The Ed. Foundation awarded $500 scholarships to two seniors at Paul D. Schreiber High School based on academic excellence and academic goals, officials said.
Gabrielle Sanft received the 2016 Ed. Foundation Scholarship and Shannon Rybecky received the Don Schaefer Scholarship on June 8.
Officials said recipients are selected by a committee of Ed. Foundation board members based on essays submitted by applicants describing their involvement in technology, engineering, robotics or related subjects.
Rybecky was the first recipient of the Don Schaefer Scholarship, which was endowed last year by an anonymous donor through the Ed. Foundation to honor Don Schaefer, a retired technology teacher, said the foundation president, Paula Whitman.
“When Mr. Schaefer retired after many years as a technology teacher at Schreiber, this was the perfect way to honor his legacy as someone who made an enormous difference in the lives of so many students,” Whitman said. “In addition to his classroom teaching, Mr. Schaefer served as the advisor of the Robotics Club, which was supported with many grants from the Ed. Foundation over the years. Under his leadership, it grew into a thriving club that competed against other high schools, and recently hosted competitions at Schreiber.” Whitman said.
Rybecky, who will attend Clemson University in the fall, was chosen based on her passion for technology which embodies the values that Schaefer imparted to his students throughout his many years as a teacher, Whitman said.
Rybecky said she has been involved with engineering and robotics, both in and out of the classroom, and that her coursework in technology affected her study of art.
The Ed. Foundation Scholarship is awarded annually to a college-bound senior. Candidates submit their applications along with an essay describing how the Ed. Foundation has impacted their educational experience in Port Washington. Students can write about specific grants, programs, projects, or any other ways in which they have been touched by the organization.
An evaluation committee of board members reviews the applications and essays and awards the scholarship to one student each year.
Whitman said Sanft was selected based on an essay about her experience with the Dallas Brass grant.
The foundation, in partnership with Sheri Suzzan, director of creative arts for the Port Washington schools, was able to fund a day of music education and performance with the Dallas Brass.
While applying for the award, Sanft said that working with professional musicians had a significant impact on her decision to major in music at Syracuse University and pursue a career as a musician.
According to its website, the Ed. Foundation is an independent, nonprofit community-based organization that supports initiatives beyond basic educational needs to enhance and expand educational opportunities for all students in the Port Washington School District.
