Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Honors Carrie Backman ’99 and Madeleine Corcoran ’15

The selection committee for the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation announced its awards for teachers and students for 2015. Edgewood High School music teacher Carrie Backman ’99 has been named a Fellow and senior Madeleine Corcoran has been named an Excellence Scholar. They received their awards from former Senator Kohl at a luncheon held on Sunday, April 19 at Monona Grove High School. “Education is the key to the future of Wisconsin and our nation. I am very proud of the accomplishments of these students and teachers, and look forward to the great contributions they will make in the future,” said Senator Kohl.

Fellowship recipients are chosen for their superior ability to inspire a love of learning in their students, their ability to motivate others, and their leadership and service within and outside the classroom. Carrie is very active professional organizations and has presented workshops at local, state, and national conferences on music education and on the need for cooperation between a school’s music faculty and its athletic department. In addition, she has written and published articles on various aspects of music education. Carrie has received several previous awards, including a fellowship to attend a conducting seminar in Naples, Italy.

Edgewood High School English teacher Diane Mertens, who was an inaugural recipient of a Kohl Fellowship in 1990, wrote in her letter of recommendation, “My relationship with Carrie has evolved over the years; she was one of my students in the late 1990s, and now she is both a colleague and friend.” Diane cited as some reasons for her endorsement, “What I particularly admire about Carrie is her dedication to promoting the fine arts, not just music. She organizes weekend trips to Chicago and Minneapolis where students visit art museums, attend theatrical performances, work with professional musicians, and attend concerts. Furthermore, as chairperson of the Edgewood Fine Arts Festival, when arranging for professional artists to showcase their talents at the festival, she works tirelessly to ensure that these guests represent all art areas and she has also increased student participation in the festival.”

Excellence Scholarship recipients are graduating high school students who have demonstrated excellence in the academic arena and high motivation to achieve, have displayed a broad range of activity and leadership outside the academic setting, and have shown strong promise for succeeding in college and beyond. Madeleine has taken numerous honors and advanced placement courses and been an officer of the National Honor Society. She participated in a highly selective U.S. State Department program, the National Security Language Institute for Youth, through which she spent six weeks living with a host family in Turkey. With more than 500 service hours to her credit during her four years of high school Madeleine uses her free class periods to volunteer with elementary students at Edgewood Campus School. She has participated in mission trips, provides early childhood education at her church, and has been active in co-curriculars and sports.

School counselor Michelle Borleske noted in her letter of recommendation, “ I enjoy meetings and conversations with Maddie as she is colorful, creative, witty and lighthearted. She has concern for the larger society and feels a duty to be an active, informed and involved citizen.” Science teacher Eric Pantano said that during the four-day Christian Retreat Of Shared Spirituality (C.R.O.S.S.) for seniors, “I was most impressed with Madeleine’s willingness to come out of her comfort zone and share aspects of herself with her peers. She is well respected by her classmates as a leader and confidante.”

The Kohl Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship program was established in 1990 and in recognition of the foundation’s 25^th anniversary, Herb Kohl has increased awards to each of the 162 scholars and 102 fellows to $3000, plus an additional $3000 to each fellow’s school. Over the years, Edgewood High School students and faculty have frequently earned recognition as Scholars and Fellows in the program. Award recipients are selected by a statewide committee composed of civic leaders, and representatives of education-related associations and the program’s co-sponsors:  The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools (WCRIS), and regional Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA).