Mentor program for District 211 graduates wins national awards
A mentorship program for college-bound Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 graduates has been named the 2017 Dollars for Scholars Innovation Award winner.
Furthermore, Excel Beyond 211 volunteer Donna Epton was selected as the 2017 Ralph “Cy” Seifert National Dollars for Scholars Volunteer of the Year by Scholarship America.
The four-year-old program which matches up first-generation college students from low-income families was launched in 2013 by retired District 211 superintendent Nancy Robb, who now serves as its president.
“As one of 500 Dollars for Scholars affiliates across the nation, we are honored to receive these two national awards,” Robb said in a news release. “As a young organization, this demonstrates that our innovative approach of combining adult mentors and financial assistance is making a difference in helping students achieve their dreams of earning a college degree.”
In accepting her personal award, Epton said, “I am so grateful to have been selected for the National Volunteer of the Year Award from Scholarship America. My career has always been about making a difference in the lives of young people and Excel Beyond 211 has provided me with the satisfaction of knowing that we have changed the lives of our mentees in a very positive trajectory.”
Through Excel Beyond 211's support, 85 percent of the students in the program are on track to earn their college degrees within four years.
Only 11 percent of first-generation, low-income students nationwide successfully earn a college degree in even six years, according to a Pell Institute study.
The program now includes 117 students, including the 30 from its first year who are now in their fourth year of college.
The family of retired District 211 administrator and coach Don Crandall, who died in late November at age 68, has asked that memorials in his name be made to Excel Beyond 211 at 1750 S. Roselle Road, Palatine IL 60067.
Crandall served 32 years in District 211, the last 12 as director of student activities. He previously taught math, was an assistant coach in football and basketball for 13 years, and served as athletic director of Conant High School for three years and at Palatine High School for four.
After his retirement, he was inducted into both the Palatine High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Illinois Athletic Directors Hall of Fame.