Loy "Come Back to Teach" Grants
In order to bolster teacher recruitment and retention, the Winchester Education Foundation established grants to award to Handley High School alumni who are new or returning staff in the Winchester Public Schools. These grants are made possible by the Foundation being one of several community beneficiaries of the Mindy J. Loy Trust. Mindy Loy was a 1974 Handley graduate who died in 2016 leaving an endowment to create scholarships for Handley graduates. The first grants were awarded in 2018 and grant recipients can use the award money for tuition reimbursement, student debt retirement, or tuition for obtaining advanced degrees.
The goals of the Loy “Come Back to Teach” Education Grants are to assist Handley High School graduates who have decided to “come back” to serve as educators, administrators and other certificated professionals in the Winchester Public Schools, to promote recruitment and retention by WPS of outstanding education professionals, and, to the extent possible, to promote a racially and ethnically diverse professional faculty by encouraging employment of persons of underrepresented populations.
Graduating Senior Scholarships
The goal of the Winchester Education Foundation is to continue the legacy of Judge John Handley to support public education in the City of Winchester. Some of those who have donated funds to the WEF have specified that their donations be used for scholarships for Handley graduating seniors. The WEF, in cooperation with the Handley Counseling Department, receives applications each spring and presents scholarships at Baccalaureate.
Specifically, the WEF currently awards the following scholarships/awards:
Wells Fargo Scholarship specified for a student planning to begin his or her post high school education at a community college in Virginia made available by Wells Fargo Bank.
Eugene B. Cooper Scholarship made available through the Eugene B. Cooper Student Loan Fund of the Kiwanis Club of Winchester.
Mindy Loy Future Educator Scholarship specified for a student planning to pursue a degree in education. These scholarships are funded by a trust of the late Mindy J. Loy, John Handley Class of 1974.
Mindy Loy Vocational – Technical Scholarship specified for a student planning to pursue a career in a technical or vocational field. These scholarships are funded by a trust of the late Mindy J. Loy, John Handley Class of 1974.
John and Polly Duvall Scholarship made available through the Duvall family in honor of John and Polly Duvall.
Rees Memorial Scholarship specified and made available through the handwritten will of Martha Walter Rees.
The Winchester Education Foundation Black History Month award is specified to acknowledge students of African American heritage and invest in their future with the support of local donors who have the same desire and mission.
Hispanic Heritage Month Award specified to invest in the future of students of Hispanic heritage made available by local donors.
© Winchester Education Foundation