Rachel Segal is 2009 Thoms Family Above and Beyond Winner

The Thoms Family Above & Beyond Scholarship announced Rock Island High School senior Rachel Segal as the $5,000 scholarship winner at a reception for the finalists at Rock Island High School preceding the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, January 13.

Rachel’s project, Mentoring Students by Students, was based on her development of a curriculum for students to help younger struggling students with another approach to learning. She executed her project at her former elementary school, Horace Mann Choice, and met with the older students to share techniques of how to help the younger students at the school. These sessions also included team building exercises and sharing between Mentors of their successes and failures and also how to problem solve when a mentoring session may not have gone well.

Rachel’s experience as an informal mentor at a younger age and the Above and Beyond Scholarship were the ingredients of her idea. “I am definitely not nine years old anymore, and if I were to mentor a student again, I would approach it with more ideas and confidence,” she stated.

Tara Vandygriff was awarded the first runner up position with a $2,000 scholarship for her project “Ready, Set, Read.” Tara set the goal of collecting 1000 books to be given to students in kindergarten, first and second grades within the Rock Island School district. She more than doubled her goal by collecting 2051 books.

The other finalists and $500 scholarship winners:

• Andrew Lindeman – Helping to Create “ROCK” Music – Andrew’s objective was to collect needed musical instruments from the community and donates them to the Rock Island School District music department.
• Amy Miers – Warriors Tackle Recycling – Amy’s goal was to convert an entire Junior High School to recycling. Raising awareness of the benefits of saving our environment.
• Abigail Sloan – Bridge in School – With the understanding that Bridge statistically improves student’s memory, concentration, logic skills, and growth of imagination, Abigail set about teaching junior high school students the game of Bridge. Utilizing seasoned player from a local Bridge club (known as the “Grandmas”) Abigail reached her goal.

L to R: Rachel Segal, Tara Vandygriff, Andrew Lindeman, Amy Meirs, Abigail Sloan