AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

The Alliance administers awards & scholarships to acknowledge excellence among educators and students:

Principal Awards & Scholarships 
The Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence

Teacher, Librarian, and Counselor Awards & Scholarships
The Margaret Covey Award
The Philip P. Swain Excellence in Education Award

Student Awards & Scholarships
The Linda Howard Scholarship
The Nicholas Sherburne Scholarship
The Philip P. Swain Student Scholarship

PRINCIPAL AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

The Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence – Back to Top

The Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence was established by the Alliance for Education in honor of the late Thomas B. Foster, a prominent Seattle attorney and senior partner of the firm now known as Foster Pepper. Mr. Foster exemplified excellence in his profession during a career which spanned the last half of the 20th century. Mr. Foster also enthusiastically supported the vision of excellence for the Seattle Public Schools championed by the late Superintendent John Stanford.

Award Description
The purpose of the Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence is to annually recognize and honor an outstanding Seattle middle, K-8, or high school principal exemplifying excellence. The selection process considers principals’ commitment and effectiveness in the following areas:

• Improvement in student achievement, as measured by MAP (Measure of Academic Progress), other District standardized tests, additional District performance standards; or other measurements as they may be adopted from time to time;
• Leadership and team building, reflected in staff and student satisfaction;
• Innovation in educational and administrative techniques;
• Leadership participation in school-wide and district-wide initiatives;
• Prudent and creative use of resources.

The recipient of the Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence is surprised at his or her school by a “prize patrol” with a check of $50,000 for his or her school. In addition, he or she is formally honored at the Alliance for Education’s Annual Community Breakfast in the spring.

Award Process
For more information on this award, please email saracircelli@alliance4ed.org or call 206-343-0449.

Past Recipients
Year 1999-2000: Stephanie Haskins, principal, Madison Middle School
Year 2000-2001: Eric Benson, principal, Nathan Hale High School
Year 2003-2004: Ruth Medsker, principal, Mercer Middle School
Year 2005-2006: Princess Shareef, principal, Meany Middle School
Year 2006-2007: John Boyd, principal, Chief Sealth High School
Year 2007-2008: Kaaren Andrews, principal, Madrona K-8
Year 2008-2009: Phil Brockman, principal, Ballard High School
Year 2009-2010: Ted Howard, principal, Garfield High School
Year 2010-2011: Jeff Clark, principal, Denny International Middle School

Year 2011-2012: Jill Hudson, principal, Nathan Hale High School

TEACHER, LIBRARIAN, AND COUNSELOR AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

The Margaret Covey Award – Back to Top

The Margaret Covey Award, funded by family members through an endowment, has been established to honor Mrs. Covey, who was an outstanding teacher in the Seattle Public Schools for over 30 years. She spent her years as an educator at Gatzert, Gatewood and Brighton elementary schools and particularly enjoyed teaching reading and math. Margaret Covey had a passion for learning and a commitment to children that she maintained throughout her life.

Award Description
The Margaret Covey Excellence in Teaching Award is given on an annual basis to a Seattle Public Schools library that exemplifies the qualities and values that distinguished Margaret Covey’s teaching career. A stipend of $1,000 accompanies each award, and it can be used at the librarian’s discretion.

Award Process
This award is issued at the Covey family’s discretion.

Past Recipients
Year 2008-2009: Hawthorne Elementary Library
Year 2009-2010: Van Asselt Elementary Library
Year 2010-2011: Dearborn Park Elementary School

The Philip P. Swain Excellence in Education Award – Back to Top

The Philip B. Swain Excellence in Education Award, funded by family and friends through an endowment, has been established to honor Mr. Swain, who was a passionate advocate for public education throughout his life. He devoted 20 years of public service to these efforts, including 14 years as a member of the Seattle School Board (1961-1975), helping to steer the Seattle School District through challenging times.

Award Description
The yearly award is historically given to up to three educators in Seattle Public Schools who exemplify the qualities and values that distinguished Mr. Swain’s years of community stewardship. In 2012, because of the high quality of the nominees, the award was extended to six educators. Teachers or counselors are nominated based on the following criteria:

• Teachers/counselors in grades 6-12 who have taught for at least three years;
• Teachers/counselors from schools where, for at least two of the past three years, the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-lunch is 40% or higher;
• Teachers/counselors who inspire a love of learning in students while helping them reach their highest academic potential;
• Teachers/counselors who play a leadership role with their peers in fostering a professional learning community, in which teachers are encouraged to learn from one another through coaching, study groups, peer critique and collaborative problem-solving;
• Teachers/counselors nominated by colleagues, principals or other Seattle Public Schools administrators, with strong encouragement of collaboratively developed nominations.

A stipend of $1,000 accompanies each award, and may be used for continuing professional development, for travel associated with such development, for classroom projects or for personal purposes. The recipients are honored and presented with their awards at the Alliance for Education’s Annual Community Breakfast in the spring.

Award Process
For more information on this award and the application process, please contact rachel@alliance4ed.org or 206-205-0322.

STUDENT AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

The Linda Howard Scholarship – Back to Top

The Linda Howard Scholarship Fund was established in the memory of Linda Howard who provided many years of dedicated service to the Seattle School District. It is the wish of her family and friends that an award be made each year in the amount of $1,500 to a graduate of the Seattle School District who is satisfactorily progressing towards a degree at a college or university within the state of Washington.

Award Process
This award is temporarily inactive. For more information on this award and the application process, please contact rachel@alliance4ed.org or 206-205-0322.

The Nicholas Sherburne Scholarship – Back to Top

The Nicholas Sherburne Scholarship Fund was established in the memory of Nicholas Sherburne whose life was cut short in 1995. Nicholas showed great promise at Franklin High School and was very involved with the Academy of Finance. It is the wish of his family and friends that an award be made each year in the amount of $1,000 to a graduate of Franklin High School who has been an active participant in the Academy of Finance program and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Award Process
For more information on this award and the application process, please contact rachel@alliance4ed.org or 206-205-0322.

Past Recipients
Year 2006-2007: Kristie Koda, Franklin High School
Year 2008-2009: Amanda Tran, Franklin High School
Year 2007-2008: Lisa Ly, Franklin High School
Year 2009-2010: Jeffrey Lau, Franklin High School

The Philip P. Swain Student Scholarship – Back to Top

The Philip B. Swain Student Scholarship, funded by family and friends through an endowment, honors Philip Swain, a passionate and lifelong advocate for public education. He devoted 20 years of public service to these efforts, including 14 years as a member of the Seattle School Board (1961-1975). On the School Board, he provided valuable leadership and guidance to the district. It is the wish of his family and friends that an award be made each year, subject to availability of endowment earnings, in the amount of $1,000 to a graduating senior in Seattle Public Schools.

One $1,000 scholarship is awarded per year and is renewable for three additional years upon maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and a one-half time class load.

Award Process

Qualified applicants can apply for the Swain Student Scholarship online by establishing an account at theWashboard.org. Or, download this form (PDF) and mail to the Alliance's offices, or email to rachel@alliance4ed.org.

For more information on this award and the application process, please contact rachel@alliance4ed.org or 206-205-0322.