2023 Foundation Scholarships
The Waukee Community Schools Foundation is announcing several changes for the 2023 Foundation Scholarship Program. “The Foundation started as a Dollars for Scholars program in 1996, so we have a long history of recognizing outstanding Waukee seniors and giving them a helping hand as they leave our district and begin their post-secondary plans, whatever those may be,” said Adrianne Towe, Executive Director of the Foundation. “Our Board of Directors believes this year’s changes honor our history, but also align with the evolving needs of our district as a whole.”
The Foundation has committed $10,000 to the Scholarship Program in 2023. Ten students in the Class of 2023 will receive $1,000 each. “This is a change from previous years, but we are proud of the fact that the Foundation Scholarship Program is still one of the largest scholarship programs available to Waukee students,” said Towe. “As a K-12 education foundation, our primary investment is win the K-12 experience, so it’s our responsibility to direct the largest possible investment into the local K-12 classroom experience.” With a growing district and changing needs, the Foundation opted to reserve the highest possible dollar amount for investment in current students, educators, employees, and classrooms. The reduction in scholarship dollars is not a reduction in overall impact spend, but a realignment of the spend.
The Foundation will also omit the student-submitted application process and move to a WCSD employee nomination-only process. Employees within the school district will be asked to nominate students for the Scholarship Program and nominees will interview as their full engagement with the process. “We believe district employees are the best selection committee to help identify students who need this scholarship,” said Towe. “Our Scholarship Program continues to focus on the positive impact a student makes, rather than grades, and we are excited to move to a nomination-only first step as part of our ongoing effort to prioritize character and classroom engagement as the primary qualifier for the process.”
Nominations for the 2023 Foundation Scholarship Program will open January 1 and close January 31. The Foundation Scholarship Committee will review all submissions and invite finalists for an interview in March. Award winners will be notified in April.
Nomination forms may be found here: https://www.waukeeschoolsfoundation.org/senior-scholarships