DRUMMOND, OK - The Oklahoma State School Boards Association Foundation has selected Drummond High School Senior Kate Mann as this year’s recipient of the Dr. Bob Mooneyham Memorial Scholarship.
Mann will receive a $5,000 scholarship and be honored at OSSBA’s Educational Leadership Conference this summer. The Mooneyham scholarship is available to high school seniors who plan to study education in college and become a teacher in the state of Oklahoma.
“We are honored to recognize and support Kate as she begins the next phase of her educational journey,” Dr. Shawn Hime, OSSBA Executive Director, said. “During her time at Drummond High School, she has worked hard in the classroom and maximized involvement in school activities and programs. We are thrilled she will be training to be a teacher and desires to give back to the next generation of Oklahoma students.”
Mann, the daughter of Forrest and Jeanne Mann, has excelled academically throughout her career. She has been involved in National Honor Society, softball, basketball, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and yearbook. She also serves as senior class president for the school and is a member of the Drummond Academic Bowl team, which has won countless awards and competitions, including earning state runner-up in 2023.
Mann plans to attend Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva where she will major in education. Upon graduation, Mann wants to support public education in her home state as an early childhood teacher.
“What an honor to be selected as this year's Bob Mooneyham scholarship recipient,” Mann said. “I am so thankful for the opportunity to use this scholarship to pursue my dream of becoming an Oklahoma teacher. I can hardly wait to get my teaching degree so I can make a positive impact, one student at a time.”
Dr. Bob Mooneyham, for whom the scholarship is named, began his career as a teacher, coach and guidance counselor, before becoming a school superintendent and college professor. He served as executive director of OSSBA for 25 years – 1975 to 2000. From the capitol to the classroom, colleagues say he was a respected and caring professional who improved education for students across the state.
Mooneyham, who passed away in 2012, is honored annually during the OSSBA Dr. Bob Mooneyham Memorial Golf Tournament. Proceeds from the tournament are used to fund the scholarship in his name.
OSSBA is a non-profit organization that works to promote quality public education for the children of Oklahoma through training and information services to the state’s approximately 2,500 locally elected school board members.
For more information about the scholarship, please contact Amber Graham Fitzgerald, OSSBA Director of Member & Community Engagement, at amberf@ossba.org.
