Two students were recognized at the regularly scheduled Berkeley County School District board meeting on June 5 for receiving $2,500 scholarships from the BCSD Teacher Forum.
The Teacher Forum is an organization that teams up with the community to generate revenue for student scholarships, forum chair Cynthia Zimmerman said. Over the past year, the forum designed and sold t-shirts and coordinated themed baskets among the schools for a silent auction.
“Last year was the first year that Teacher Forum was able to afford student scholarships,” Zimmerman said. “It is our honor to be here for a second year to award two student scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each. We hope to continue this for many years to come.”
The forum sent scholarship applications to high school counselors, as well as Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers and Teacher Cadet program sponsors, Zimmerman said. Scholarships were awarded based on a scholarship essay.
One of the scholarships went to CTE student Cindy Perez Garcia of Stratford High. She was an active member of her school’s Students in Action Club, which focuses on service, leadership and recognition. Perez Garcia served as the club’s social media coordinator and president.
Throughout her time in Students in Action, Perez Garcia assisted in leading a donation drive for a local women’s shelter, created a food and community closet for her school and attended the Southeastern Behavioral Health Conference. She has also served as a team leader for her church’s special needs ministry.
“Taking a CTE course has helped me develop critical thinking and communication skills," Perez Garcia wrote in her scholarship essay. "CTE classes have helped me become a better leader in my school, and it has shown me that I can make a difference.”
She plans to attend the University of South Carolina to study business administration on a pre-law track, according to her essay.
The second scholarship was awarded to teacher cadet Greta Oswald of Cane Bay High School, who assisted in a third grade classroom at Cane Bay Elementary, Zimmerman said. Oswald served as a teacher cadet in a third grade classroom at Cane Bay Elementary. She was also co-captain of the Cane Bay High tennis team, played the drums for her church’s music worship team and served as a team leader for her church’s special needs ministry.
“As a future special education teacher, this leadership experience has taught me more than words can describe," Oswald wrote in her essay. "I have learned how to gently, intentionally and appropriately communicate with and about my dear friends who are differently-abled."
Zimmerman said the forum leadership was impressed with the talent of the students in the Teacher Cadet and CTE programs.
"Both of these young ladies are leaders in their programs, schools and communities," she said.
