Senior Blake Aldridge Awarded $2,000 Special Education Teacher Scholarship

Senior Blake Aldridge, Waukee Community Schools, received the 2016 Special Education Teacher Scholarship of Iowa in recognition for her academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities and educational goals.Aldridge is passionate about helping special education students and participates in a program that helped her realize she wanted to pursue a career in that field.

Blake Aldridge

Blake Aldridge, senior

 

“I am involved in an after school program called Sparkle Cheerleading, which is where cheerleaders practice and perform alongside special education students at athletic events. Participating helped me to realize that I want to spend time helping these exceptional students live their lives like any ordinary student,” Aldridge said.

She has also worked with special education students as a lifeguard and swim instructor at Lifetime Fitness.  “These students bring me so much joy – I hope that I have the ability to make a difference in their lives,” Aldridge said.

Aldridge is an active participant in school activities, including the Iowa Student Learning Institute (Iowa SLI) and the Iowa Culture and Language Conference, where she was a featured presenter with Iowa SLI in 2015. Aldridge plans to major in Elementary Education with endorsements in Special Education. The awards presentation will be held on May 18th at 7 p.m. at the Waukee High School and is open to the public.

The Star Student Scholarship is awarded to a graduating Special Education senior and is co-sponsored by ClaimAid Consulting Corporation and the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). The scholarship is awarded based on a number of requirements, including educational goals and academic accomplishments. ClaimAid is a leading provider of comprehensive eligibility and enrollment services and claims resolution for schools, hospitals, patients, individuals and their families. IASB is a private, nonprofit organization representing Iowa’s 336 public school districts, nine area education agencies and 15 community colleges.