Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation

For good. For ever.

306 South University Avenue Mount Pleasant, MI, 48858 United States

(989) 773-7322

Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Isabella County, now and for generations to come, by attracting and holding permanent endowed funds from a wide range of donors, addressing needs through grant making and providing leadership on key community issues.

Phyllis A. Heinze Mathematics Education Scholarship Fund

The Phyllis A. Heinze Mathematics Education Scholarship Fund was started by Phyllis’s husband, Dyke, to honor her lifetime devotion to teaching Mathematics at various levels.
As a military wife, Phyllis followed Dyke’s career around the country for 23 years, and as Phyllis put it, “Wherever we were, I taught math.”

After settling down in Mt. Pleasant in 1990, Phyllis continued teaching math for the next 17 years at West Intermediate, Mt. Pleasant High School, and Central Michigan University.  In 2009, she retired from a long, successful career, after touching many lives and influencing countless minds along the way.

A 2011 scholarship winner, Ryan Heeke, had Mrs. Heinze as a math teacher when he was a freshman at Mt. Pleasant High School and said she inspired him to continue pursuing mathematics. “She made sure you knew all the basics before you moved onto advanced material,” he said.  Ryan is now attending CMU, planning to major in mathematics.

The Phyllis A. Heinze Mathematics Education Scholarship is awarded to a high school senior from Isabella County who has a career goal of teaching mathematics at a public school.

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria:

  • Student shall be a graduating senior from an Isabella county high school;

  • Student shall be planning to enroll at an accredited college or university;

  • Student shall be planning to pursue a teaching degree with a major or minor emphasis in mathematics; and

  • Student has demonstrated academic excellence, as evidenced by a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Preferences:

In selecting the most qualified applicant to receive the scholarship, reviewers will give preference to the follow, listed in priority order:

  • Student intends to teach mathematics at the secondary level.

  • Student has demonstrated aptitude in mathematics at an advanced level, as evidenced by courses taken beyond Algebra II (i.e. Pre-Calculus, Calculus).

  • Student has been actively involved in the community, as expressed in the applicant’s written essay.