The West Grayson Retired School Personnel Association (WGRSPA) is proud to announce their 2026 scholarship recipients. Five students were honored at the group’s May 5 meeting and will each be receiving $500.
Three of the scholarships are given to college juniors pursuing an education degree. One of the WGRSPA Education scholarships goes to Payton Dolezalek, daughter of Kerry and Louis Dolezalek, who is a 2024 graduate of S&S High School. Payton is attending Tarleton State University, majoring in Elementary Education, with ESL certification.
The second WGRSPA Education scholarship is being awarded to Marlee Howard, who also graduated from S&S High School in 2024. Marlee has played volleyball while attending NCTC the past two years and will be transferring to Tarleton State University this fall, majoring in Education and Kinesiology. Her parents are Jana and Michael Howard.
Hannah Clark, a 2019 graduate of Whitesboro High School, is receiving the Joe Bertino Memorial Education Scholarship, honoring the legacy of longtime Whitesboro teacher Joe Bertino. Hannah is attending Texas Woman’s University, majoring in Education focused on core subjects for Grades 4-8, with the goal of becoming a middle school teacher. Her parents are Cecelia and Rob Meinholdt.
This is the second year WGRSPA is able to award the Delores Bertino Memorial Nursing Scholarship, in honor of Delores Bertino who was a school nurse for Whitesboro ISD for many years. It is awarded this year to Dara Muller, a 2022 graduate of S&S High School. She has already received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Texas Wesleyan University while playing softball and is now pursuing a nursing degree from Grayson College, with special focus on pediatrics. Dara’s future goal is to become a nurse practitioner. Her parents are Shawn and Stacy Muller.
WGRSPA honors the life and work of another former member with the Curtis Anne Kinsfather Memorial Scholarship. It is given to a graduating senior of Whitesboro High School and is intended to help a student who is maybe not following the traditional college path. This year’s award goes to Hayden Hendry, son of Breana and Joel Hendry. Hayden has accumulated a long list of honors, awards, activities and service during his high school years. In June he will begin his journey toward a career in professional aviation at the Spartan Aviation School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
These scholarships are awarded annually and are funded through the generosity of the Bertino family and by our members and their work on the Pumpkin Painting fundraiser every fall, so we thank the community for their great support of this project.
