WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Westco Productions. June 10, 2008: Seniors from White Plains High School and Port Chester High School have been selected as this year’s recipients of “Sonny Katz Scholarship Fund” awards from Westco Productions, the White Plains-based non-profit professional theater company. The awards will be presented on Saturday, June 21, at 11:30 am, during the organization’s Awards Brunch at The North End restaurant, 577 North Broadway in White Plains.
Deborah Villalba , White Plains High School 2008
Michelle Altmann, Port Chester High School, 2008
The recipients, Deborah Villalba of White Plains and Michelle Altmann of Port Chester, both plan to pursue college-level studies in the performing arts. Each will receive $1,000 to use in order to further their studies. The award recipients were chosen through an application process which included talent auditions judged by performing arts professionals.
The scholarship fund is named in honor of the late Seymour “Sonny” Katz, who was a founding member of Westco’s Board of Directors. Sonny also was well-known throughout Westchester County for his 37-years of service as City Marshal for the City of White Plains. He was a graduate of Port Chester High School.
Members of the community are invited to attend the event. Tickets are $50, and can be obtained by contacting Westco Productions at (914) 761-7463. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund, and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Michelle Altmann is graduating from Port Chester High School and has been dancing since the age of five. She has worked with choreographers who danced with Jose Limon Dance and Paul Taylor Dance. She performed in “The Nutcracker” at SUNY Purchase, the Knicks pre-game show at Madison Square Garden, and has participated in the annual Dancers Respond to AIDS benefit show for four years. She is a member of the award-winning Westchester Dance Academy. She plans to major in dance performance in college.
Deborah Villalba is an honors student at White Plains High School. She is an experienced flautist. She is assistant director of the Youth Choir at St. Bernard’s Parish in White Plains, and a member of the Westchester Brassmen Drum and Bugle Corps in Harrison. Deborah has a fine lyrico-spinto soprano voice and plans to pursue opera and music. With the high school choir, she performed in an African-American Spiritual Concert at Penn State University.
Scholarship fund co-chairs are Westco Board of Directors members Sarina Russell and William Van Vlack.
The awards will be presented by last year’s winners, Kirsten Smayda and Helen Hess, both White Plains High School graduates.
