The Beachwood Schools Foundation (BSF) will host a free pizza lunch on Tuesday, Dec. 9 to inform seniors of over 20 scholarships available this year and to encourage them to apply.

The scholarships, many of which are sponsored by Beachwood families, range from $500 to $2,000. 

The event will be held in the high school community room during lunch periods and aims to raise awareness before the scholarship application window, which will open earlier than usual this year. For the first time, seniors will be able to begin applying before winter break.

“The BSF is a nonprofit organization, led by a volunteer board of parents, that raises money to support students and teachers across the district,” BSF President Shana Wallenstein wrote in an email. 

Wallenstein is a proud Beachwood parent and long-time community volunteer. She has been a member of BSF for almost six years and is coming to the end of her first term as foundation president.

“BSF provides scholarships for graduating seniors and ‘above & beyond’ grants for classrooms, clubs and activities to fund creative, hands-on learning experiences in every school,” she added. 

Principal Paul Chase said BSF has funded projects across the district. Previous grants have supported résumé-building workshops, classroom innovations and districtwide speaker series. 

Wallenstein noted several popular programs within the district in recent years. 

“We supported kinesthetic classrooms at Hilltop, sponsored the InnovAsians event last year at the high school, funded the Science Olympiad’s first ever tournament at the school and have hosted a community book drive alongside students,” she wrote. 

Chase said the scope of BSF’s support sets the district apart. 

“I’m not aware of other districts that do it to this extent,” he said. 

“I think having these scholarships available to our seniors every year is an incredible opportunity,” he said. “I know that there’s occasional scholarships here and there, but the fact that we have so many opportunities for so many seniors to earn money before they go off to college is absolutely amazing.”

Wallenstein emphasized the breadth of skills, values and achievements honored by the scholarships. 

“These scholarships are exciting because they celebrate who you are, not just your GPA,” she wrote. “They help make college or post-secondary plans more affordable. They show that the Beachwood community is proud of you and invested in your future.” 

She emphasized that BSF scholarships recognize a wide range of student strengths. 

“These scholarships honor students for many different strengths—leadership, service, academic excellence, creativity, resilience, STEM interests, music, athletics and more,” she wrote. 

Wallenstein’s personal favorite scholarship is the Bison Leadership Fund. 

“Our students are so amazing and I love hearing their version of what leadership is and how they have been leaders in our schools and in our community,” she wrote. “It’s always hard to make a selection, but this is one where every single applicant is as deserving as the next. It’s a hard choice – but it’s also my very favorite one to interview [for].”

Chase explained that most BSF scholarships originate from community members who establish named funds. 

“It’s named after a former Beachwood student, graduate, family member [or] teacher and then a fund is created,” he said. 

He added that scholarships are funded up front and often maintained through investments or replenished with donations.

Wallenstein said next week’s pizza lunch will give students a quick and approachable introduction to the process. The event will offer free pizza and a short overview of how to apply. 

“In 15–20 minutes, students can learn how to apply for BSF scholarships, hear tips for writing a strong application, and ask questions about what committees look for,” she wrote.

Recent graduate Alex Eisengart, a freshman at Emory University, wrote winning a BSF scholarship helped him feel connected to the Beachwood community even after graduation. 

Eisengart received the Arthur Gugick Memorial Scholarship, which honors a former Beachwood math teacher known for his Lego architectural work. 

“The scholarship is given to a student artist,” he wrote. 

“I’m a bird photographer,” Eisengart wrote. “It was very nostalgic to browse my gallery, and this also gave me time to figure out what I wanted to discuss…I ended up settling on an image of a Laysan Albatross, and reflecting on the struggle of taking that picture made me gain an appreciation of the photo and of the trip.”

His advice for this year’s seniors is to pick the scholarship you are most passionate about.

“At the end of the day, the judges are looking for people who care about what they do and the scholarship they are applying for,” he wrote.

Eisengart reports using his $1,000 scholarship for books, food and school-related travel like Uber fares.

Wallenstein encouraged every senior to consider applying. 

“Everyone should apply,” she said, noting that many awards look for qualities beyond academics. “BSF is here for you,” she added.

More information will be available at the Jan. 9 pizza event and through the BSF website.