The Mineral Point Unified School District is proud to announce Middle/High School Instructional Media Specialist and Middle School Reading Teacher Kris McCoy’s, along with Class of 2018 Senior Haakon Schriefer’s, Herb Kohl Fellowship and Scholarship applications have advanced out of CESA #3 and have been forwarded to the state level for consideration.
McCoy and Schriefer will have their applications read by the state selection committee at the end of January. The announcement of the winners will likely be made public in March.
The Kohl Teacher Fellowship program recognizes and supports teaching excellence and innovation in the State of Wisconsin with the goal of supporting teachers in the pursuit of their unrealized goals for their classrooms or professional development. The 100 Herb Kohl Fellowship recipients and the 100 schools of those teachers will each receive a $6,000 grant and will be recognized at a spring banquet. Fellowship recipients are chosen for their superior ability to inspire a love of learning in their students, their ability to motivate others, and for their leadership and service within and outside the classroom.
The purpose of the Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship program is to recognize student leadership, citizenship, school and community involvement, and academic achievement. It is the goal of the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation to encourage Wisconsin youth to pursue post-secondary education in a public or nonpublic university, college, or vocational/technical college. The Foundation awards $10,000 scholarships to 100 Wisconsin high school graduates each year. Students will be evaluated on their leadership, citizenship, school and community involvement, and academic achievement. In addition, students will be evaluated on their ability to clearly articulate goals in each of four areas: future educational goals, personal life goals, community/society service goals, and career goals.
Representatives of the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, CESAs and Milwaukee Public Schools, the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, the Wisconsin Parents Association, and state education-related associations serve on the State Selection Committee.
“Being nominated for a Kohl Fellowship is a great honor,” said Mineral Point Superintendent Luke Francois. “I consider it one of the most prestigious recognitions available to teachers in the state of Wisconsin because nominees are nominated by parents and colleagues. It is simply a recognition of the great work that many teachers do, but often without notice.”
“In addition to Mrs. McCoy’s duties as a Middle School/High School I&T and Library Specialist, she also teaches 8th grade reading,” said Middle School Principal Vickie Dahl. “With our large class size we created another reading section and Mrs. McCoy agreed to teach the class along with a section of RTI. Mrs. McCoy also started a Middle School activity (Maker’s Club) so Middle School students would have an opportunity to participate in an after school activity. I am impressed with Mrs. McCoy’s work ethic and dedication to her students! She is a valuable asset to our school district and community.”
The Kohl Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship program was established by Herb Kohl, U.S. Senator (Retired) in 1990.
“Education is the key to the future of Wisconsin and our nation. I am very proud of the accomplishments of these students, teachers, and principals and look forward to the great contributions they will make in the future,” Kohl said.
To date, the Kohl Foundation has awarded $7,400,000 to 2,800 teachers through the Fellowship Award and $4,300,000 to 2,800 students through the Excellence Scholarship.
Past Mineral Point recipients of the Herb Kohl awards at the state level include:
Student Excellence: Marsha Bingham, 1991; Christopher Marr, 2004.
Student Initiative: Sarah Janke, 2002; Cory Sokol, 2005; Sierra Gunderson, 2011.
Teacher Fellowship: Bonnie Laverty, 1997; Matt Nevers, 2017.