Bartlett grad to study forensic science and art at Assumption

BHS 2012 graduate Kellie Powers

Text and photos by Steev Riccardo

Webster - Bartlett High School class of 2012 graduate Kellie Powers has been one busy young lady the last few years so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that she is already planning a big course load when she enters college this fall.

Powers has a very impressive resume as she prepares to attend Assumption College in Worcester this September, where she plans to major in forensic science and minor in art.

The academic wiz kid was in the top five of her class academically, a major contributor in National Honor Society community service, a sports star in all three seasons, heavily into art, and in addition to all that, also had time to work 10-14 hours a week in the local grocery store.

Powers, who grew up in Webster in a unique household of quadruplet siblings (sister Emily and brothers Dan, Sean, and Colin) whom she described as “normal,” attended Webster public schools her entire life and also goes to St. Louis church, where she is a member of the choir.

Her grades have always been exceptional throughout her school years.  She attributes a lot of that to her mother, who works as an instructional assistant at Bartlett.

“My Mom did a lot in college; she helped me with my grades. She went to college for so many years and got a teaching job and it made me want to do better than that. She has a master’s degree she was going for a doctorate but never finished.” 

Powers is also proud of her contributions to the National Honor Society where she was very active on many counts. “We do a lot of community service. We work a lot with the Middle School and have events like Family Fun Night, Winter Wonderland, we also did Community Harvest in Douglas”.  She also took part in a thirty-hour famine to raise money for hunger through St. Louis church.

When she started attending Bartlett Junior Senior High School in the seventh grade, she quickly discovered that sports were one of her immediate passions.

Cross country is her “favorite sport” and is something that she said she became progressively better in as the years went by, and found it also to be a way for her to escape.  “I don’t like the physical contact of other sports. Running relieves stress and calms me down. It’s one of those things I do after school to calm down.”

She became a captain her junior year and held that title this past year as her hard work paid off and she came in eighth in the District playoffs, something that she is very proud of.

Powers attributes a lot of her success on and off the track to her long time coach Rebecca Bergin. “Mrs. Bergin was a really big influence on my life.  She helped inside and outside of school since the seventh grade.  She was there when ever I needed to talk and she pushed me really hard in school and in cross country.  It’s going to be sad saying goodbye.”

Powers also became a captain on both her indoor and outdoor track teams her senior year and was always in the mix in both the mile and two-mile run, events that she excelled in.

One of her other passions is art and she attributes another teacher, Rebecca Osborn, for helping her interest grow. “Mrs. Osborn was a really great teacher. She taught me a lot. She is really one-on-one and she really helps you improve your art work a lot.”

She attributes this growth in art as a reason she plans to focus on it as a minor in school to go along with her forensic science major. which is one of the many reasons she picked Assumption.

“I chose Assumption because they have the Consortium, so if they don’t have all the classes for my major, I can go to the different schools. I know Anna Maria is one of the schools in the Consortium and they have a great criminal justice program so I will probably take a couple classes there as well.”

“It’s a great campus and they have a great science program and having the girls that I know there will be really great.”  These girls that she speaks of are fellow Bartlett graduates Alicia Garamy and Meghan Dwyer, who will also be attending the Worcester college.

“Assumption is also close geographically so I can stay close to home and that will make a big difference.  I’m probably going to live there for the first year and make some friends and then commute the next year to save money.”

Even though she will miss Bartlett and Webster, she knows it’s time to move on. “I think it will be good to leave and see new faces and be in a new area.”

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