal scenario, after graduating from college Colbert envisions finding a local high school in need of both a history teacher and a coach.

       “Throughout my life, sports have been a huge part of who I am, especially softball,” said Colbert, who also captained Burrillville’s basketball team each of the last two seasons. “They have led me to meet some of my best friends and coaches who have influenced me to be a better version of myself . . . I grew up playing softball and falling in love with the game so being able to help grow that love for the game in the younger girls is so rewarding.”

RIIL/CAROLYN THORNTON

Colbert smacks a two-run homer against Johnston in a Division II matchup this spring.

[riilsports]

RIIL Newsletter - January 2024 Edition

January 24, 2024

CHECK OUT the January 2024 RIIL Newsletter: https://ow.ly/tcMt50Qu6Xs

Highlights:

Recap of RIIL/KyleCares Teen Mental Health Summit

Nominations open for RIIL Student-Athlete of the Year Award, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of RI

Applications now open for RIIL Local 51 Scholarship

Army ROTC Application Info

Applications now open for Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship

And More

[riilsports]

Titans’ Cirella selected as 2021 Alice Sullivan Scholarship winner

September 1, 2021

     Congratulations to Cassandra Cirella, who has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship.

     The scholarship is awarded in memory of Alice Sullivan, a teacher and administrator at East Providence High School for four decades. She served as the Assistant Executive Director of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and was the moving force in the early 1970s for the development of women’s athletics. 

     Cirella - or Cassie as she is known to her friends - graduated this spring from Toll Gate High School, where she competed for the Titans’ soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse and indoor track teams. A captain of the soccer team both as a junior and senior, she helped lead Toll Gate to the RIIL Division III Girls Soccer Championship last fall, scoring two second-half goals in the Titans’ 3-1 win over Narragansett.

      She also contributed to her school through her involvement with Best Buddies, VAASA, S.A.D.D. and the RIIL Student Ambassador program. She has served as a peer tutor and volunteered at the Milford Police Station, along with volunteering many hours at multiple school and community blood drives.

      A High Honor Roll throughout her four years at Toll Gate and a member of the R.I., National and Italian Honors Societies, Cirella will be attending Coastal Carolina University this fall, where she plans to major in psychology and hopes to play club soccer and lacrosse.

       Along with all of her other extracurricular activities, she has balanced working a part-time job at local restaurants with officiating youth soccer since she was a freshman. she aspires to be a high school girls soccer coach one day and is certain getting that opportunity would give her “an indescribable feeling.”

     “Playing sports and officiating makes me feel grounded on the difficult days that I am forced to endure, and on most days, athletics are my source of happiness,” Cirella wrote in her application for the Alice Sullivan Scholarship. “Before the pandemic, I was the teenager that would fill her days to escape the difficult times. I would fill my hours after school with hours of practice, whether it be team or individual. I am grateful for growing up this way and being given these opportunities in life, I continue to look forward to playing sports each day. I love to improve and watch myself grow, and with that comes achieving greatness. If all goes as planned, I will be able to coach in the future and gain that same feeling that I have while I play during my adolescent years.”

[riilsports]

Rams’ Walsh selected as 2022 Alice Sullivan Scholarship winner

July 11, 2022

    Congratulations to Elizabeth Walsh, who has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship 

     The scholarship is awarded in memory of Alice Sullivan. A teacher and administrator at East Providence High School for four decades, Sullivan also served as the Assistant Executive Director of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and was the moving force in the early 1970s for the development of girls athletics in our state. 

     Walsh graduated this year from La Salle Academy, where she competed for the Rams’ field hockey, ice hockey and softball teams, serving as a captain on the field hockey and ice hockey teams and helping both teams earn state championship appearances.

      A member of the Rhode Island and National Italian Honor Societies, as well as the La Salle Academy Women in STEM Club, Walsh was an honors student throughout her four years at La Salle, finishing out her time there by taking four Advanced Placement courses in preparation for her first year at St. Lawrence University, where she plans to major in Biology and Veterinary Science.

    She also looks forward to playing Division I field hockey at St. Lawrence, as well as for the Saints’ club ice hockey team.

    For the past three years, Walsh has been officiating youth ice hockey games, advancing to Level 2 in 2020, and has already identified programs in New York where she can continue to referee while she is at college.

        In addition, for the past three seasons Walsh has served as a volunteer coach for the Rhode Island Special Hockey program working with children and young adults with developmental disabilities. That experience has been especially rewarding, she says, describing a special bond she formed with one of the players last season.

