Dec 27, 2011 3 min read

The Community Foundation of Greene County recently announced that a new scholarship has been established to benefit students graduating from Mapletown High School in the Southeastern Greene School District.

The Darlene Phillips Elementary Education Scholarship Fund was recently established by Darlene Phillips’ husband, David Phillips, and her family.

In starting the scholarship fund, David Phillips said, “We hope this fund will preserve Darlene’s memory and the many children whose lives she touched. The scholarship will help others who wish to continue school and become elementary teachers.”

Darlene Phillips was a teacher at Bobtown Elementary School at the time of her death.

A graduate of Carmichaels Area High School, she received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from California University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree at West Virginia University. She also attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she obtained her principal’s certification and was working on a doctorate of education degree.

According to her husband, Phillips loved to teach and be around children. She had a special spot in her heart for all children. She was often inspired by her students as much, if not more than, she inspired them. Many of the preschool children she taught went on to become teachers because of her inspiration.

The Darlene Phillips Elementary Education Scholarship Fund will provide a $1,500 scholarship to a senior student showing dedication to the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in the field of elementary education. While the scholarship award will be announced in May of the student’s senior year at Mapletown, the actual scholarship will be distributed following the student’s successful completion of their first full year of college.

The first scholarship award will be announced at an awards ceremony at Mapletown in May.

To apply for a scholarship, students must be a current student of the Southeastern Greene School District, with at least one full year of instruction received at a Southeastern Greene elementary school and graduating from Mapletown High School in 2012. The student must be accepted as a full-time freshman student for the 2012-2103 academic year at an accredited four-year college or university with the intent to pursue a degree in elementary education.

Additionally, the student must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 during the last four years, have participated in extracurricular activities and have a strong attendance record during high school, with no compulsory attendance violations.

Students applying for the scholarship must submit one letter of recommendation from either a teacher, administrator or extracurricular and sponsor, along with the approved Community Foundation scholarship application form and all other required attachments by April 1.

Copies of the scholarship criteria, the scholarship application form and required attachments will be available at the guidance counselor’s office at Mapletown High School, as well as on the Community Foundation’s website at www.cfgcpa.org/scholarship.

Darlene Phillips, a daughter of Merle and Pearl Shaffer, was married to David “Cecil” Phillips for 14 years and had one son, Garrett, whom she spent a lot of time teaching about history and the importance of a good education and studying. In addition to her husband and son, she had three brothers and a sister with whom she was very close.

The Darlene Phillips Elementary Education Scholarship Fund is one of more than 50 permanent and restricted funds held by the Community Foundation of Greene County, a nonprofit charitable organization. For more information about the scholarship or the foundation, call 724-627-2010, email cfgcpa@gmail.com, or visit online at www.cfgcpa.org.