Conard senior goalie Lilly Grose was awarded the annual scholarship.

Lilly Grose received the West Hartford Youth Field Hockey scholarship for 2024. Courtesy photo

By Ronni Newton

Conard senior Lilly Grose has played field hockey since elementary school and all four years in high school where she captained the team as senior, she has coached younger players, and she has shown leadership and community involvement – and she has now been awarded West Hartford Youth Field Hockey’s annual scholarship for student-athletes.

Grose, who will attend Skidmore College next year, received a $1,000 scholarship, West Hartford Youth Field Hockey President Cathy Callahan and Vice President Jen Smith announced.

West Hartford Youth Field Hockey noted that that Grose started playing field hockey in the league in third grade, and went on to play all four years at Conard – the last three of those years as a member of the varsity team and was captain as a senior. “She has helped coached in our mini sticklettes program, and helped with our goalkeeper clinics,” Callahan and Smith said in the announcement of Grose’s award.

Lilly Grose makes the kick save with a Cheshire attacker closing in. Conard vs. Cheshire field hockey. Oct. 15, 2022. Photo credit: Paul Palmer (we-ha.com file photo)

In addition to her involvement with field hockey, Grose has been involved in the Conard community, serving as chair of the graduation committee for the Senior Class Board, and is a member of the National Honor Society, French National Honor Society, and the club “Letters to Rose.” She has been part of the “Day in the Life” event at Conard, and outside of school has participated in a psychology study for Hartford Hospital, and with Yale University for “brain games.”

“In her essay describing how she displayed sportsmanship, leadership, responsibility, and integrity on and off the field Lilly stated so many wonderful things she has done on the Conard team,” Callahan and Smith said.

Some of what stood out in the essay, they said, were the following statements Grose made:

• “To this day, the friendships that I made while on the team will be something I will cherish forever.”
• “Becoming part of the Conard field hockey team also allowed me opportunities to help out in my community and become the leader that I am today.”
• “My growth as a leader and opportunity to show the youth league team what Conard field hockey was about further proved itself, when I was voted team captain this year. As a captain I organized a summer camp, pasta parties, dress up days, and helped to set up fundraisers.”

The award was presented to Grose on Tuesday, March 19.

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