Tahoma High’s PTA has changed its focus when it comes to scholarships in the same way the district is working to change its emphasis strictly on preparing students to be college-ready.

Kim Walley, chair of the Tahoma Community Partner Scholarship program, said it was time to make some changes. First, she reached out to the community and businesses to form a committee for the program.

Next was changing the approach to offering scholarships.

“We took the words ‘university’ and ‘college’ out of the scholarship program because not every kid is going there,” Walley said. “We’re really trying to encompass every student’s pathway and support whatever they’re trying to do.”

Part of that process, Walley said, was to put together a scholarship for first-generation college students. Diane Fox, assistant principal at Tahoma High, brought up the idea of providing support for those kids whose parents didn’t navigate that process.

It’s important for every student to feel like he is on equal ground with his peers, whether he’s going to a top tier university to study engineering or a technical college to enter the health care industry, Walley explained, and this dovetails with the Tahoma School District’s Future Ready initiative — the focus is not a question of what college you plan to attend after graduation, but instead, what is your path after high school and how will you get there?

Walley said the revamped scholarship program is intended to support the concept behind Future Ready.

“What we’re trying to do with the scholarship program is make it inviting no matter who you are,” Walley said. “Can scholarships be a full time job? Absolutely. That’s why those table top conversations have been encouraged. Where do you want to go and how much is that going to cost? Having those conversations as a family early on, your sophomore year, your freshman year, you can plan and there’s no surprises, you know your path.”

Walley has personal experience with the process. She has two daughters, Jordan, who graduated from Tahoma High in 2012 and Kendall, who is a junior this year. Her girls are different people with different paths, she said, with her elder daughter playing softball on scholarship at Western Washington University while Kendall is a member of the dance team who will likely go her own direction.

“As a community, we have to tell our kids, ‘That’s OK,’” Walley said. “Those kids are our future. We need every single one of them. They’re all important. That’s the biggest thing that we’re trying to get across. Just because you choose something that is way different from your best friend doesn’t mean it’s the wrong choice. We need to make them all feel like they’re equal.”

The PTA’s Scholarship program has grown significantly since it began, Walley said. In 1992 there were four scholarships given for a total of $1,400. In 2012 they handed out 55 scholarships totaling more than $55,000.

Walley wants to see it grow further by bringing in students who have a wide range of post-secondary plans.

“There’s a lot of new scholarships this year,” she said. “We’re actually going to have a fundraiser so we can bring in more money for scholarships. I’d like to encourage the business community to make a donation. It’s completely tax deductible. A thousand dollars goes a long way to help a student go toward the next step in their lives.”

One of the new scholarships is a memorial fund for Tahoma High graduate and Maple Valley businesswoman Sandi Sutton, who was killed Feb. 21 in Las Vegas. This year anyone can donate to the scholarship which will bear Sutton’s name, Walley said, but in the future the Greater Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce will likely support it.

This year, a new feature is the ability to fill out the application completely online, Walley said. Not only does it save paper, it allows students to complete the application at their own pace as they can work on it, save it then go back to it later. One application puts kids in the running for many scholarships and in 2012 every single kid who submitted a complete application received a scholarship.

“We’d love to see those number go up,” Walley said. “My goal is when I walk out and graduate with Kendall in 2015 is to raise $150,000. That’s a lofty goal. Bottom line for me is that this is all about the kids so they can be successful for the future and the rest of their lives. When they’re in high school that’s the time to wrap our arms around them so that when they’re seniors they’re prepared, they’re ready to go.”

Reach Assistant Editor Kris Hill at khill@maplevalleyreporter.com or 425-432-1209 ext. 5054.