The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs Steiner Scholarship Funding Proposal https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2012/the-waldorf-school-of-saratoga-springs-steiner-scholarship-funding-proposal https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs Steiner Scholarship Funding Proposal

Additional Information
Used for	We would use the money to maintain the Steiner Scholarship for our three current recipients while providing the opportunity for additional minority students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to attend The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. Our ultimate goal is to educate these children through their high school years, thereby fostering each student’s ability to achieve his or her highest goals academically, spiritually, and culturally.
Benefits	The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs holds the belief that through education, we can work to improve the world one child at a time. The Steiner Scholarship makes it possible for a minority student from a family with minimal financial resources to receive a unique and diversified academic experience during the critical middle school years. Feedback from the parents and students benefiting from our minority scholarship has shown us that this program has significantly improved the quality of their lives.
Proposal Description	On behalf of the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, we would like to once again gratefully acknowledge your most generous gift last year of 10,000.00, which we used to establish our Steiner Scholarship. It was and has remained our heartfelt intention to create and maintain a scholarship program that would increase minority accessibility to The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. Waldorf education has as its foundation the work of Rudolph Steiner who held deeply to the belief that education should be accessible to all. We are delighted to be able to share with you that we now have three Steiner scholars and awareness of this unique scholarship continues to grow throughout our community. The Steiner Scholarship is awarded to each recipient for three consecutive years which allows for the completion of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades as long as the student remains in good standing. Middle school years are often a time of struggle and challenge both socially and academically. It is our belief that by providing this scholarship opportunity during these critical years, we can inspire a love of learning and provide a nurturing and supportive environment for personal and academic development. We can think of no better way to convey the value of funding for our Steiner Scholarship program than to share with you a glimpse of our current Steiner scholars. In 2011, we awarded our first Steiner Scholarship to a young girl named Mahogany. Mahogany had just completed the fifth grade at a local elementary school. She was bright, hardworking, a good student and a gifted dancer. Her mother was unemployed and struggling to raise two children when she learned about our scholarship. Mahogany is now in her second year here and is truly an asset to her class and school. Her family is very grateful for this opportunity and has spread awareness of the Steiner Scholarship to many of their friends within the Saratoga community. In the spring of 2012, we made a connection with a wonderful single father named Robert. His daughter, Sakeenah was entering the sixth grade at our local, public middle school, which currently serves over 2,000 students in grades 6-8. Over the course of the summer, we had the privilege of meeting with Robert and Sakeenah on several occasions. From the beginning, we knew in our hearts that Sakeenah was exactly the kind of child we were seeking for the Steiner Scholarship. It was clear to us that a Waldorf education would provide Sakeenah with opportunities for her future that might otherwise be lost. She is a perfect fit with her class and every time we see her, she is smiling. Sakeenah was an average to slightly below average student at her previous school. Here, she is excelling in all her classes and is learning to play the violin and speak French! A week before school began this academic year, we were contacted by the Rodriquez family to inquire about whether their son Jacob could submit an application for the Steiner Scholarship. Jacob is the fourth born of five children originally from the Dominican Republic. He was struggling socially and academically at his local school and began a homeschooling program. As luck would have it, Jacob was a perfect fit for the sixth grade and is our third Steiner Scholarship recipient. Jacob is very kind-hearted and passionate about serving others. His love of learning is being fully supported here and he has many made solid friendships with his classmates. Both of Jacob’s parents are currently enrolled in school trying to build opportunities for themselves and their children. They hope one day to send all of their children to our school. Many of these families exist at the poverty level and would be unable to afford any type of private education for their children. Our initial goal of providing a scholarship for one child per year has been exceeded and we are turning away prospective recipients due to funding challenges. We estimate that the cost of educating our three current recipients will be a minimum of $36,000.00 annually. Our ultimate goal is to award a new scholarship each year and to carry all of our recipients through graduation from our Waldorf High School; thus, sustaining and expanding this scholarship initiative is critical. We are asking for a $50,000.00 grant from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation to expand our minority scholarship program. The Waldorf School is self-supporting through our own tuition revenue and fundraising. As a result, we operate under a very tight budget. Unfortunately, without additional funding, it is not likely that we will be able to expand our minority scholarship. This would be devastating for us. If we received this grant funding, we would continue to actively promote awareness of our scholarship throughout the Saratoga Springs community. We are very pleased that we have been able to bring these wonderful students to The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. On a personal note, the work I have done on behalf of the Steiner Scholarship has been the most rewarding work during my years as the Enrollment Director. It is deeply gratifying to look around each time our students gather and see our diversity growing each year. Thank you for supporting and partnering with us on this incredible journey. Respectfully submitted with gratitude for your consideration, Anne Maguire Enrollment Director The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs