My name is Sara Wilson, and when I graduated from Pendleton Heights High School in 2024, I was awarded the wonderful Simmerman Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to students who are pursuing a degree in education. It is also renewable each school year, which has helped so much. As I’m discovering who I am as a teacher, it gives me peace of mind knowing that my schooling is paid for. Receiving a scholarship that honors a teacher’s life and dedication to education makes the experience even more meaningful. It motivates me to work hard and one day make the same kind of positive impact on students and my community. Because of the support, I am able to focus on my studies, classroom experiences, and becoming an educator to my full poential.
Here is a photograph of the Simmermans together. Also included in this article is a tribute, written by Elva Fern Jones Simmerman's only daughter, Cheryll Luane. In this tribute, Cheryll reflected on the impact her mother had on her life and so much more. This is a truly heart-warming story that brought me to tears.
A few years later, when Howard Simmerman passed, Cheryll Luane wrote another essay. This short essay is included in the article, and is about her father, Howard Simmerman. Much like the essay she wrote for her mother's passing, Cheryll reflects on her father's wonderful, and long life.