VAIL — A Vail middle schooler is the fourth recipient of Vail Mountain School’s Taft Conlin Scholarship.
Felix Gruner is currently an eighth-grader at Homestake Peak School. He will enter VMS as a member of next year’s freshman class.
The Taft Conlin Scholarship was created in 2014 and is awarded every other year to an incoming freshman. The scholarship provides full tuition at Vail Mountain School each year until graduation.
Gruner was chosen from a record number of applications from schools up and down the valley.
“I’m excited to welcome Felix to our community. He has distinguished himself through exceptional academic achievement, his work mentoring fellow students, and his engaging personality,” said Michael Imperi, VMS head of school.
Gruner follows fellow Taft Conlin scholars Sergio Rodriguez, Lauren Dirvonas and Kevin Garcia.
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Gruner was named Red Sandstone Elementary’s “Student of the Year” in fifth grade and has taken an active role in his community mentoring younger children in reading, volunteering at the Kids Adventure Games and helping supervise physical education classes.
The scholarship was created in Taft Conlin’s name by his parents, Dr. Louise Ingalls and Dr. Steve Conlin, as well as by significant contributions from the community and other members of Taft’s family.
“We established this scholarship to create opportunities for students who truly stand out, young men and women who will thrive in college and probably appear on the cover of Time magazine someday,” Ingalls said. “Our goal is to open doors for kids who will take full advantage of the learning and networking opportunities that exist at VMS. The school has been a launch pad for countless individuals who not only do well in their careers, but who also do good in service to others. For us, this is Taft’s legacy. He will live on through the positive effects that the Taft Conlin scholars will have on their local and global communities.”
