On behalf of the Elmbrook Education Foundation, congratulations to the 2013 EEF Lancer-Spartan scholarship recipients and a sincere THANK YOU to all of our wonderful community partners that provide the financial support to the Foundation's Community-wide Continuing Education Scholarship Program. Best of luck to the entire Elmbrook Class of 2013!
Background: In 1958, three $500 scholarships were awarded to Brookfield High School students by a volunteer group of parent and community members. It has since grown into a community wide scholarship program made possible through the generosity of honorary/memorial funds, community groups, businesses and school PTOs. Having the EEF administer the program helps ensure that the greatest number of seniors can be honored by our community each year. The EEF takes great care to select recipients that meet the criteria provided by scholarship sponsors. Over $1,000,000 in scholarships has been awarded to Elmbrook's graduating seniors through the Elmbrook Education Foundation.This past May, thirty-one students from Brookfield Central and Brookfield East each received a $1500 scholarship during their respective Senior Honors Celebrations (pictured at end of post). All scholarship students were selected based on their commitment to their education, their sincere desire to serve others, and/or their ability to overcome challenges to meet personal goals.
2013 Sponsored Scholarship Awards
• Fotsch Family Foundation: Preston Powers (BEHS), Erin Wachowiak (BEHS), John Scanlon (BCHS), Christina Tang (BCHS)
• Brookfield Rotary Club: Jessica Huang (BEHS), Betsy Zander (BEHS), Andrew Dusing (BCHS)
• WaterStone Bank: Rebecca Bukvich (BEHS), Emily Strack (BCHS), Alina Kozak (BCHS)
• McKinley Masonic Lodge: Lisa Vlach (BEHS), Madeleine Severance (BCHS)
• Brookfield Junior Woman's Club: Molly Protz (BCHS)
• Sharon Lynne Wilson Center: Sreedevi Nair (BEHS), Abigail Susko (BCHS)
• Brookfield Central High School PTO: Abigail Taylor (BCHS)
• Brookfield East High School PTO: Laura Werking (BEHS)
• Pilgrim Park Student Senate: Aliya Manjee (BEHS)
• First Weber Group Foundation: James Bianco (BEHS), Hayley Gray-Hoehn (BCHS)
• Hillside PTO – James Benning (BCHS)
2013 Memorial and Honorary Scholarships
EEF memorial and honorary funds begin as a single donation or a collection of donations and are established to honor someone special for their impact on the Elmbrook School District.
• Holly Christina Stahl 'Love Life' Scholarship: Allison Earl (BCHS)
• Irven Hoesly Memorial Scholarship: Robyn Di Giacinto (BEHS), Katherine Bews (BCHS)
• Jim Briscoe Honorary Scholarship: Clare Casey (BCHS)
• Charles Turner Honorary Scholarship: Carl Hirsch (BCHS)
• Bunnie Koenings Memorial Scholarship: Matthew Post (BCHS)
• Bil Zahn Honorary Scholarship: Jennifer Brostowitz (BEHS)
• Nancy Marsho Honorary Scholarship (Tonawanda PTO): Collin Steen (BEHS)
• Brookfield Woman's Club Honorary Scholarship: Melissa Gustafson (BEHS), Elizabeth Cain (BCHS)
• Dick Cobb Memorial Scholarship Fund – Carly Sobrilsky
Our honorary/memorial scholarship funds are especially meaningful to our students as they provide a long term connection to someone very special who has made, or continues to make, a difference in the lives of our Elmbrook students. For example, Holly Christina Stahl 'Love Life' Scholarship Fund: This scholarship was first awarded in 2011. Holly was a BCHS 2009 graduate who passed away in December of 2010 in a car accident on the way home from college to visit her family for the holidays. She had a sincere zest for life and an indominable spirit. She was always in the front row with an infectious smile raising her hand to help with anything and everything. Her motto was 'Love Life'. She valued her education and worked hard to overcome a reading disability to achieve personal goals. This scholarship is awarded to someone who approaches their life and education with the same passion that Holly did.
Bil Zahn Honorary Scholarship Fund: Bil Zahn personally sponsored this scholarship in 2012 in honor of his retirement after 27 years of service AND in recognition of the excellent education all three of his children received in Elmbrook. The Burleigh PTO is in the process of conducting an appeal in Bil’s honor to continue this scholarship fund. If successful, a Burleigh graduate with a passion for working with children and/or helping their peers overcome obstacles will receive a scholarship in Bil’s honor until his last kindergarten class graduates in the year 2024.
