Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Five Milwaukee Public Schools students and 10 of the district’s teachers are among the winners of the 2024 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation awards. In all, the foundation announced 304 award recipients from across Wisconsin on Tuesday, March 19.
Winners of the Student Excellence and Student Initiative Scholarships are awarded $10,000 for demonstrating academic excellence and initiative and displaying a broad range of activity and leadership in their community.
Teacher Fellowship awards of $6,000 are presented to teachers who were nominated for their leadership and service in and outside the classroom. They also were chosen for their ability to inspire a love of learning and to motivate their students, the foundation said in its awards announcement.
“Herb Kohl believed that education is the key to the future of Wisconsin and our nation,” said JoAnne Anton, president and CEO of Herb Kohl Philanthropies. “That’s why he invested in and prioritized awards that recognize students, teachers, and principals who demonstrate incredible hard work, achievements, and service. We hope this year’s awards help this impressive group of recipients in their individual pursuits today so that they pay it forward in the future. We call that the Herb Kohl Way.”
Herb Kohl, the former U.S. senator, philanthropist, and businessman who died December 27, 2023, established the Kohl Foundation award program. His foundation has given nearly $38 million to Wisconsin educators, principals, students, and schools since 1990.
Congratulations to all the Kohl Foundation award winners from MPS!
2024 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Student Excellence Scholars
Rachel Pollock, Milwaukee School of Languages
Alexa Romero, Reagan College Preparatory High School
2024 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Student Initiative Scholars
Aylicia Byrd, Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning
Areonna Mitchell, Groppi High School
Nirjala Patel, Bay View High School
2024 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellows
Ana Celia Baez, South Division High School
Brandt Champion, Reagan High School
Darrell Hubbard, Vincent Accelerated Academy
Jennifer Janes, Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts
Maegan Rivera, Thoreau School
Jonathan Rutter, Milwaukee Sign Language School
Kimberly Shields, Ninety-Fifth Street School
Nicholas Sprague, South Division High School
Marjorie Struck, Riverside University High School
Carlotta Tyler, Transition High School
Each year, the award winners are chosen by a statewide committee made up of civic leaders and representatives of education-related associations and the program’s co-sponsors.
The committee includes members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, regional Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA), the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators, and the Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association.