MISSOURI STATE PTA SCHOLARSHIPS

Missouri PTA leaders and members must encourage and assist outstanding young people to enter the teaching profession.  Unit and council gifts are the means by which the State Scholarships grow and endowments to students perpetuate, affording Missouri Public Schools exceptional teachers .  Therefore, Missouri PTA is relying on members to continue support of the Missouri PTA Scholarship Program by taking the following actions:

• PROVIDE LOCAL PUBLICITY – Ensure that members and school staff are knowledgeable about the State PTA Scholarship Program.  The PTA Office will provide you with scholarship pamphlets upon request and the Scholarship Chairperson can arrange for additional informational opportunities.
• ENCOURAGE SELECTION OF A SCHOLARSHIP CANDIDATE FROM YOUR COMMUNITY – High school principals and counselors receive a plethora of scholarship opportunities through the mail, hence, it is imperative that high school unit presidents maintain communication with the counseling staff.  Please call their attention to the PTA Scholarship Announcement flier and application packets mailed to qualified high schools in December.  Additionally, high school unit presidents should promote the scholarship at PTA/PTSA meetings and ensure that the program is advocated at Student Council meetings.
• PROMOTE ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT – Scholarships are awarded, contingent upon the availability of funds.  PLEASE cause the Missouri PTA Teacher Education Scholarship Program to become a line item in your annual budget, to ensure that an outstanding young person realizes their goal of becoming a Missouri Public School teacher.  Donations to the Missouri State PTA Scholarship Program are an excellent means of honoring someone special, by making an endowment in his or her name.

Students apply for the State PTA Scholarships, completing the application form that is provided to high schools, whose districts contain at least one (1) PTA Unit in good standing.  Completed application packets are mailed to the State PTA Office, by school staff, postmarked no later than the 15th of February.  The Missouri State PTA Scholarship Committee selects scholarship recipients.

Current State PTA Scholarships are:

• The Caroline B. Ullmann Scholarship—established in 1923 to honor Mrs. William Ullmann of Springfield, who was the President of Missouri PTA at that time.
• The Dillard A. Mallory Scholarship—established in 1962 by Dillard A. Mallory, who was the former superintendent of Dallas County R-1 Schools (Buffalo School District).  This scholarship is awarded to a student preparing to teach social studies.
• The Irma G. Detjen Scholarship—established in 1967 by Mr. C. Wheeler Detjen in memory of his wife, Irma Detjen, President of Missouri PTA from 1952-1955.
• The Helen B. Maupin Scholarship—established in 1992 by former trustee and chairman of the scholarship program, Helen B. Maupin, to help deserving students become teachers.

Questions may be directed to the Missouri PTA Scholarship Committee Chairperson, listed in the Missouri PTA magazine, CONTACT, and on the State PTA website.