Marion Hutchinson and Moriah Reusch, an unexpected reunion. Submitted photo

FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue Area Garden Club is honored to announce it chose a most inspiring young academic and community leader to receive this year’s merit scholarship.

Join them in congratulating Moriah Reusch, a bright 2023 graduate of Mt. Blue High School and National Honor Society member with an exceptional passion for the environment. The scholarship will support her as she embarks on her academic journey this fall at Carleton College in Minnesota to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies.

Moriah developed a deep love for the outdoors and an abiding desire to protect our environment growing up here in Western Maine. She spent countless hours on varied activities including hiking, canoeing, Nordic skiing, cross-country running, and assisting her parents in their geology research. Her dedication and leadership at the intersection of science and environmental preservation is evidenced in her work with the Sunrise Movement, and Inspiring Girls Expeditions, along with many other impressive endeavors.

In July, Mt. Blue Area Garden Club members were privileged to meet Moriah at their most recent private garden tour. All were excited to hear about her varied experiences and passion for protecting the environment, striving to reverse the effects of climate change, and seeking ways to create a fairer, safer future for all our planet’s citizens.

One surprise that evening was discovering that, when she was in second grade, Moriah planted flowers along with her schoolmates on an outing led by long-time member and Treasurer, Marion Hutchinson as a part of Mt. Blue Area Garden Club’s civic beautification efforts at Farmington’s historic Franklin County Courthouse and the Teague WWI Memorial Arch. What a charming and unexpected reunion!

Marion Hutchinson and Moriah Reusch discovered they met many years ago.

The Mt. Blue Garden Club is proud to recognize and invest in such a promising local mind. They wish Moriah every success in her college career and beyond and are confident she will have a positive effect on our planet’s future!

Every year, Mt. Blue Area Garden Club awards scholarships to locals graduating seniors going on to study: Horticulture, Botany, Forestry, Agriculture, Ecology, Hydrology, Ecological Preservation, Landscaping, Masonry, Natural Resource Management, and other gardening-related programs. To learn more about our annual scholarship program, visit www.mtbluegardenclub.org.