Maggie Birkel, a 2024 graduate of Callaway High School, has been awarded the 2024 Shari Wolken Scholarship for the Arts.

The letter Maggie received informing her of being selected for the scholarship read, “Shari Wolken believed in personal expression through art and was a dynamic, passionate, and dedicated educator of the arts. In this spirit, the Shari Wolken Scholarship for the Arts was established to honor her, promote the importance of the arts in education, and provide financial assistance to a graduate of Callaway Public Schools pursuing continuing education in the Arts.

“The award, in the amount of $1000, is contingent on proof of enrollment in a post-secondary educational institution.”

Sheryl “Shari” Floyd Wolken was a dynamic, passionate, and dedicated educator of the arts. She taught Art and Drama at Callaway Public Schools for over 30 years, and was firmly dedicated to her students, well beyond the school hallways. Shari strongly believed in personal expression through the Arts and in the promotion of the Arts at all levels of education.

The Shari Wolken Scholarship for the Arts was established by Shari's family to honor her, promote the importance of the Arts in education, and provide financial assistance to a graduate of Callaway Public Schools who has been involved in the arts and who will continue to be involved in the arts in the next phase of his/her academic career.

To be eligible for this scholarship students must be a graduate of Callaway High School and be enrolled in or accepted in a post-secondary school.