What's New With Dollars for Scholars?

Our chapter is always working on behalf of local students. Check out this page for an ongoing look at student, chapter and community news -- plus events and other ways you can get involved!

EXCITING NEWS!!!!

Scholarship America and Fastweb have teamed up to offer a great new service to students -- now, registered student users of ChapterNet can opt in to match to Fastweb's 1.5-million-scholarship database with just a couple of clicks! This new partnership is great news for both organizations -- and offers your students a major new reason to sign up and keep visiting your chapter website. To see what students from your chapter are doing, see the report called Fastweb results.

Students who log into their "My Scholarships" page will see a new section, "Scholarship America Partner Scholarships." They'll be able to click a "Fastweb Scholarships" button and opt in; once they do, they'll see a listing of current scholarships in the Fastweb database that they can apply for right away! The more they complete their profile and check back on the site, the more scholarships they'll see.

     

IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE!!

For the scholarship year 2016-2017, the date for applications for St. John-Endicott Schools' Foundation is earlier than normal.  Senior applications as well as continuing ed applications are due on line no later than March 1, 2017.  College transcripts are due no later than April 1, 2017. 

NEW ENDOWMENTS!!

Dean Dechenne was born and raised in the Ewan area, graduating from Ewan high school in 1938.  While in the service, he met Billie Heiney.  After returning home from the service, they were married in 1946.  Dean and Billie farmed and ranched together for over 50 years while raising their three children, Karen (St. John Class of 1966), Tom (St. John Class of 1969) and Patti (St. John Class of 1977).  After retiring , they moved to St. John and currently reside in town.  Thank you, Dean and Billie, for supporting our students!

 

Gary Trunkey graduated from St. John High School in 1956.  His brother, Roger, was a 1962 graduate of our school.  Both men went on to careers with the Washington State Patrol, each earning the rank of lieutenant.  Following their passing, their brother, Donald, started building an endowment to honor their memories.  With his contributions and donations from others, this endowment is now fully funded and will be available in 2016.  Preference will be given to students planning a career in the medical or law enforcement fields.  We are humbled to be able to honor them. 

 

Donna Marie Flatt earned her B.A. and teaching certificate from Eastern Washington University.  She taught first grade at St. John Elementary School with passion and enthusiam for more than 20 years.  Upon retirement, she continued teaching by volunteering with an adult English as a Second Language program in Spokane, WA.  Her daughter, Regina, a 1988 St. John High School graduate, and her husband Christopher have established this endowment to honor her mother.  This scholarship preference will be for a student with academic achievement and school activities involvement whose career will be in education or related fields, ie early childhood development.  It will be a joy for us to remember Mrs. Flatt with a scholarship each year, beginning in 2016.

 

 SPECIAL ONE-TIME SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED!  YOU CAN HELP.

We are excited to announce a new scholarship that was awarded to a 2013 graduating senior.  This is a need based scholarship that is renewable for 3 more years with an award of $2500 each year for their four years of college.  We applied for, and received, a $5000 matching grant from Dollars for Scholars.  This scholarship was awarded to 2013 graduate Gretchen VanLith.  Gretchen is attending Whitworth University.   As this is a four year scholarship, we are still needing funds for our part of the match!   

This is also an opportunity for you to make a donation to the Foundation specifically to help us fund our $5000 match.  Just indicate 'grant match' on your check or when you make a donation through PayPal and we will apply it to this "Light the Fire" scholarship.    We are continuing to accept donations to this grant match and need your support.

 

MEET SOME ST. JOHN-ENDICOTT HIGH SCHOOL GRADS!

Gretchen Van Lith, 2013 SJE graduate, recently completed a summer internship with Schweitzer Engineering Labs in Pullman, WA.  She is a senior this 2016-2017 year at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA.  Gretchen was the recepient of our Light the Fire scholarship so we have been able to help her all four years of her college.  We are proud of you, Gretchen. 

