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
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