Supporting Education
Supporting Education – an Absolute Necessity
Education is critical to everyone’s future. As part of Rotary’s mission to support our schools, The Rotary Club of Kirkland has programs in place to recognize outstanding educators and to reinforce their efforts in the classroom.
The Club has an Educator of the Year Award that honors outstanding teachers from the Lake Washington School District. Begun in 1989 by then-Club President Dick Weston, the award is designed to formally recognize classroom excellence and dedication.
In 2009, the honorees were:
From Peter Kirk Elementary, KATIE PETERSON. Katie is a music teacher, and has been teaching for 22 years, 13 of those at Peter Kirk.
From Kirkland Jr. High, winner DARCY MORRISEY. Darcy teaches choir and music, and is in her 9th year at Kirkland.
From Lake Washington H.S., winner STEVE ARKLE. Steve has been a teacher since 1973 and at Lake Washington since 1978. Steve teaches English and creative writing.
Legend for Teacher Picture: From left to right: Katie Peterson, Steve Arkle, Darcy Morrisey. Both Photos by Bob Gassen, Humanature Photography
The Rotary Club of Kirkland awards several scholarships to deserving students at local high schools, vocational schools, and community colleges every year. The amount of each scholarship is typically $1,000 to $1,500. Applications are due by February 1 and the scholarship awards are made in early April. Students applying for these scholarships must attend a Washington State institution of higher learning in order to receive the scholarship.
Eight scholarships were awarded on April 26th for a total of $12,000. This year’s recipients were from BEST High School, Juanita High, Lake Washington High, International Community School, Lake Washington Technical College, Lake Washington Technical Academy, and Cascadia Community College. The deserving recipients were Jessica Gutierrez, Amy Kennedy, Eliot Low, Amanda Ly, Ruchi Loomba, Natasha Palatova, and Elizabeth Long. [Don’t have picture caption]
For more information on scholarships, visit the Rotary Club’s website at kirklandrotary.org, or speak with school counselors.