Shorewood honors new scholarships; alumni speak about impact on college and careers
Summary
At the April 29 Shorewood School District meeting the board recognized new and existing scholarships, including a newly funded Michael O'Donnell Memorial Scholarship and longstanding Robert Shaw and Philip Gross family scholarships; alumni recipients described how the awards affected their education and careers.
During its April 29 meeting the Shorewood School District recognized scholarship awards to graduates and heard alumni describe how those awards affected their college choices and careers.
Principal Tim Kenny introduced alumni speakers and thanked the community donors who support local scholarships. The board highlighted a newly established Michael O'Donnell Memorial Scholarship—district staff said that donors John Redden and Mindy Burke, members of the Shorewood Class of 1963, worked to raise close to $25,000 to seed an annual award of $1,000 and a copy of Daniel H. Weiss's book Michael O'Donnell and the Tragic Era of Vietnam. Administrators said a plaque honoring O'Donnell will be placed in the district arts building later this summer.
Administrators also reviewed two long‑standing awards. The Robert Shaw Scholarship, established from the estate of Shorewood alumnus and television playwright Robert Shaw, was described as providing awards spread over four years for multiple recipients. The Philip Gross family scholarship was described as an endowment that expanded in 2019 to support four recipients with a $20,000 award over four years.
Three alumni who had previously received district scholarships spoke to the board about how the awards affected their paths. Sydney (last name Betty in transcript) described graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison debt‑free and said the Robert Shaw award "allowed me to graduate from UW Madison debt free at a time that my family was not in a position to support me financially." She said the scholarship gave her flexibility to pursue public‑interest work, return to Wisconsin to coach mock trial and to serve in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Alumnus Izzy Tassie, a 2017 graduate, said the scholarship "took a lot of the financial burden off of school" and allowed him to choose early career work for experience rather than pay. He described working as an EMT in Milwaukee for nearly five years and said those experiences aided his admission to medical school, where he is now studying.
Freshman Haley Stevens, a 2024 graduate and Robert Shaw recipient, said the award eased the indirect costs of college—moving, books and lab fees—and allowed her to take research and fellowship opportunities at Marquette University.
Principal Kenny told the board that scholarship awards may be disbursed either directly to the student to cover indirect costs or sent to the university at the student's request; administrators said the district offers that flexibility to avoid inadvertently reducing eligibility for other institutionally applied aid.
Board members and attendees applauded the alumni and thanked donors for their support. The district said further details about selection trustees and award timing would be posted when finalized.
