The scholarship was established honor the memory and career plans of Tom Sustic of Fletcher, who had expressed his interested in becoming a teacher of young children prior to his death on July 4th, 2001 following a 2-year battle with leukemia. Tom lived in a variety of Franklin County communities (Enosburg, Fletcher, Georgia, Montgomery, and Richford) and attended a variety of child care and preschool programs (Fletcher, Richford, St. Albans and Swanton), the Fletcher Elementary School from kindergarten through grade 6, and Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax through 10th grade. He worked in the preschool classroom at Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax during his last year in high school, and concluded, based in part on that experience, that his career would be dedicated to being a teacher. Tom loved working with young children. He enjoyed working, laughing and playing with them, and they with him. Everyone who witnessed his interactions with young children noted how exceptionally respectful, kind and caring he was.

The ‘Tom Sustic Scholarship Fund’ has supported one or two seniors each year who is scheduled to graduate from one of Franklin County’s high schools (Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax, Bellows Free Academy-St. Albans, Enosburg Falls Junior-Senior High School, Missisquoi Valley Union High School and Richford Junior-Senior High School), a student who has decided to pursue becoming a teacher of young children (children between birth and age eight), has applied for or is in the process of applying to a college or university, and intends to enroll in a program that, if completed, would lead to becoming endorsed as a teacher.

At least one senior has been selected to receive the scholarship each year. In 2009 there were 2 scholarships given. The awards have been $1,000 per student. In 2003, the Fund’s first year, the selection was limited to a senior attending Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax, which was the group of students Tom would have graduated with. All subsequent awards have been available to graduating seniors in any of Franklin County’s high schools. Students from Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax, Enosburg Falls Middle and High School, Missisquoi Valley Union High School, Richford High School and Bellows Free Academy-St. Albans have been awarded scholarships.

The selection has been based on a letter of application, addressing as many of the Fund’s criteria as possible. Letters were accompanied by at least two letters of support/reference. It was requested that one letter be from a teacher, guidance counselor, or administrator familiar with the applicant as a student at the high school. The other letter was to be from someone who is familiar with the student’s work with young children (e.g. preschool teachers, child care providers, parents who have hired the student as a babysitter, etc.). Support/reference letters were asked to address 2 or more of the Fund’s criteria.

For more information contact mrksustc@together.net.