2026 Scholarships Announced

The Marblehead Festival of Arts is proud to announce the 2026 scholarship recipients: Stanislav "Stan" Almeda, Sara "Sadie" Beane, and Quinn Scheib.

Stanislav "Stan" Almeda

Stan is a Marblehead High School graduate going on to study music and finance at The University of Massachusetts Lowell. Stan worked hard both inside and outside the classroom, having participated in the school concert band and math team; made the All-American Fencing second team; rose to a second bassoon chair in Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestra; worked with and mentored younger students, and completed many hours of community service through Marblehead Recreation and Parks and volunteered at Salem Hospital.

Sara "Sadie" Beane

Sadie is a MHS graduate going on to study fashion design at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City.  Sadie has challenged herself not only academically but athletically and socially to create a lasting impact on my community beyond Marblehead High School. She was a member of the National Honors Society, National Spanish Honors Society (Ojala), and National Social Studies Honors Society (Rho Kappa) while maintaining a High Honor Roll for the duration of high school.  Four of her paintings were exhibited in past festivals in Abbot Hall that received Outstanding Work awards. 

Quinn Scheib

Quinn is a Marblehead High School graduate going on to study filmmaking at Syracuse University. Quinn says that he found his voice through film and media. Over the past four years, he has strengthened his video production skills both in school and through projects outside the classroom. Each project has shown him how powerful film and storytelling can be and how it can help people feel seen and share experiences that matter. Balancing academics, athletics, and filmmaking hasn’t always been easy for him, but Quinn says that his experience as a track athlete has strengthened the discipline he brings to his creative work and taught him how to train with consistency, stay focused on long-term goals, and keep showing up even when progress feels slow. That same persistence matters in filmmaking from revising an edit again and again to pushing through setbacks on a shoot.

Since 1986, the Marblehead Festival of Arts has awarded scholarships to high school seniors who reside in or attend schools in Marblehead, and who are pursuing higher education in visual arts, performing arts, crafts, music, or drama. The Festival’s objective is to encourage students interested in pursuing the arts professionally to acquire a sound academic grounding in their chosen fields. The scholarship is awarded annually. The winners are recognized at the Awards Ceremony held just before the Festival begins.