   “He would seek me out each week to work with him,” Walsh wrote in her application for the Alice Sullivan Scholarship. “He looked forward to the weekly sessions as a motivator; playing hockey was a guiding force that got him through each day. Knowing I was helping him achieve his goal of being included in something he loved so much, and how that goal was inspiring him to succeed in all aspects of life, gave me unique perspective on my efforts. I was helping him build confidence, learn a sense of independence and discover personal strength, which was an empowering discovery.”

       Walsh plans to continue “making a meaningful impact and helping the players embrace and love the game that has taught me so many life lessons about sportsmanship, trust and the great power of working together as a team.”

      “As a multi-sport player, ice hockey referee and volunteer ice hockey coach, I know that I will always be a contributor to sports,” she continued. “In the future, I hope to expand my officiating and coaching efforts beyond ice hockey to other sports. Continuing to help young athletes succeed in every aspect of their life will be a constant part of my life.”

[riilsports]

Smithfield’s Dolan hopes to inspire student-athletes “to chase their dreams”

September 6, 2017

BY CAROLYN THORNTON

RIIL Director of Multimedia Content

       Michaela Dolan graduated with high honors from Smithfield High School last June, finishing among the top students in her class.

      She also managed to balance her challenging academic course load with a full complement of extracurricular activities that included playing four years of field hockey and basketball and three years of lacrosse, captaining all three teams in her senior year.

      And now Dolan - the recipient of this year’s Alice Sullivan Scholarship – plans to follow in her mentors’ footsteps, saying that the teachers and coaches she has had throughout her childhood have inspired her to pursue both professions. Beginning this fall, she will be majoring in elementary and special education at Salve Regina University.

PHOTO COURTESY/MICHAELA DOLAN

      Established shortly after Sullivan’s passing in November 2003, the Alice Sullivan Memorial Fund and Scholarship were created in her memory “to sustain in perpetuity Alice Sullivan’s life, character and enthusiasm for girls athletics.” The longtime teacher and administrator at East Providence High School was the driving force behind girls sports being added to the Rhode Island Interscholastic League in the late 1960s. She became the league’s director of girls sports and then the RIIL’s first assistant executive director and continued to advocate for girls long after she retired from those positions.

    “Like a lot of my teachers have done for me, I want to make a difference in students' lives and inspire them to chase their dreams,” Dolan wrote in her essay to the Alice Sullivan Scholarship Committee. “I've had coaches with whom I've been able to form a strong connection with, and who have inspired me immensely . . . Specifically, my high school basketball coach, Nicole Correnti, has inspired me through her amazing coaching skills and attitude towards coaching to follow in her footsteps and become a basketball coach.”

    Dolan got a taste of coaching this summer when she and fellow graduate Taylor Deming coached Smithfield High School's summer league team. 

    “It was such a great opportunity to get some coaching experience,” Dolan said shortly after the season had concluded, “and I am so happy that I was able to help my former teammates, as well as new players learn more about the game I love.” 

      Dolan also credits the Smithfield Girls Basketball League for nurturing her love of the sport and has already been giving back, serving as a referee since her freshman year.

      “My reffing mentor, John Colletti, has been such an inspiration to me when it comes to reffing, and has taught me all that I know about officiating today,” said Dolan, who hopes to become a certified CYO basketball referee and then advance to becoming a junior varsity girls basketball official, as well. “He has challenged me by allowing me to ref boys basketball games and very difficult playoff and championship games.”

      Those who have had an opportunity to work with Dolan can attest to her work ethic and leadership abilities.

     “Michaela is an amazing all around girl,” said Andy Dewhirst, Dolan’s former field hockey coach at Smithfield. “She is a sweet, positive athlete who puts in 150 percent effort. She is an incredibly dedicated student and athlete who works hard for her accomplishments. She was our captain and was a fantastic role model for all the players.”

     “I am so thankful for all of the people in my life who have inspired me to continue on with making a difference in education, coaching, and officiating,” Dolan said. “My goal is to one day hopefully live up to be just like these people, and have just as strong of an impact and inspiration on students' and athletes' lives like these people have had on mine."

