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profiles At the core of any outstanding community is the abil-
“These groundbreaking projects are perfect examples of community investment, broad impact and innovation in teaching and learning that our Excellence in Education grants spark. Community investment in our schools through the Foundation contributes to learning success for students and helps keep Shawnee Mission schools on the leading edge of educational excellence.”
Tell us about your background and involvement with the Foundation. Linda Roser I personally received an excellent education in the district. My sophomore English teacher at Shawnee Mission West changed the trajectory of my life by broadening my horizons, urging me to move outside my comfort zone. I went on to graduate from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. I have a Master in Public Administration with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management. When the opportunity arose to apply for this position, I jumped on it as my dream job and have been director since 2008.
foundation
Scholarships Scholarships from the Foundation are among its most successful endeavors. Since 1996, the Foundation has awarded 276 scholarships totaling $290,000. Stepping Stone, initiated in 1996, has enabled 91 high school juniors to attend a summer program on a college campus for the purpose of college and career exploration. The Charles and Virginia Clark Scholarship for Professional Development in Advanced Mathematics is an annually endowed scholarship for math teachers to attend national conferences. Established in 2007, the scholarship is designed to affirm teachers and improve their content knowledge and skills by exposing them to new ideas, new methods and a broad range of colleagues outside of the district.
sunflowerpub.com shawnee magazine
-Linda Roser, executive director of the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation
Linda Roser, Executive director, Shawnee Mission Education Foundation
Photograph by Jason Dailey
ity to provide good education—the bedrock preserving an exceptional quality of life. Shawnee Mission School District has always been at the forefront of this responsibility in Johnson County. The district has experienced not only tremendous growth but significant change throughout the decades. Addressing the needs of a shifting demographic and the problem of diminished state funding, the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation (SMEF) was initiated in 1989 as a way for the community to invest in maintaining and strengthening excellence in the school district. Partnering with the district, SMEF supports several program initiatives by engaging community investment on behalf of students and schools. Administering the Foundation is Executive Director Linda Roser, herself a product of the Shawnee Mission School District.
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