In 1959, the Hazelwood PTA Council Scholarship Foundation formed to provide scholarships to graduating seniors of the Hazelwood School District. In the following years, various fundraising efforts produced more scholarships. In 1976, the PTA Council started its Scholarship Day at Six Flags over Mid-America.
In 1982, the Hazelwood PTA Council began its annual scholarship run/walk. Spearheading its creation were two assistant superintendents, Dr. Francis Huss and Dr. Spencer Hedrick, both of whom enjoyed running. In 2005, 3,677 people participated in the run/walk and it raised $37,568 for scholarships.
Marjorie “Cookie” Schone has been a PTA Scholarship Run/Walk volunteer for the last 25 years. She said she started when she was a new parent in the district.
“I got involved in the run/walk because I was a Girl Scout leader,” she said. “One of my girls’ mothers was on the steering committee. In 1982, Schone said she took several of her scouts as well as her own children to the event.
The following year, she organized buses to take students, parents and staff from her home school, Larimore Elementary, to Hazelwood Central High School.
“I guess that got me hooked,” she said. “I have been there ever since.”
Schone describes herself as someone who has done a lot of the behind-the-scenes work during her years as a volunteer. After her children graduated from high school, she participated in a smaller capacity. Now, she has a granddaughter in eighth grade, so Schone continues to help.
“It is rewarding,” she said. “I have worked the finish line and it’s great to see the kids and parents cross it. That’s why I do it.”
This year, the PTA Scholarship Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, May 13, at 8 a.m., in the parking lot of Hazelwood Central, near the track. Adults or families may run or walk either 5 or 10 kilometers, while the children participate in a one-mile fun run around the Hazelwood Central campus..
Today, the PTA Council scholarships are funded by the foundation through the Scholarship Day at Six Flags, the Run/Walk, donations from the 24 district PTA units, the Hazelwood Maintenance department’s golf tournament as well as from individual, corporate and other donations. This year, 109 deserving high school seniors will receive scholarships valued at $1,000 each.
The designs used on the annual PTA Scholarship Run/Walk T-shirts and posters used to advertise the event are created by Hazelwood School District students. Elementary, middle and high schools compete for the winning design on a rotating basis. Winning designs are selected each February during the PTA Founders’ Day dinner. This year, Hazelwood East High School senior Demetrius Shim drew the winning T-shirt design.
Hazelwood PTA Scholarship Foundation timeline summary:
In 1959, it awarded two scholarships valued at $400
In 1976, it awarded 25 scholarships worth $15,000
In 1982, it gave 42 scholarships valued at $42,294
As of June, 2005, the district has awarded 2,230 scholarships totaling $2,345,370 since 1959
Run/walk registration forms are available at all district elementary school offices. For more information, call Karen Helms at (314) 953-5083.
