June 26, 2015
“Mentoring is one of the most critical factors that can affect a college student’s success and our alumni are committed to helping these students make it to the finish line of college graduation,” said one of the scholarship organizers Craig Karlen.
A new scholarship fund for Madison East High School graduates has been created to honor one of the school’s former principals.
The Milton McPike Memorial Scholarship Fund will honor the former East principal who worked tirelessly for more than two decades to create an atmosphere where every student felt connected and supported.
In addition to money for college-bound students, the scholarship fund will also provide mentors to the graduate students to ensure they succeed, a goal which builds on McPike’s belief in the importance of the greater community beyond just the high school.
“Our hope is to continue Milt’s legacy by mentoring graduates and providing the same sense of community that we enjoyed during our years at East,” said Craig Karlen, one of the scholarship fund volunteer organizers. “We’ll be working with the East High Scholarship Committee to support promising graduates who can benefit from financial support and a mentor.”
“Mentoring is one of the most critical factors that can affect a college student’s success and our alumni are committed to helping these students make it to the finish line of college graduation,” he continued.
The Milton McPike Memorial Scholarship Fund will begin offering renewable scholarships in 2016 for East High grads headed to two- and four-year colleges in Wisconsin.
To make this happen, scholarship organizers aim to first reach the financial milestone of raising $10,000 in order to make the fund permanently endowed through the Foundation for Madison’s Public Schools.
“So far, we’ve have raised over $7,000, but we need more support,” said Erin Peschel, another volunteer organizer. “Our long-term goal is to raise $100,000 by the end of 2018 — and if we do that, we’ll be able to offer a new, renewable $1,000 scholarship every year, in perpetuity.”
To kick their efforts into high gear, the scholarship organizers are hosting an official launch event on July 12 at 11 a.m. at The Edgewater. The “Kick Off Brunch” will include great music, food and company as they celebrate Milt McPike and all he did for East High School. The event will include speakers whose lives were impacted by Milt McPike, including current Madison School Board of Education Member Michael Flores, community leader and former board of education member Juan José López and owner of DAZE Basketball Entertainment Troy Dean.
Photo by Brent Nicastro
Musical guests for the brunch will include East alumni like rising jazz piano star Wilder Deitz and the Yid Vicous Klezmer Ensemble.
A silent auction at the brunch will include prizes donated by the National Football League, UW Athletics, East High School, Ella’s Deli, Madison Children’s Museum and American Girl Doll as well as leather goods and woodwork handcrafted by Milt McPike himself.
Advance tickets are required for this brunch.
For more information, to buy brunch tickets and to donate, visit the group’s website at www.mcpikescholarship.org. And if you would like to get involved, you can send an email to mcpikescholarship@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mcpikescholarship.
Editor’s note: Casey Niederwerfer, this newspaper’s graphic designer, sits on the Milton McPike Scholarship Fund steering committee.
