To the Editor:

It was such an honor to receive our $1,000 scholarships from the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (“Future Teachers Awarded Grants from Manhattan Chamber,” Spotlight on Schools, June 2001). It is so encouraging for us to realize that there are so many well-intentioned people who don’t even know us offering support both financially and in spirit. So often as minority teenagers, we assume that people really don’t care about us; this grant changed our minds.

After the assembly, students came up to us to congratulate us as well as to ask how we won the scholarships. Many are already thinking about what they are going to write in order to receive the scholarships next year. Our principal, Elaine Goldberg, told us that this grant may not be forthcoming every year. We would like to ask the Chamber to consider adopting the High School of Teaching and giving this scholarship every year for the many worthy kids in our building.

Carmen Barahona, Karen Cooper, Su-Elene Cuevas, Margaret Diaz, Venus Hernandez, Suzie Ip, Michelle Mapp, Nydia Southerland, Shaneika Swinton, Carmen Tavarez

Richard R. Green High School of Teaching

Martha McCarthy, Ph.D. is the Chancellor Professor, School of Education, Indiana University.

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