OPRFHS Scholarship Foundation

2019 Scholarship Recipient Photo Gallery

The growth of the Oak Park and River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation over the years has made a tremendous impact on the ability of graduating seniors to pursue their educational goals. With college costs continuing to escalate, the Scholarship Foundation’s mission is more important now than ever.

Impact to Students

Last year the OPRFHS Scholarhip Foundation awarded 68 scholarships to our graduating seniors totaling $155,000. We also partnered with the Counseling Division to create the CKP Scholars Fund, providing students from underrepresented college populations individual support to help them realize their dream of successfully enrolling in a college or university.

Donors Create Meaning

Our scholarships represent a legacy of giving in a multitude of areas. With criteria ranging from arts to athletics, community service and women in science, donors memorialize their loved ones, their lifetime passions and interests. There are many giving opportunities for you to become a donor and make an impact.

A Recipient's Story

Trinity Pierce

Twelve years on and I still remember, with much gratitude, the two scholarships I received through you which helped me cover my college expenses (2004-2008). The Seabury Scholarship and the Don Deia Heart of the Plate Scholarship were a true gift, and I am thankful for your understanding that education is key to young people's futures.

I went on to the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan and received my Master's in Landscape Architecture, focusing on restoration ecology and environmental justice. I am presently working for the Montana Audubon Center in Billings, Montana, restoring an abandoned 56-acre gravel pit in the historical floodplain of the Yellowstone River. It is tremendously affirming to work in a team environment enriching our native ecosystems.

Please accept, again, my profound thanks for your support of my schooling and my budding career.

A Donor's Story

Tom Amato

In 2015, Thomas Amato established the Georg Ann Zussman-Amato Memorial Scholarship for Women in Science to honor the memory of his wife who had passed away in 2011 at the age of 72. He chose to offer the annual award to a graduating female student at OPRFHS who has demonstrated excellence and is planning to major in one of the natural sciences at college.

Says Mr. Amato, who established the scholarship along with his daughter Rebecca, “Georg Ann had an early interest in sciences. I felt this was a good way to keep her memory alive and honor her work in the field and her own personal desire to be involved in science.”