LETTER FROM GARY ROSENBERG REGARDING OUR CLASS GIFT TO WFB HS

Dear Fellow Alumni, Whitefish Bay High School, Class of ’62:

Several alumni joined me in 2012 in establishing the “Class of ’62 Scholarship” for seniors graduating
from Whitefish Bay HS. The fund has been wonderfully successful. Starting in 2013 and continuing to
2021, the program has helped 17 students continue their education. The Whitefish Bay Educational
Foundation and I have augmented the fund over the years to ensure its ongoing success.

I want to thank those of you who contributed, including the Foundation for providing additional funds,
thereby affirming our intent and extending our effort.

After some 35 years of teaching at the high school and university levels, I saw reasons to honor students
who did not necessarily excel grade-wise. I’ve taught C-students who had unique abilities and interests;
students from wealthy, privileged backgrounds as well as from disadvantaged families who understood
that their status was neither an entitlement for success nor predestination limiting it. All of these
students merit encouragement, and Whitefish Bay High School has students at all social levels.
What mattered was strength of character, sincere love and dedication towards learning in and beyond
the classroom, and an understanding that one’s life could influence others in positive ways no matter
one’s chosen career path.

As a university teacher I realized that a good high school education is foundational for self-actualization
which necessarily embraces lifetime learning and an emotional attachment to one’s career and to
others. One significant example is what a high school does to teach students to write. Whitefish Bay
High School did that supremely well. A fellow alum once remarked, the best thing about our Bay
education was, by the time we got to university we understood that our teachers’ written comments on
essays were not personal attacks. Who can forget writing many themes and term papers at WFB HS and
the incisive feedback our teachers bestowed?

Many students in my undergrad geology classes at Indiana University, Indianapolis had never written a
theme in high school, and they were offended by critiques aimed at helping them improve their writing.
So, our department prioritized its own rigorous courses in communication skills (unusual for a science
department), and our alumni uniformly ranked those courses the most valuable in their curriculum—
above even laboratory and field instruction.

All of us have earned kudos for lives well lived, our accomplishments, our families and our friendships. If
you agree that your teachers at Whitefish Bay High School conferred upon you advantages that
facilitated your success, may I suggest you consider passing on that recognition to worthy seniors now at
Whitefish Bay, with a contribution to “The Class of ’62 Scholarship,” c/o the Whitefish Bay Education
Foundation, 1200 E. Fairmount Ave., Whitefish Bay, WI 53217. Please see the attached letter from the
Foundation for further information. Please email me if you have questions.

Gary D. Rosenberg
Gary.Rosenberg@sbcglobal.net
Whitefish Bay High School, Class of ‘62

 

 

 

LETTER FROM THE WHITEFISH BAY PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Dear Alumni of the Class of 1962,

The Whitefish Bay Public Education Foundation would like to thank you for the generous gifts from your 50th Reunion which established the Class of 1962 Scholarship. Each year, one to two high school seniors who have demonstrated upstanding character have received scholarships of $500 to $1000 dollars towards furthering their education. Here are the selection criteria:

"The High School Senior recipient is selected based on evidence of a love of learning in the classroom
and beyond, and on character demonstrated by an awareness that one’s own learning and experience
can contribute to the greater good. Academic excellence is not a principal factor. This person should
display a positive attitude and can attend a four year, two year or trade/technical school after
graduation."

According to Guidance Counselor Bill Barbeau who heads the selection committee at the high school:

“We do our best to give (the scholarships) to deserving students who are not in the top of their class.
High character is definitely a top criterion. Most of the time we choose someone who might fly under
the radar in their class, but who represents WFB with high character and morals. As I look at the
names, it is a variety of students who have received the scholarship over the years. All with high
character and in some instances that we know about, were in need of financial assistance. It has not
been too hard to come up with appropriate winners for this scholarship. We have about 15 members
of the committee and with everyone's input, we can usually find 2 great recipients."

When the scholarships are presented, students learn that they are the recipients of the generous
donations of the Class of 1962 Alumni who sought to honor their excellent teachers and the education
they facilitated in the Whitefish Bay Schools.

There have been 17 recipients since 2012 for a total of $13,000 in grants which have been used to attend
various schools for a multitude of fields of study. The Foundation receives letters of thanks from the students
who appreciate the scholarships. Given the success of the Class of 1962 Scholarships, we encourage you to
consider a gift to continue this opportunity for future graduates of Whitefish Bay High School.

Congratulations on your upcoming 60th Anniversary!

Sincerely,
Demaris Kenwood
President
Whitefish Bay Public Education Foundation
1200 E. Fairmount Ave
Whitefish Bay, WI 53217

https://educatethebay.info

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.