HARDWICK – The Hardwick Academy/Hazen Union Alumni Association awards money to three Hazen seniors each year, and this year they are giving out $1,000 to each recipient. The awards are determined by recommendations from the Hazen faculty.
Hazen Union senior Sadie Gann has been selected to receive both the 2026 Service and Spirit awards. The Service Award goes to a senior who exemplifies service to school, community and country through community involvement, service organizations or independent projects focused on the betterment of others. The Spirit Award is given to a senior who epitomizes being a Hazen Wildcat, a positive voice that lifts others up, encourages school participation and is reliable.
Anderson Williams is the 2026 recipient of the Future Endeavors award. The Hardwick Academy Class of 1955 left the H.A./H.U. Alumni Association with a $12,000 gift, so the Association named their third award the H.A. Class of ’55 Future Endeavors Award. This award is presented to a student who has plans for the future not captured by the traditional path. They may be exploring a technical school or further training, looking to start their own business or need seed funding to help the pursuit of their
The Alumni Association dedicates alumni Spirit and Service awards to honor former alumni. The Spirit and Service Awards in 2026 are dedicated to four longtime Hardwick residents, all of them dedicating most of their lives to the Hardwick area. dreams.
This year the alumni Service Awards honor Art Chase and Wendall Ainsworth, two people who gave their lives to serving this community. Both were born in Hardwick.
The alumni Spirit Awards are being dedicated to the memories of Lorraine Hill and Beverly Pape. Both just recently passed. Hill was 96 when she passed. She was born in 1929 in Danville and attended Walden Schools. She graduated from Hardwick Academy in 1947.
The Alumni Association will honor the students and the four lifelong Hardwick residents at the alumni reunion on June 20.
