The Keota community has come through in a BIG way to show support for the Keota High School graduates and their educational endeavors. The Keota Education Foundation is in its 31st year of providing Keota High School seniors scholarships and was able to provide $30,000 to the students of the 2025 graduating class. Scholarship money is provided through donations by community members, alumni, memorials, trusts, & endowments, and fundraisers.
This winter, a rather lengthy application form was distributed to any senior interested in applying. This year 8 seniors applied. Student names were separated from the pages of the applications and code numbers were applied. Separate committees anonymously evaluated different parts of the applications. The applicants were given point values for eight different areas: grade point and college preparatory classes, work experience, community involvement, school involvement, an essay on future goals and plans, years attending KHS, and a citizenship appraisal averaged from teacher evaluations. The numbers were then compiled, and dollar amounts were assigned according to the points the student received. Every year an effort is made to make this process fair, impartial, and unbiased.
This year’s recipients are as follows:
Three exclusively Keota Education Foundation Scholarships were given to Madelynn Mc Donald, Niveah Gutierrez, and Owen Morris. Maddy is the daughter of Heath and Michelle McDonald and will be attending Indian Hills to study business. Niveah is the daughter of Tim and Beth Gutierrez and will also attend Indian Hills for EMT. Owen Morris, son of John Morris and Andrea Bennett, will go to Kirkwood for Auto Tech. They received $800 – $1200.
The first named scholarships, the Travis J. Greiner Memorial Scholarships for students entering the agricultural field, were established in 2021 by the Marvin J. & Deb Greiner family in memory of their son, Travis, a 2010 KHS graduate. These are $1000 awards, with $600 – $3050 from the Foundation general fund added to reflect the recipients point total on their scored applications – and went to Jace Chalupa, son of Nate and Anne, who will be attending Kirkwood; Ava Greiner, daughter of Matt and Angela, who will go to Iowa State; Brody Greiner, son of Brian and Shannon, starting out at Kirkwood; Issac Striegel, son of Dan and Andrea, going to Iowa State; and Jax Weber, son of Alan and Jennifer, who will attend Kirkwood.
The Jaynane Lillig Memorial Scholarships were established in 2013 from the estate of “Jayne” Lillig, a 1959 KHS graduate and former school employee. These $1500 scholarships were awarded to Billie Kindred, son of Billie and Shannon Kindred, and Alaina Swanson, daughter of Scott and Jenny Swanson. Billie will attend Central College and Lainey will attend PCI Academy. Billie was also awarded an extra $100 from the Foundation.
The Helen McFadden Memorial Scholarship was established in 1990 by Jack McFadden in memory of his wife, Helen. This $1600 scholarship went to Ashton Galindo. He is the son of Marcus Galindo and Megan Galindo. Ashton will study Auto Tech at Kirkwood.
The Edna Schreckengast Antes Memorial Scholarship was established in 1997 by Joella Antes in memory of her mother Edna Schreckengast Antes and is awarded each year to a female student who exhibits high academic achievement. This year’s $2000 award, with an additional $1,300, was awarded to Kimberly Clarahan, daughter of Neil and Donita Clarahan. She will attend Kirkwood for nursing.
Finally, The Frank A. and Edna B. Klein Memorial Scholarships were established in 2002 by John E. Klein and Mary Isabelle Montgomery in honor of their parents and are for $2000 each. The recipients included Elizabeth Chalupa, daughter of Nate and Anne Chalupa, who is attending Kirkwood for business administration and radiology. Izzy also received $800 from the KEF. Grace Conger got $1300 from the KEF with her Klein scholarship. She is attending the University of Iowa for nursing and is the daughter of Cris Conger and Melinda Eakins. Wyatt Donald is the son of Kirk and Colleen Donald and is going to attend Northern Iowa for computer science. Wyatt also received the Williams/UNI scholarship for $1000.
Once again, the KEF wants to thank everyone who has supported the Foundation in the past. Your generosity continues to impress and hearten us all.
We encourage everyone to consider our ongoing and upcoming fundraisers. The Friends of the Foundation Brick Wall is in the main entrance of the Keota School Gym. You can have a brick personalized for yourself, or to remember a loved one/family member or a graduated class. The 480 Club is a way to support the foundation and provides recognition on a plaque in the main entrance of the Keota School Gym. The annual Foundation Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, June 21st at Lagos Acres in Keota.
The Foundation is also a conduit for people who wish to make contributions to the school’s general fund. In the past, the Foundation has given financial support to such programs as the Keota Elementary Guided Reading Programs, computer labs, and updates to security, technology, and curriculum to name a few. You can also visit our website under the information tab on the Keota School Website at https://keotaeagles.org
