Rewarding Resilience Dyslexia Scholarship

The story of how this scholarship came about is as follows (written by Peggy McFeeters):

The struggle is real! Dyslexia affects about 20 percent of the population. Yet many of those people are never diagnosed. Studies show about 9 out of 10 dyslexic students in the school system fall through the cracks because although parents and teachers know there is something different about the student, the student does not qualify for special education. Dyslexics not only struggle with the academic system but with self-esteem issues. Dyslexia impacts their entire life.

My grandchildren are the lucky ones. They were diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age by a trained specialist because of the awareness of their parents. Since Dyslexia is inherited, their parents knew there was a chance they carried that trait. Both children are thriving after extensive private tutoring, and they are gifted in ways often displayed by dyslexic children. They excel in dance, cooking, art, and big picture thinking. But we saw the hard work they have done, both spending excessive time in studying and tutoring. They are resilient and have bright futures.

Now we are hoping to reward other Morton students for their hard work, and we want to be a part of achieving their goals. Through this scholarship, a level of development beyond high school can be supported in whatever area fits the gifts of the dyslexic person. Maybe this will include cooking school, mechanical training, or college.  There are different requirements for applying for this scholarship to let the strengths of a dyslexic shine through, rather than focusing on written expression, GPA, or test scores.

Dyslexic students deserve bright futures and reward for their hard work as much, if not more, than other students. They can have a success story, and we want to help! For more information on qualifications for the scholarship, click the button below to download a copy of the application.

Qualifications:

Student must be either:

• a graduating senior at Morton High School (MHS), Morton, IL,

• a prior graduate from MHS,

• a student who is a resident of Morton, Illinois at the time that such student is expected to graduate from high school or that such student is expected to receive his/her high school graduation equivalent (e.g. a Morton resident who is a graduating senior at Peoria Notre Dame, Peoria Christian or any other current or future local area high school or who is a home schooled high school senior) or

• a student who was a resident of Morton, Illinois at the time that such student graduated from high school or that such student received his/her high school graduation equivalent (e.g. a student who was a Morton resident when he/she graduated from Peoria Notre Dame, Peoria Christian or any other current or future local area high school or who was a Morton resident when he/she graduated from high school as a home schooled student).

Selection of the recipient of the scholarship(s) will be based on the following criteria:

• Documentation of applicant’s dyslexia is required. This documentation can be in the form of a 504, IEP, formal diagnosis or one-page letter describing the evidence of dyslexia from a teacher, counselor, or Orton Gillingham tutor.

• A recommendation letter(s) must also be submitted from a teacher, counselor, other school personnel, tutor or other adult who knows the applicant well and can speak to the challenges and successes relative to the applicant’s learning challenge.

• Applicant must submit an essay in writing or via another medium (audio, video, artwork, etc.) which reflects why the applicant feels deserving of selection for a scholarship. If a video (or other visual format) is submitted, the candidate’s face cannot appear in the video to maintain anonymity. The applicant’s submission should reflect:

  • Why the applicant is the best candidate.

  • How dyslexia has impacted the applicant’s journey.

• There is no GPA minimum.

Applications for the scholarship(s) will be accepted annually during the months of January, February & March. The advisory committee will determine the winner(s) in April, and the scholarships will be announced in early May.

If you would like to help us grow this endowment to create more and larger scholarships by making a tax deductible donation to this endowment fund, please click the button below for online donations. Or, you can mail a check to 135 S First Avenue, Morton, IL 61550.

Past scholarship recipients:

2021 - John Pfiefer

2022 - zachary camacho