Christopher K. Smith Memorial Future Teacher Scholarship

Duty-free lunch… It’s a part of nearly every collectively-bargained contract affecting DSEA members. However, what is now an important fabric of those contracts was once something elementary teachers were forced to do without. In 1969, though, a social studies teacher organized his colleagues to lobby for that contractual right, marking a pivotal moment in DSEA history: the organization’s first foray into member lobbying.

Christopher K. Smith, the social studies teacher who organized the effort, built a career as both an educator and union leader. In addition to his years teaching in the Georgetown and Colonial School Districts, Smith served two terms as Delaware’s representative on the NEA Board of Directors.

Smith passed away unexpectedly in 1989. The following year, the DSEA Executive Board established the Christopher K. Smith Memorial Future Teacher Scholarship to honor his work as an educator and advocate.

The scholarship offers $1,000 per year, for four years, to a graduate of a Delaware public high school. They must major in education and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. While not a requirement, graduates are encouraged to teach in a Delaware public school.

The selection committee, comprised of DSEA staff and members, considers a variety of factors when making its decision. These factors include academic performance, involvement in high school activities, and career plans. Applicants must also submit two letters of recommendation from their teachers, which focuses on their leadership potential, personal character, and degree of initiative.

Criteria

The Selection Committee will consider:

• Class rank
• Grade point average (as shown on a transcript of high school record through the end of the senior year)
• SAT scores
• School activities for the past four (4) years
• Awards/Honors
• Career plans
• TWO letters of reference from the student's teachers (these letters should expand upon the student's activities and leadership record in high school, as well as the student's personal traits, character, and degree of initiative).