Award & Scholarship Funds

The Foundation for OCPS works with families and private funders to provide awards and scholarships to graduating seniors and teachers. Your contributions to an award or scholarship fund is helping to create thriving futures! 

Bobbie Lytle believed in Christa McAuliffe’s words, “I touch the future: I teach.”  A lifelong educator, Bobbie touched the lives of many students while teaching for many years at Dommerich Elementary and, before her retirement, at Brookshire Elementary.

Bobbie’s infectious smile and love of learning encouraged children to extend their curiosity into all areas of learning.  Whether it was storytelling, creating a cookbook for her second-grade parents at the holidays, or fabulous art projects, she helped her students’ abilities shine brightly.

The Bobbie Lytle Outstanding Teacher Award is being established through a generous memorial gift from her loving daughter, Tiffany. The gift will create an endowed fund at the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools, and a special cash award of $2,500.00 will be presented annually to an outstanding teacher at one of the two schools where Bobbie dedicated her career: Dommerich Elementary and Brookshire Elementary. All members of the two schools’ communities – faculty, staff, parents, students, and neighbors – may nominate teachers for these new awards. A selection committee will help to narrow the list of candidates, and the final selection will be made by Bobbie’s granddaughter, Kinsley.

Bobbie’s family hopes to establish more awards to recognize teachers at additional schools. 

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This endowed fund was established in honor of Coach Fred Pennington for the impact he had on students both on and off the court during his tenure at Evans High School.
 
The fund will provide scholarships for Maynard Evans High School graduating seniors who are male or female basketball players or cheerleaders from low-income families and are desirous of attending a technical/vocational school, college or university.
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Martin and Fran Diehl are OCPS alumni committed to ensuring that current female students of Carver and Meadowbrook middle schools are provided with the necessary resources to pursue their dreams. Martin Diehl attended Meadowbrook, Middle School, and Fran Scott-Diehl attended Carver Middle School, their connection began at Maynard Evans High School in 1991. The Diehls believe every child deserves to be able to focus on their educational paths without economic circumstances standing in their way. Please join their efforts by contributing to the Dreams and Diehls Scholarship fund.

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The Mikey Stroz Scholarship Fund was established in loving memory of Mikey Stroz, lacrosse player and Timber Creek High School Class of 2023,  to support education opportunities for students who, like Mikey, exhibit a courageous and well-rounded lifestyle consisting of athletics, academics, and activity in the community.  Each spring the Fund will distribute a scholarship to a graduating senior who has been accepted to a college/university or technical college.  Priority will be given to a student-athlete, male or female, who has been part of the Central Florida lacrosse family.

Coach Gordon of Timber Creek High School Lax remembered Mikey this way:
 
“He was such a joy and pleasure to be around. His attitude, work ethic, and personality were infectious. As a coach, you couldn’t have asked for a better player. He was talented, worked hard, and pushed his teammates to be the best they could be. He believed in the coaching staff, his teammates, and the Timber Creek Lax program. He helped lead our team by always being an example on and off the field. You always hear how impactful coaches can be in a player’s life, but in reality players like him impact the lives of coaches just as much. He made coaching fun and easy. His passion to get better and grow the sport was second to none. He will forever be missed but never forgotten… Once a Wolf, Always a Wolf.”
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Migrant families are families that migrate across the United States as they find work based on the seasons of harvest.  With these frequent moves, consistency in education is often a struggle for children. To meet these unique educational and social needs, the Migrant Education Program was established by the United States Department of Education in 1966 for all migratory students ages 3 to 22. The program celebrates and exercises its legacy of civil rights by ensuring equal access to high-quality education for all migrant children.

The OCPS Migrant Scholarship Fund provides graduating seniors the opportunity for a small amount of funding to assist in paying for college tuition, fees, and required class supplies after they leave the Migrant Education Program. Scholarship funds are paid directly to the student’s college of attendance. In addition, all scholarship winners are invited to a celebration ceremony at the end of the school year. This scholarship assists students in setting the next chapter of their lives for success. Below are just a couple of stories of the impact of former scholarship winners.

Will you give the opportunity of education?

Federal education funds cannot be used for scholarships, therefore, the OCPS-MEP established a local Migrant Scholarship Fund to motivate and encourage graduating migrant students to attend college. Since 1990, the OCPS-MEP Migrant Scholarship Fund has awarded scholarships to 436 graduating migrant seniors ranging from $100 – $1,000 each. Every academic year, the OCPS-MEP staff actively conducts fundraising events for the Migrant Scholarship Fund. 

The OCPS-MEP goal is to raise $15,000 to provide scholarships to the 15 migrant students. With your investment, we can encourage and shape the educational path of these 15 graduates. Your contribution will show all migrant students in Orange County, FL that nothing is impossible. The more you spread the word, the more likely we will reach our goal. Please give to this worthy cause and share! #OCPSMigrantScholarshipFund.

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On May 9, 2024, Tom lost his battle with cancer at the age of 55. His family is committed to preserving his memory by establishing this legacy Scholarship Fund. Tom spent his 27-year teaching career at University High School in Orlando, Florida, where he taught International Baccalaureate (IB) English and Film. Tom inspired countless students to be their best and was a favorite among the students and alumni.
 
To honor his memory, this scholarship fund was established to award an annual scholarship to an IB Student at University High School in Orlando, FL.
To quote one of his students:

“I took English with Mr. Moore my junior year and it was the most challenging, rewarding, and influential class I ever had. Challenging, because he pushed his students to be better writers, readers, and thinkers. Rewarding, because out of all the hard work we did for his class when we took the AP Exam, it was so easy as most of us had passed because of how rigorous his class was. Influential, because I am not the writer I am not the writer today without Mr. Moore’s lesson plans and our conversations before and after class.
 
Mr. Moore believed in my potential to be a sports journalist and I became one. As I transitioned into being a creative writer and pursued a Master’s in Fine Arts, I found myself thinking a lot about his English class and how it set me on my path to be where I am today. I’m an author now and wouldn’t have become one without his AP English class. Shortly after being published, I let Mr. Moore know on Facebook and I felt like I was transported to his classroom, as we talked about the achievement before he wanted to know my thoughts on the upcoming college football season.”
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