Current Student-Teacher Scholarship Winners!

Hi there! My name is Monique Westaby and I graduated in 2006 from Lake Holcombe Public School. I have an amazing 8-year-old boy, love taking pictures, and have too many pets and chickens to count. After graduation, I went on to UW-Eau Claire to earn a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature. I was then hired at a local newspaper where I spent many nights at school board meetings followed by many days in our local schools taking photos and writing articles advocating for the amazing opportunities rural schools offer our youth. After resigning from the newspaper, I chose to pursue my Masters in Elementary Education, and am now completing my student teaching at my alma mater - Lake Holcombe. I cannot advocate enough for the positive impact a rural school has on its community and the future of their students. I am so proud and honored to help instill the same values I learned at this school nearly two decades ago, into future generations coming through these doors. It doesn't matter where you come from, you are capable of anything, and rural schools prepare you for just that. Our school motto says it all: "We are a small school that makes a big difference."

Hello, my name is Katelyn Schmitz. I grew up on a family dairy farm outside of Cashton. I was a student at the Cashton School District until I graduated in 2020. After graduating High School, I attended Western Technical College to get my associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. Then, I transferred to Viterbo University to complete my Elementary Education degree with an Early Childhood Education minor. I find that a rural school setting offers a more relaxed and comfortable feeling. I admire how closely knit the people in the community are with one another, and I want the opportunity to have close interactions with each student I teach and their families. My student teaching semester is flying by because I am having fun and learning a lot at Bangor Elementary! I will be looking forward to finding a job in a rural school in the upcoming months.