 

Hello, my name is Erin Schuster and I am a 2011 graduate of SJE.  I currently attend Washington State University and am pursuing a degree in Interior Design and Construction Management.  I hope to someday be able to use these degrees to design and build homes and repurpose old and abandoned buildings.  While in high school I was very active in extra circular activities and sports and I have been lucky enough in college to be able to continue to participate in athletics.  I am currently a member of WSU Women's Varsity Rowing team.  I am honored to have received several scholarships from the St. John-Endicott Schools' Foundation, which have been extremely beneficial in allowing me to continue my education here at WSU.  I am so grateful to the donors and friends of the foundation who provide me with their continuing support.  It means a lot to know that I have a community who cares about my success and my dreams. 

          

 

Hello - my name is Kim Kile Jorgensen and I graduated from St. John-Endicott High School in 1995.  From there I went on to study nursing at Washington State University.  I was accepted in the Washington State University, Intercollegiate School of Nursing in 1997.  In May of 1999, I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.  I started working at Deaconess Medical Center in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as a registered nurse.  I married Shane Jorgensen in March of 2003 and we had our first child Brooke in November of 2004.  I continued to work in the NICU until 2007 when I started working for Providence Sacred Heart in the Pediatric Surgery Center.  I provided pre and post op care to children ages 0 to 17.  In October 2007 we welcomed our second daughter Addison into the world.  In the summer of 2008, I accepted an Assistant Nurse Manager position on the Birth Place at Providence Sacred Heart.  While in this position I was able to use not only my nursing skills, but my leadership skills as well.  I thoroughly enjoyed being in management and in 2010 was able to return to my true love in nursing, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as an Assistant Nurse Manager.  I currently hold this position at Providence Sacred Heart and truly love it.  I get to provide nursing care to the tiniest of patients and help to lead and grow our NICU.  Nursing has been a wonderful career and I have had many opportunities for growth over the last 14 years.  I am very happy with my achievements thus far and hope to have many more wonderful years in nursing. 

 

Hello - my name is Blaze Burnham.  I grew up in St. John and lived two miles south of Pine City with my father, Mike, mother, Dixie, and sister, Kasey.  From this I gained the much-needed perspective of living in a farming community.  I graduated from St. John High School in 1988.  Basketball and the inherent nuances of leadership in environments of intensity, rising from the basketball experience, became a significant life passion.  I played college basketball in Walla Walla Community College.  I then attained a BS in Nursing at the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education through Eastern Washington University, and later earned a MS in Nursing from Gonzaga University.  I worked at Whitman Medical Group in Colfax, Washington as a Nurse Practitioner for twelve years until my passion led me to the Athletic Director position at the Liberty School District.  I will continue to work as a NP in the Spokane Valley one day a week.  I am also pursuing my PhD in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University.  I attribute my love for people, landscape and the divine possibilty of the human heart to my wife and children, Cheri, Match, Chase and Maisie.  My wife Cheri is a bright shining star in the sky of loving and purposeful wives.  My children are gifts from God, and with their joy they heal the world.  The St. John-Endicott Schools' Foundation Dollars for Scholars is a fantastic and much needed resource for the graduates of the wonderful St. John-Endicott high school and I am personally grateful for all that they have done for me. 

Hello - my name is Kelly Van Lith.  I graduated from St. John-Endicott High School in 2010, and headed to Gonzaga University in Spokane.  I was undecided about what to study; however, after a few months in my first sociology class, I fell I love with studying, reading and writing about things like gender, race and inequality.  I declared sociology as my major.  In my senior year at GU, I spent a large chunk of my time working on an independent research project about college men, masculinity and emotional vulnerability.  I had opportunities to present my findings at conferences.  These opportunities taught me what it means to plan, organize and execute an independent project. It taught me the importance of perseverance and the requirement of effort when it comes to carrying out a project I personally believe in.  I am very grateful that I have been able to attend college, to develope my skills and interests, and to participate in some great activities along the way.  I know this would not have been possible without the support I have received from my family and friends, as well as the support I have received in the form of scholarship dollars from the St. John-Endicott Schools' Foundation. I am very thankful for the way the foundation supports not only individual students, but for how it recognizes and reinforces the value of education in our community. 

Karl Scheuerman graduated from St. John-Endicott High School in 2000.  He attended college at the Air Force Academy, and after receiving his commission he served the Air Force as an intelligence officer where his assignments took him to Maryland, Texas, Turkey, Afghanistan and Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, WA.  He now works as a civilian at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA and continues to  serve in the Washington Air Nation Guard.  He is married to Sara and they are the proud parents of two children.