The Robin Ellison Scholarship is established in honor of a Nordic skiing enthusiast and coach from the Upper Valley. Robin Ellison, a born nurturer and motivator, was a school counselor at three school districts in Vermont and fostered young cross-country skiers as a coach in Vermont and New Hampshire. He had a positive effect on everyone who worked or skied with him.
While a student at Hartford High School in 1973, Robin and his friends Gary Trachier and David McKenney shared a love of Nordic skiing and sought to expand their practice range beyond a half-mile high school loop. To this end, Gary got permission from longtime Hartland resident Henry “Bunny” Merritt for the three to use the trail that Mr. Merritt had made for his daughter Jessica. This was the acorn that has grown into the current Hartland Winter Trails system.
People who were lucky enough to know Robin point out the traits that made him an exemplary person. He was able to uncover what another person’s true gifts were. He had a powerfully positive hand in the course of many lives. He taught and encouraged people to “swim upstream” against the chaos in their lives. He had an unerring capacity to motivate and encourage others to further understand and love themselves. He declined a more lucrative job opportunity, preferring to be a school counselor because he felt that nearly all teenagers need help and support at some time during those challenging years. Robin had an underlying philosophy of inclusion: he was open-hearted and ever kind, especially to the least among us.
It is with Robin’s spirit in our minds and hearts that Hartland Winter Trails is happy to be able to help remove financial barriers for Hartland residents as well as residents of Hartford, Woodstock, West Windsor, and Windsor up to age 18 who want to learn about and pursue Nordic skiing. Each year a designated amount of money will be made available and applications will be reviewed based on need until those annual allotments have been used up. Applications for up to $300 per person will be accepted on an ongoing basis, starting October 15th and ending March 1st. Please see the application form for more details.