Irven Hoesly Memorial Scholarship Fund: Irv was the first principal of Pilgrim Park Middle School and served in that capacity from 1958-1985. He strong believed that administrators and staff were partners with students and parents in providing an excellent education. He always put the interests of students who showed a passion for their education above all others. He believed in Elmbrook as a critical component of a vibrant community and was committed to sustaining the quality of education here throughout his career. All 3 of his children and 4 of his grandchildren attended Elmbrook Schools.
Jim Briscoe Honorary Scholarship Fund: This endowed fund was established by a single anonymous donor who wanted to honor Jim for his many years of leadership at BCHS as principal from 1996-2002. Jim is remembered as having attended all school functions to show his support of his students. This fund is permanent in that a scholarship is awarded out of the proceeds that this fund generates on an annual basis. This scholarship rewards the development of a successful character above academic achievements.
Charles Turner Honorary Scholarship Fund: This fund was established to honor Charles for the amount of support and encouragement he provided Brookfield Central’s athletes as physical education teacher and coach from 1965-2003 (officially retired in 1989). This fund provides a scholarship to a BCHS student who has been active in track or cross country each year.
Nancy Marsho Honorary Scholarship Fund: This scholarship was first awarded in 2004 to honor the retirement of Nancy Marsho who had been the principal at Tonawanda El for 12 years. Students who attended Tonawanda between 1992-2004 will remember her fondly. Nancy's educational philosophy and belief was always "what's best for kids." She believed in Tonawanda as part of the Elm Grove community. It was at her direction that retirement gifts be donated to the Elmbrook Education Foundation for the benefit of Elmbrook’s students. Tonawanda has pledged support for this scholarship through 2016 when the last of Nancy's students graduate from BEHS.
Brookfield Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund: This fund was established in 2006 when the club disbanded after 62 years of tireless service to our community. The club wanted to do something that would benefit the community for years to come. Given the School District of Elmbrook is a key resource for our community, they decided to donate their reserves to the Elmbrook Education Foundation to fund a scholarship at each High School from 2006-2014.
Dick Cobb Memorial Scholarship Fund: This scholarship was first awarded in 2013 to honor Dick Cobb. One of Dick’s greatest passions was coaching youth basketball. His first team was his son Brad’s 4th grade intramural team through the Elmbrook Youth Basketball program. It did not take long for his reputation for the LOUDEST voice to be known. If you knew him, you realized that he was not yelling, he was just LOUD. This love for coaching naturally led him to the girl’s teams as soon as his daughters Cassie and Lizzy were old enough to play, and he became devoted to the Brookfield Central Jr. Lancer Girls Basketball program. Dick coached teams from 2000 to 2011. During his 12 years with the Girls Jr. Lancer program, he also served as the Coaching Director. His zest for learning led to an extensive collection of basketball materials which helped him develop several coaching manuals for use in the Girls Jr. Lancer program. In addition to coaching, he held clinics for coaches and teams during the season, and also ran summer camps for 2nd – 4th graders. He so loved to teach basketball skills together with life lessons. His players will probably be able to tell you one or two of his “thoughts for the day” that he was known for sharing at practices.
2013 Ramiah Family Foundation ScholarshipsIn addition, the Ramiah Family partners with the Elmbrook Education Foundation to select the recipients of the Ramily Family Scholarships which provide a four year full scholarship to eligible minority students. The following student was awarded the Ramiah Family Scholarship this year: Crystal Lee (BEHS)
Thank you to all of our Sponsors and attendees for helping us bring in over $20,000 on Friday April 12th at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center, titled sponsored byFirst Bank Financial Centre. The focus of this year's event was to support the EEF's $100,000 pledge to support Project Lead The Way in our middle schools.
We would have not achieved such success without our donors, volunteers, attendees, committee members and board members - so a big thank you to all of you! We look forward to continuing our work with the Elmbrook School District to enhance the lives and education of our students. If you were unable to attend our event, please feel free to donate to our STEM Campaign by clicking here. Your support is much appreciated!
A special thank you to Babboni Photography for their continued support of the Elmbrook Education Foundation. Babboni is running a special deal for the EEF, purchase a $49 package and get a $300 value. Must purchase certificate by March 15 and use it by June 29. This is a great chance to take family pictures or get your senior pictures done. Please see the attached information and the Babboni website for more details and limitations. Thanks again for supporting our mission!
