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UKIAH – Nineteen years ago Wade and Mary Lou Koeninger had an idea. They wanted to recognize the students’ achievements at Hopland Elementary School and motivate them to get their high school diploma.
Their idea addressed students who not only weren’t finishing high school but also didn’t have a vision or plan for their future.
“We created a scholarship program that was all about student success and encouraging them with recognition so they’d graduate with a high school diploma and a plan for their future,” said Wade Koeninger.
Today that scholarship program, which has been in place at the Hopland Elementary School since 1989, has joined forces with the Mendocino College Foundation.
“Wade is a familiar face at the Foundation,” said Kathy Lehner, Mendocino College superintendent/president. “He has actively served on the Mendocino College Board of Trustees for the past 16 years and we are very grateful for his generous donation as well as his vision to initiate this program.”
“It is the perfect partnership,” said Wilda Shock of Lakeport, immediate past president of the foundation and the person Wade credits as having inspired him to partner with the foundation. “By bringing the Koeninger Elementary School Achievement Award into the foundation, we hope to attract and inspire other philanthropists, so that eventually every elementary and middle school in the Mendocino-Lake Community College District will have a program that motivates its students to graduate from high school and attend college.”
Mark DeMeulenaere, foundation director of development explains the mechanics of the program.
“Each year Hopland Elementary School faculty and its staff select a motivated fifth grade student who has shown dedication and promise for completing high school and entering college. The Koeningers have created an endowment where the foundation awards a selected student with a check for $25 and a certificate stating that a scholarship for $1,000 is available providing the student obtains a high school diploma and enrolls for at least one full semester as a full-time student in Mendocino College. If the student completes high school but does not enroll in college, a prize of $500 is awarded.”
“First, you need to inspire them while they are young, so they see their path and stick to it,” observed Mary Lou Koeninger. “Second, money is important. Our vision was to empower the students and their parents to concentrate on the goal of graduating from high school.”
The Koeninger Elementary Achievement Awards have helped nearly 40 students over the past 18 years. Close to ninety percent of the students selected complete high school.
“It has been a wonderful program,” enthuses Donna Wilsey, Hopland Elementary School secretary and administrator for the Koeninger Achievement Awards program since its inception. “By choosing fifth graders, we give them a chance to think about their future, knowing that college is a real possibility. They leave Hopland Elementary as sixth graders and when they come back to visit after high school graduation, suddenly they’ve grown up and know what they want to do. It’s very rewarding to watch the recipients grow and mature.”
Anyone interested in sponsoring a similar Elementary Achievement Awards scholarship program is invited to contact the Mendocino College Foundation at 467-1018.
The Mendocino College Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation comprised of a dedicated team of volunteer community, education and business leaders who live and work in the Mendocino-Lake Community College District. Its mission is to cultivate support and raise funds for the benefit of the students of Mendocino College. These funds are used to support the College’s vision of delivering innovative educational programs, focusing on student success and contributing to the vitality of the region.
