Two students receive scholarship honoring Fairfield teacher Mary Rose Kitch

A group of teachers at Fairfield Community School District awarded two scholarships in honor of their late coworker Mary Rose Kitch.

Kitch was an ELL teacher (English Language Learner) in the district, and passed away last year. Her family worked with a group of teachers and staff including Suzy Nelson, Carleigh Roberts and Brenda Garcia to start an annual scholarship for a graduating student or students who had gone through Fairfield’s ELL program.

At a ceremony on May 5, scholarships were awarded to Binh Truong and Jazmine Sanchez-Meza.

Candidates were asked for a written response to, "How has the ESL Program made a positive impact on your experiences in your new country?"

Recipient Binh Truong responded, "The ESL program with Mrs. Kitch definitely played a significant role in helping me learn English. Between 3rd and 6th grade, I made tremendous progress and saw a lot of growth. Within my first year in the United States, I was able to speak English well enough and build many new friendships, thanks to her guidance and support."

Binh will be attending Upper Iowa University where he will play soccer and major in Finance.

Recipient Jazmine Sanchez-Meza, responded, “The ESL Program made a positive impact on my experience in the US because it helped me get better at my English. When I started school, I did not know any English and had trouble in school but with the program I quickly learned English and didn't feel so lost in school. It also made me feel a sense of community because the other kids in the program were like me, so we all shared similar traits which made me feel included.”

Jazmine is attending UNI where she is majoring in Human Services and minoring in Criminology.

The requirements for consideration include: A 3.0 GPA, a minimum of 25 volunteer hours, 15 of which need to be in the area of helping animals, feeding the hungry, or with the EXPLORERS program.

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