The Oscar Schaaf--Scott McFadden Scholarship
OCTM Conference Scholarships
The Oscar Schaaf – Scott McFadden Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM), provides scholarships to classroom teachers to help them continue their professional growth in mathematics education through coursework at the graduate level. The scholarship fund was established as a memorial to these two highly regarded mathematics education professors at the University of Oregon.
Oscar Schaaf, often called the “two meter man” because of his physical stature, was also a “giant” among mathematics educators. Born in 1918, he served as a meteorologist during the latter part of World War II in England. He was educated in the Midwest, moving to Eugene in 1954 to work for the Eugene School District and the University of Oregon. It was here that he met Scott McFadden and began collaborating with him in a variety of projects. During his distinguished career, Oscar served as President of the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics as well as a Director and Vice President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Scott McFadden was born in 1932. His career included serving as a classroom teacher in Eugene and as a professor at the University of Oregon. Professionally, his “first love” was teaching and much of his energy and dedication was given to his students. Throughout his career he made a special effort to provide his students with experiences in mathematics that he believed all students deserved. A past president of OCTM, Scott became the second Oregon teacher to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He was also the first recipient of OCTM’s lifetime recognition award for secondary teachers, the Oscar Schaaf Award.
Both men were excellent classroom teachers who also managed to find time to write about teaching strategies and activities to share with the other mathematics teachers. They co-authored many publications, including The Math Lab series of textbooks and the innovative math textbook titled Syncro Math Experience. In addition, they led a team of teachers in the creation and publication of the Lane County Problem Solving in Mathematics series. Perhaps most significant though, was their participation and leadership in the writing of the Oregon Math Concept Papers in 1985, a for-runner and model for mathematics standards documents across the nation.
Requirements
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The scholarship will be awarded to a teacher (any grade level K-College) who exhibits enthusiasm and dedication in mathematics education. The scholarship is available for tuition only (maximum amount $750). The money will be paid directly to the institution.
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The awarded must be an OCTM member and preference will be given to Oregon teachers.
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Applications for this scholarship are due by April 15. Click below to obtain a copy of the application form.
Schaaf-McFadden Scholarship Application
Contributions can be made in memory of Oscar Schaaf or Scott McFadden. Please send checks (payable to OCTM) to:
Becky Reed, OCTM Treasurer
4413 Indian Earth Avenue NE,
Salem, OR 97305
octmbnreed@q.com
The Don Fineran Scholarship
The Don Fineran Scholarship Fund, also administered by OCTM, provides scholarships to classroom teachers to help them attend math conferences. It was established in 1990 to honor Don Fineran upon his retirement from the Oregon Department of Education.
An Oregon Mathematics Hall of Fame awardee and lifetime member of OCTM, Don was a classroom teacher for 23 ½ years, including teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Upon leaving the teaching, he began a career as the “math guy” with the Oregon Department of Education which lasted for 17 ½ years. During that time, his approach was to serve as a promoter and connector, linking teachers to other teachers, encouraging the sharing of teaching strategies, activities, materials, and math problems. As a result, enthusiastic sharing grew, several statewide math organizations emerged, and math conferences across the state became popular venues for further sharing in an organized, multi-level format.
Upon hearing that the Don Fineran Scholarship Fund was being established to assist teachers in attending such conferences, Don said, “I am very appreciative for that assistance to teachers, as well as being honored in such a useful way. Ironically, the honoree really should be all the teachers who have provided so much sharing with fellow teachers.” Don contributes annually to his own scholarship by donating dollars equivalent to his age on each of his birthdays.
Applications for the Fineran Scholarship for attending OML are also included in the March/April issue of TOMT. The deadline for applications for this scholarship is April 15.
Applications for the Fineran Scholarship for attending NWMC are available in the May/June issue of TOMT. The deadline for applications for this scholarship is July 1.
Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics M.A.T.H. Scholarship
The OCTM “Memorial Assisting Teachers’ Hopes” Scholarship is made possible by the tireless efforts of OCTM’s membership and Board of Directors with representation statewide. It is administered by OCTM and primarily provides funds for current classroom teachers to attend the NCTM Annual Meeting and Conference held in the spring each year. Money for this scholarship has primarily come from a series of very successful Northwest Math Conferences and the countless hours of effort required to successfully run this and other math education activities in the state of Oregon. A key ingredient for the success of any conference is the speakers and the sessions they provide to stimulate teachers to try innovative best practices in their own classrooms. This scholarship is a memorial to the many dedicated math teachers, no longer with us, who have contributed so much to OCTM and the Oregon math community. It is also a challenge to the recipients to continue the leadership and tradition of excellence provided by those who preceded us.
Applications for the OCTM (M.A.T.H.) Scholarship for attending NCTM are included in the September and October/November issues of TOMT or by following the link below. The deadline for applications for this scholarship is October 1.
The Sunrise Scholarship for Early Career Teachers
The Sunrise Scholarship, for early career teachers, is made possible by a generous gift to OCTM by Trudy Mitchell, long time OCTM member and math educator. The scholarship is in honor of Trudy's father. The title of the scholarship, Sunrise, has a two-fold meaning. First, the "sunrise" years of teaching are the early years in a teacher's career and, second, Sunrise, Wyoming was a small mining community where Trudy's father was the superintendent of the mine.
This scholarship will be used to provide support for early career teachers to attend two consecutive Oregon-hosted Northwest Math Conferences. Recipients agree to volunteer to help out in some way, however small or large, at the second of these conferences. In addition, recipients agree to maintain their OCTM membership for the three years between the conferences. For the purposes of this scholarship, an early career teacher is defined as one who has not completed five years of full-time teaching in the classroom.
Applications for the Sunrise Scholarship to attend Oregon-based Northwest Math Conferences are included in the May/June issue of TOMT or can be accessed below. The deadline for applications for this scholarship is July 1.
Contributions to any of the OCTM Scholarships can be made by sending a check (payable to OCTM) to:
Becky Reed, OCTM Treasurer
4413 Indian Earth Avenue, NE
Salem, OR 97305
octmbnreed@q.com
