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Chelmsford High School Alumni Association



NANCY S. OVITT
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Established 2004 

Awarding Criteria:  
Will be awarded to a graduate of CHS who has completed a Bachelor’s degree program and has been accepted into or is currently enrolled in a graduate degree program in the field of education.

Nancy Stoughton Ovitt was born on September 27, 1925 in Plattsburgh, New New York to Ernest and Jeannette Stoughton. Nancy led an idyllic childhood childhood in the small town of Plattsburgh and, at the age of seventeen, started seventeen, started her higher education at Plattsburgh State College, and earned her B.S. in home economics.

After Nancy graduated from college, she started teaching in Cooperstown, N.Y., where she taught junior high home economics. Later on, she taught in Long Lake, New York where she met and married Sherwood Ovitt and had a daughter, Candace, in 1952. Afterward, Nancy took a few years off from teaching before resuming her career in 1956 at Groton High School. Nancy transferred to Chelmsford High School in 1959, and subsequently moved to Chelmsford where she stayed the rest of her working life.

While at Chelmsford High, Nancy served as class advisor three times, in 1966, 1971 and 1992. She especially enjoyed participating in the CHS Faculty plays, which supported scholarships to Chelmsford High School seniors. Even though Nancy was at retirement age, she earned her master’s degree in the mid-eighties, giving up two summers to attend class at Fitchburg State College. On September 10, 1988, at the age of 63, Nancy received her Masters of Education.

Affectionately known as “Mother Ovitt,” Nancy had a passion for teaching and bettering the high school experience of her students. She never failed to praise hard- working students and always lent a hand to those who needed help. Her co-workers remember her with great fondness, recalling her great sense of humor and upbeat attitude. Nancy had a long teaching career that spanned 42 years, and finally retired in 1993 at the age of 67. For the rest of her life, she traveled and spent time with her family, especially her two granddaughters, Jennifer and Allison. Nancy died in her home on November 21, 2002, surrounded by friends and family.

The family of Nancy S. Ovitt is proud and humbled to honor her memory through this scholarship, which is established to encourage students to pursue a goal of teaching through continuing higher education. The family and CHS Alumni Association are happy to present this award to the student who through hard work, perseverance and a drive to succeed at Chelmsford High School, demonstrated a desire to continue to achieve academically.