June 17, 2005

ESD NEWS BRIEFS

ETA awards five $500 scholarships

For the past 20 years, the Evergreen Teachers Association has offered scholarships to college-bound seniors who once attended Evergreen School District schools.

With money orders in hand, five excited 2005 recipients of the Evergreen Teachers Association’s annual scholarships are (from left) Christine Hwang, Margaret Rudy, Rachel Ruggiero, Natasha Susoev and Rahul Guttal.

This year ETA granted five $500 scholarships to Evergreen residents Rahul Guttal, Christina Hwang, Margaret Rudy, Rachel Ruggiero and Natasha Susoev.

One of these 2005 scholarships honors a former Evergreen educator, Alan Haydis, who taught music appreciation in Evergreen schools for many years. It’s given to a student who exhibits a passion for the arts.

Rahul Guttal
Rahul Guttal, who attended Chaboya Middle School and Silver Creek High School, was this year’s Alan Haydis scholarship recipient. He plays piano, guitar and trumpet and started a band at Silver Creek.

Even though he intends to study physics at UC Berkeley, he says, “I practice every day—music is part of my life.” He may go into engineering one day, but he’s keeping his options open and may work towards a master’s degree and a doctorate first.

Natasha Susoev
Natasha Susoev, who attended Evergreen Elementary School, Chaboya and Silver Creek will be heading to UC Santa Barbara this fall to study business economics, with a minor in history.

“This is special scholarship for me because I was in the Evergreen School District kindergarten through grade eight,” says Susoev, who may also obtain a teaching credential. In addition to the ETA scholarship, she recently obtained a $2,500 scholarship from Windermere Properties.

Christine Hwang
Christine Hwang plans to use her unexpected $500 scholarship to buy the books she’ll need at UCLA. Although she has not declared a major, she’s got her eyes on a pre-med curriculum, with a focus on psychology.

The local Elks Lodge and the Hawaiian Elk Lodge also awarded her scholarships totaling $900. Christine attended Norwood Creek Elementary, Quimby Oak Middle School and Mt. Pleasant High School while living in Evergreen.

Margaret Rudy
For Margaret Rudy, the $500 ETA scholarship was a pleasant surprise, especially since she wants to become a teacher. She will use the money to help pay for books or tuition at UC Berkeley, where she plans to study English and psychology. Locally, she attended Norwood Creek, Quimby Oak and Mt. Pleasant.

Rachel Ruggiero
The $500 ETA scholarship was Rachel Ruggiero’s first. In the fall, she will be heading to Cal Poly, majoring in liberal studies. She attended Millbrook Elementary School, Quimby Oak, and Archbishop Mitty High School.

“I hope and pray that I’ll be fortunate enough to come back and teach in this district,” says Ruggiero. “That would be my dream. I’m honored to be the recipient of this award.

Selection process
Four ESD teachers—Diane Clemmensen, Debbie Markus, Andy Schorr and Jean Schorr—comprised the scholarship committee. They interviewed several qualified applicants and evaluated them based on their academic plans and career goals, financial need and community service.

“The Scholarship Committee continues to be impressed while interviewing these fine former Evergreen students,” said Jean Schorr. “The applicants often share a special memory while attending school in the Evergreen School District. These memories have included a favorite classroom activity, a fun school event, participation in leadership and sports. Many talk about a special teacher who inspired them.”

ETA raises the money for these scholarships each year from See’s candy sales, an administrator’s golf tournament and personal donations from teachers.