A committee of teachers at Mount Anthony Union High School, in conjunction with the family of the late Renate Wheelock, has formed to create a scholarship fund for graduating seniors in honor of the influential history teacher.

The idea for the scholarship arose out of a conversation between Social Studies Department Chairman Steven Coggeshall and Wheelock’s husband, Alan, shortly after Renate’s death on Jan. 2.

Coggeshall proposed the idea to Alan and other members of the Wheelock family, and, according to Coggeshall, “They were very receptive. … Alan contacted me, and said (the family) wanted to donate money.”

The recently formed committee met at MAUHS on Wednesday to discuss the criteria for scholarship recipients, a task that quickly became more complex than Coggeshall bargained for. “It’s a lot more complex than I thought it would be. … What the language of the scholarship will be, what are the criteria for the candidates. … It’s trying to combine everything that makes this so difficult,” said Coggeshall.

Committee member Elizabeth Stevenson, a social studies teacher at MAUHS, said, “We called (Renate) a Renaissance woman. … That’s part of what makes it hard to decide. … How do we put all of these qualities into something concrete?”

Deborah Jennings, a veteran home economics and health teacher and close friend of Wheelock’s for more than 30 years, echoed Coggeshall’s sentiments. “It was very, very hard to come up with this magic list of qualifications and find an 18-year-old that embodied those,” said Jennings, who said the committee was struggling with how to do justice to Wheelock’s many remarkable qualities.

“Her humanness is so hard to explain,” said Jennings. “She emanated professionalism and kindness, and exuded enthusiasm for everything in the world with all around her,” especially world cultures.

Wheelock traveled to many locations around the world, but was passionate about China, and designed a curriculum for China studies in Vermont.

“She was a visionary for travel and learning about other cultures long before it was fashionable,” said Jennings.

Another question the committee must answer is, what type of student will receive this award? Coggeshall said that, at present, the committee is looking for someone who has demonstrated leadership qualities and is involved in the community, a nod to Wheelock’s commitment to civic engagement. Additionally, the committee is seeking a student who has a strong interest in history and political science, particularly in international affairs.

Coggeshall said that in his discussions with the Wheelock family, they had expressed their preference for the scholarship to be awarded to a student who wanted to pursue education as a career.

At the committee’s next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 7, Coggeshall said that, in addition to the scholarship criteria, the group of teachers would be investigating the type of bank account they want to set up for the fund, as well as where those interested in contributing could send donations.

At the moment, very little about the scholarship is set. But according to Coggeshall and Stevenson, that will change in the coming weeks.

“It should be someone with a vision of how they can impact the world,” said Jennings, “someone who has a thirst for learning and appreciation of everyone’s differences.”

This entry was posted by Taman Siswa on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at 6:10 am and is filed under Education News, Scholarship. Tags: Education News, Scholarship, Student, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.