[riilsports]

Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Applications available for female student-athletes

February 15, 2017

BY CAROLYN THORNTON

RIIL Director of Multimedia Content

      Alice Sullivan’s time as a teacher and administrator at East Providence High School spanned four decades. That is an impressive length of service all on its own, but Sullivan’s contributions to Rhode Island’s student-athletes, especially girls, went even further than that. The driving force behind girls sports being added to the Rhode Island Interscholastic League in the late 1960s, she became the league's director of girls sports and then its first assistant executive director.

      By the time Sullivan stepped down from her position at the RIIL in 1996, the league was offering 14 sports for girls. Even after her retirement, she continued to work tirelessly to ensure that girls received the best athletic opportunities possible until her death in November 2003 at the age of 78. Shortly after her passing,  a foundation and scholarship was created in Sullivan's name “to sustain in perpetuity Alice Sullivan’s life, character and enthusiasm for girls athletics.”

         Applications are currently being accepted for the Alice Sullivan Scholarship, which is open to female high school or collegiate student-athletes planning to pursue a career in coaching, officiating or athletic administration.      

     Deadline to submit an application is April 17, 2017. Click here for an application, which can also be found at riil.org. (Go to “Resources” and then “Documents and Forms”) 

[riilsports]

As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the passage of Title IX, it is great to see RIIL softball teams supporting the Alice Sullivan Memorial Fund at today's Division I, II & III Alice Sullivan All-Star Games, hosted by the R.I. Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association at East Greenwich High School. RIFPCA president Bill Aquilante says: "Thanks to East Greenwich HS for hosting and all the players, coaches and officials who volunteered their time. The coaches association raised $410 for the Alice Sullivan Scholarship Fund." #TitleIXat50 (at East Greenwich High School) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd4mcnbsT_d/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[riilsports]

Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship is open to female high school & college student-athletes pursuing a career in coaching, officiating and/or athletic administration. Info & link to scholarship app: riil.org/page/4632 Deadline to apply: 4/4/22 https://www.instagram.com/p/CY4e3wesH66/?utm_medium=tumblr

[riilsports]

Thunderbolts’ Calderon Alzate selected as 2020 Alice Sullivan Scholarship winner

July 22, 2020

Cranston East grad says her dream is to “influence and guide others in the right direction”     

      Congratulations to Sofia Calderon Alzate, who has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship 

     The scholarship is awarded in memory of Alice Sullivan, a teacher and administrator at East Providence High School for four decades. She served as the Assistant Executive Director of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and was the moving force in the early 1970s for the development of women’s athletics. 

  Calderon Alzate graduated this spring from Cranston High School East, where she competed for the Thunderbolts’ swimming and field hockey teams. But her contributions did not stop there, as she was also involved with Student Council, Best Buddies, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cranston Police Explorers and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.

     Calderon Alzate will be attending the University of Rhode Island this fall, where she plans to major in education with a minor in administration. 

     She says she has always dreamed of becoming a teacher and was particularly inspired by her sixth-grade teacher.

      “Ms. Hall was truly an inspiration,” Calderon Alzate wrote. “Ms. Hall loved and cared for each of her students. All of her lessons were so creative and original that it motivated the students to learn more. . . . My goal is to inspire and shape the minds of the generations to come.”

       In addition, Calderon Alzate has joined the U.S. Air Force National Guard, noting that during her time in JROTC, she discovered “another one of my vocations in life is to lead.” 

      “Over the last three years, my leadership skills have improved dramatically,” she said. “I have created a sense of devotion and appreciation to the ideology of leadership (and) intend to incorporate leadership into my future goals as well.”

RIIL/CAROLYN THORNTON

2020 Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship winner Sofia Calderon Alzate.

[riilsports]

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship applications must be submitted by May 6. Open to female H.S. AND/OR female collegiate student-athlete w/ interest in coaching, officiating and/or athletic administration. NEW on-line app: www.riil.org/page/5397 https://www.instagram.com/p/B_lLKTrHrPU/?igshid=du3zpuiqrc1t

[riilsports]

R.I. Girls High School Basketball All-Star Games to benefit the Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship Fund, Jan. 26 at Ponaganset High School. Division III - noon Division I - 1:30 p.m. Division II - 3:00 p.m. (at Ponaganset High School) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7xdnmOJ5Ht/?igshid=9ipbrmp01jex

[riilsports]

REMINDER: TOMORROW (May 1, 2019) is the last day to apply for Alice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship. Open to female h.s. & college student-athletes pursuing a career in coaching, officiating and/or athletic administration. Scholarship app & more info at: riil.org/page/4632 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw4ZeffhI9e/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gk4hbmuxciro