Under the artistic direction of Marcy Plavin, who has taught dance at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ for almost 30 years, an ensemble of approximately 20 student dancers will present a diverse series of pieces in a performance titled If You Dance, They Will Come. According to Plavin, “The show has a very eclectic feeling.”

The 12 works, some lighthearted and others considering more profound issues, include In Blind Sight, a silent celebration of communication with the hands, choreographed by ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ sophomore Carrie Noel of Denver, Colo., and Girl, inspired by the romantic misadventures of the friends of choreographer, senior Lyndsey Tangel of Clinton, N.Y. Also included in the show are a number of guest choreographer works, including Necklace of Breath, a circus of hip hop, modern breakdancing by the New-York based Doug Elkins, as well as piece set to Finnish music by Ram Island dancer Gwyneth Jones and a work about movement with percussion accompaniment by Kerry Updike, a member of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ class of 1997.

For more information, call the Schaeffer Theater Box Office at 207-786-6161.

The endowed ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College Class of 1997 Scholarship Fund, established last May by the 1997 graduating class, gives preference to children of hourly employees in secretarial services, Facility Services, custodial services, Security and Dining Services.

Gousse, a senior at Lewiston High School, will use his $500 scholarship to help defray the cost of tuition at Wyoming Technical Institute of Technology, where he will study business and automobile body repair and custom painting. He is the son of Dan and Diane Gousse of Sabattus and Kathy and Donald Arsenault of Lewiston. Arsenault, Gousse’s mother, is secretary to the dean of admissions at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.

Houston, a senior geology major at the University of Maine, will use his $500 scholarship to help finance a three-week geology field trip to the Himalayan mountains in June. He is the son of Joan Houston, a secretary in the Facility Services department at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, and Homer Houston of Poland.

The Class of 1997 Scholarship Fund was established through the traditional Senior Gift effort undertaken by each graduating class at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. The Class of 1997 raised $19,000, the largest Senior Gift ever, which was matched by Dr. Helen A. Papaioanou, a 1949 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ graduate and college trustee. Seventy percent of the class participated in the gift effort, also a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ record.

In announcing the gift last spring, Senior Gift chair Stuart Abelson of Andover, Mass., said the fund is an expression of gratitude. “We are very pleased to honor those who befriended us and contributed so positively to our ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ experience. We hope that this fund reminds everyone who works, learns, and teaches here that what is most important about ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College is ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ people.”

The Class of 1997 Scholarship Fund supports a broad range of learning opportunities, including tuition support for secondary or post secondary education at the institution of the designee’s choice. Eligibility for a Class of 1997 scholarship is limited to children of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ staff with priority given to hourly employees in secretarial services, Facility Services, custodial services, security and dining services. Nominations for scholarships are directed to a committee composed of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ employees that makes one or more scholarship awards annually.

The Ruggles Scholars Program was established through a generous gift from Robert T. and Francine Ruggles, the parents of Anne Ruggles Parisier ’83, M.D.

Lee, a studio art major who is also pre-med at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, plans to use the $1,000 scholarship grant to purchase art materials for the completion of his senior thesis, an exhibit in which he hopes to create large-scale collages that use unrelated items. He also enjoys working with mixed mediums, including painting, drawing and etching.

Fully engaged with his artwork, Lee has also considered a career in medicine. “I’ve been thinking of medical illustration,” he said.

Lee learned of his award just prior to his departure for a semester abroad at the University of Tasmania in Australia, where he will study photography, painting and sculpture. “I went to Australia with my family when I was 8 years old,” he said, “and I promised myself that one day I would go back.”

Donald Lent, Charles A. Dana Professor of art and visual culture, has taught Lee in two courses. “Tim is one of the best students of drawing I have had at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½,” he said. “He has shown great ability in drawing, but also is very inventive, very capable of coming up with fresh ideas in his work.”

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½’ assistant dean of admissions Dean A. Jacoby nominated Lee for the Ruggles Award. Jacoby, who met Lee through his recruitment efforts for the college, developed an enormous respect for the student and his family. “Tim watches his environment and reacts, shaping it in careful, subtle ways. He uses his talents of perception and thoughtfulness to connect the unrelated,” he said.

“That’s Tim’s vital importance to a community attempting to increase the breadth and differences of its make-up, its offerings and its resources while still graduating people who are able to see larger commonalities.”

A dean’s list student at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, Lee is a 1993 graduate of West High School. He is the son of Timothy and Suellen Lee of 1120 Second Ave.

The goal of the Ruggles Scholar program is to recognize exceptional undergraduate achievement and to offer encouragement and incentive to further cultivate this record of merit. Last year’s first Ruggles Scholar was Nancy Bullet of Auburn, Maine.