12 Win Excellence in Education

KC, LN Students Among 46 in Kalamazoo County

Excellence in Education scholarships will be awarded to 12 Kalamazoo Public Schools seniors.

Excellence in Education recognizes the top-achieving high school seniors from Kalamazoo County’s public and non-public high schools. This year, 46 seniors were selected for the honor, which comes with a $1,000 scholarship. Each student was also asked to name an educator who significantly impacted their K-12 education. Student scholarship recipients and their designated educators will be honored at an April 17 event.

Dr. L. Marshall Washington, president of Kalamazoo Valley Community College will be the guest speaker at the event on April 17 at WMU’s Fetzer Center.

The Excellence in Education program has also awarded eight Educator Incentive Grants. The grants provide funding for teachers and administrators in Kalamazoo County schools to explore new ideas to enhance teaching styles, motivate and inspire their students.

“The Kalamazoo area has a long history of educational excellence and innovation, so it is fitting that we continue the tradition of honoring those practices through the Excellence in Education program,” said committee chair Keevin O’Neill, superintendent of Vicksburg Community Schools.

The Excellence in Education program is a collaboration among all Kalamazoo County public and non-public schools, local foundations, education groups, and the business community. Using a model developed in Battle Creek under the leadership of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the program was designed in 1986 to focus community attention on the academic and professional excellence of graduating high school seniors and educators within Kalamazoo-area schools.

The Excellence in Education program is supported by a permanent endowment established at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. Funding for the endowment was raised through the leadership of the Monroe-Brown Foundation, with strong support from local foundations, businesses, organizations and individuals.

For more information, please visit the Excellence in Education webpage at kresa.org/exined.

Below is a list of the KPS student scholars and their significant educators:

Allie Al-Faraj

Kalamazoo Central High School

Parents

Christine and Ali Al-Faraj

College

University of Michigan

Major

Chemistry

Significant Educator

Mark Cardwell

Hannah Glass-Chapman

Kalamazoo Central High School

Parents

Amy Glass and Ross Chapman

College

Undecided

Major

Comparative Literature and East Asian Language & Culture

Significant Educator

Colleen Chapoton

Mei Lanting

Kalamazoo Central High School

Parents

Ashley and Steven Lanting

College

Undecided

Major

Computer Science

Significant Educator

Linda Lee

Kevin Mehta

Kalamazoo Central High School

Parents

Alpa and Sandeep Mehta

College

Michigan State University

Major

Pre-Medicine

Significant Educator

Tia Hohler

William Shaw

Kalamazoo Central High School

Parents

Susie and Brandon Shaw

College

Kalamazoo College

Major

Computer Science

Significant Educator

Rex Hafer

Suja Thakali

Kalamazoo Central High School

Parents

Surendra and Binu Thakali

College

Undecided

Major

Chemistry

Significant Educator

Valerie Krzewski

Tess Cowles

Loy Norrix High School

Parents

Julie Renner and Greg Cowles

College

Undecided

Major

Film

Significant Educator

Jameeka Johnson

Carter Eisenbach

Loy Norrix High School

Parents

Elizabeth Eisenbach and Jim Escamilla

College

Kalamazoo College

Major

Chemistry

Significant Educator

Matthew Porco

Robert Isacksen

Loy Norrix High School

Parents

Sue Ellen and Bob Isacksen

College

University of Michigan

Major

Computer Science

Significant Educator

Colleen Chapoton

Will Keller

Loy Norrix High School

Parents

Donna and Robert Keller

College

Kalamazoo College

Major

Biology

Significant Educator

Patrick Greeley

Thomas Outinen

Loy Norrix High School

Parents

Mary and Mark Outinen

College

University of Michigan

Major

Engineering

Significant Educator

Anne Lewis

Christian Zehner

Loy Norrix High School

Parents

Monica and William Zehner

College

University of Michigan

Major

Computer Science

Significant Educator

Matthew Porco