May 9, 2024

Owen Borden – 2024 MCSF Recipient


“Owen Borden is in a class of his own. His dedication to personal growth helps everyone around him grow. I feel extremely lucky to have taught him but more importantly to know him. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

– Nina L Kearns, Highlands High School Psychology Teacher


“It was only one month after I moved to Fort Thomas when I first noticed a blue ribbon fastened around a tree trunk. But it wasn’t just one. I saw several of them in many different colors and on more than trees; they were on porch columns, store fronts, and stop signs. Then school started and girls were wearing them in their hair, students had them on their backpacks, and teachers wrapped them around desks. I was so impressed with how many people were involved with what I guessed to be some city tradition. I’d soon learned the true significance of these ribbons, the story of Michelle Chalk. They were a testimony to Michelle’s impact on others and the love of a community-come-together to honor her life.”

– Owen Wilson, MCSF application essay


“Being selected as a recipient of the Michelle Chalk Scholarship means continuing to keep alive the love, joy, and compassion that made Michelle who she was. It means being part of honoring and celebrating the contributions Michelle made to the community of Fort Thomas. What’s especially amazing about being an MCSF recipient is how it shows the impact Michelle has on others even beyond life. It is because of Michelle’s passing that I first felt a part of the Fort Thomas community after moving here only a month earlier, and now I feel her support again in the form of this scholarship as I prepare for college and beyond.”

– Owen Wilson, May 26, 2024