Supporting Seniors with Scholarships
May 2025
On May 13, at the Cedar Falls High School Honors Convocation, our donors made a very special impact and investment to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments and aspirations of our 2025 scholarship recipients. The following 17 scholarships, amounting to $33,000 total, were awarded. Individual award amounts range from $1,000-5,000.
Bill Close & Ron Streed smARTstart Scholarship: Eliza Kirschenmann
Cedar Falls Rough Risers Kiwanis Club Scholarship: Cameryn Davis
Dan and Bea Brown Memorial Scholarship: Amy Tran
Do Better. Be Better. Scholarship: Alex Goetsch
Frank and Dorothy Horn Memorial Scholarship: Emmy Andersen
Janelle Wilks Memorial Scholarship: Lily Gruening
John Tamisiea Memorial Scholarship: Bradyn Lawrence
Kathy Bunger Memorial Scholarship: Britain Atkins
Kristine Martinson and Family Scholarship: Mya Miller
Lauterbach Memorial Scholarship: Sejla Meehmedovic & Rowan Phillips
Rick VerHeul Memorial Scholarship: Jaxyn Orsborn
Robert and Hazel Messer Scholarship: Hunter Russell
Ronald E. Juhl Memorial Scholarship: Paige Russell
Scott Sterrett Memorial Scholarship: Kiera Gleason
Todd Blanford Memorial Scholarship: Essy Smock & Arian Ferkic
To read more about our scholarships, click here.
Best wishes Class of 2025!
Nero Memorial Grants Awarded During Teacher Appreciation Week
May 2025
The Cedar Falls Schools Foundation celebrated National Teacher Appreciation Week with two surprise visits to support new teachers pursuing additional education. Grants were made possible from the generous memorial donations made to the Nero Memorial Grant Fund.
John and Doris Nero dedicated their careers to education as teachers and guidance counselors. After John's passing in 2011, Doris established the fund to continue John’s passion for helping and encouraging new teachers, especially to pursue professional development.
Two Nero Memorial Grants in the amount of $575 each have been awarded this year to:
- Amber Gordon, special education teacher at Peet Junior High, who will be taking a course called, Methods & Strategies for Students with Social-Emotional Behavioral & Learning Needs at the University of Northern Iowa.
- Alex Urbanek, 3rd grade teacher at Hansen Elementary, who is in the Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Education graduate sequence through Illinois State University.
Awarded annually, 25 Cedar Falls Community School District teachers have been supported through this fund so far.
Now Accepting Scholarship Applications!
January 2025
The Cedar Falls Schools Foundation (CFSF) will be awarding over $30,000 in scholarships this year to Cedar Falls graduates – individual awards range from $1,000-$5,000. All CFHS seniors pursuing higher education next fall are encouraged to submit an online application.
By completing a single application, seniors will be matched to all eligible scholarships. Scholarship criteria are varied – some are merit-based, recognizing students’ academic, extra-curricular, and community-based achievements. Others are designed to support certain fields of study, demographics or specific institutions. Scholarships may be one-time awards or annually renewed.
The application deadline is March 16, 2025. Applications will be reviewed by a scholarship selection committee and will be awarded at the Honors Convocation Ceremony on May 13, 2025.
The CFSF is honored to manage multiple scholarship funds, made possible solely through the generosity of alumni, staff, community members, businesses and organizations. Click here to see a full listing of CFSF scholarships.
Foundation Awards Annual Excellence Grants!
November 2024
The Cedar Falls Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the following Excellence Grants for the 2024-2025 School Year. Focusing on the areas of innovation, memorable experiences and wellness, 34 grants, amounting to almost $48,000, will expand opportunities for students and staff. Thank you alumni, staff, businesses and organizations, community members, and parents for making these grants possible!
2024-2025 Excellence Grants:
- LEGO My WeDo and EV3; Get Up to Speed with SPIKE, All Elementaries | $5,000
Grant made possible in part by Jack Henry - True Mathematical Problem Solving, All Elementaries & High School | $1,916Grant made possible in part by Legacy of Learning Fund
- All Students are Rockstars!, Aldrich, Cedar Heights and Southdale Elementaries | $3,000
Grant made possible by CF Rock & Roll Revue - Authentic Learning 3D Printers, Aldrich Elementary | $1,200
- Best Practice in Phonics Instruction, Cedar Heights Elementary | $583
- Pathways to Reading Proficiency, Cedar Heights Elementary | $1,000
- Fine Motor Fitness, Cedar Heights Elementary | $1,000
- Durable Vertical Thinking Classroom Boards, Hansen Elementary | $1,620
- Bringing Knowledge to Life, Hansen Elementary | $1,000
- Decodable Texts, Hansen Elementary | $2,000
- Integrating Science and Social Studies into CKLA Knowledge, Lincoln Elementary | $1,000
- Preschool Literacy Center, Lincoln Elementary | $524
- Camera Traps and Biodiversity, North Cedar Elementary | $770
Grant made possible by Skogman Homes - Sensory and SEL Classroom, North Cedar Elementary | $1,076
- Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, North Cedar Elementary | $1,316
Grant made possible by the Class of 1974 - Unplugged Adventures in STEM, North Cedar Elementary | $997
Grant made possible by Amazon - All About Balance Materials, North Cedar Elementary | $393
- Soft Start for First Graders, Southdale Elementary | $500
Grant made possible by Amazon - Science Enrichment: Geology – Rocks and Minerals, Southdale Elementary | $1,434
Grant made in memory of Pat Lyman, former Lincoln Elementary volunteer - Film Production and Media Literacy, Holmes Junior High | $2,000
Grant made possible in part by AECOM - Driving Innovation with 3D Printing, Peet & Holmes Junior Highs | $1,600
- Guitar Club Enrichment, Peet Junior High | $375
Grant made possible by CF Rock & Roll Revue - BLT Culture Team School, Holmes Junior High | $1,000
Grant made possible by Tony’s Plumbing & Heating - 7th Grade Class Microscopes, Peet Junior High | $3,175
Grant made in memory of John Hartman, former Peet Junior High Science Teacher - Building Thinking Classrooms, Peet Junior High | $750
- Real Care Babies, Peet Junior High | $2,000
Grant made in memory of Jim & Karen Bolger, Karen was a former P.E. Teacher at Peet Junior High - 3D Printer for Science Club, High School | $890
- Volunteer Club, High School | $500
- Physics Go-Direct Lab Equipment, High School | $2,000
Grant made possible by the Class of 1974 - Bike Safety and Education, High School | $1,500
Grant made possible in part by the Class of 1970 - Empowering STEM Students, High School | $3,000
Grant made possible by Amazon - Scholastic Action Magazine, High School | $100
- Your Rainforest Mind Talented and Gifted Book Club, High School | $516
- 2025 Summer CF Spanish Trip to Spain, High School | $2,000
Grant made possible by the Class of 1968
Click here to l earn more about CFSF Excellence Grants!