In 2008, the Malone Family Foundation in Colorado selected Wichita Collegiate School as a Malone Scholars School, providing a $2 million endowment for the purpose of providing an excellent educational opportunity for academically talented students. Malone Scholars Schools are selected on the basis of academic caliber; quality of faculty and staff; excellent accommodations for gifted students; attention to the individual student’s needs, interests, and talents; financial strength, stability, and commitment to financial aid; and an economically, culturally, ethnically, and socially diverse student population. There are only 50 Malone Scholars Schools in the United States, and WCS is the only one in Kansas.
This year we welcomed three new Malone Scholars to our family: eighth graders Cora Hill and Delilah Banuelos and freshman Jaeden Flores. Director of Advancement Chris Ashbrook had the chance to visit with all three in the fall and was impressed with their poise, positivity, and kindness. All three are working hard and extremely happy to be at Collegiate.
When asked what they liked most about Collegiate they unanimously stated the people. They went on to share about how much the teachers truly care about their students. And the students themselves have made an impression on our new scholars, who all noted how very welcoming everyone has been since the start of the school year. Cora, whose family has lived all over the United States and has attended six different schools, said, “Collegiate has been the easiest transition. It is a tight community with so much to do, and they welcomed me in. I made the right choice coming here.”
Delilah shared that she feels differently about school in general now that she is at Collegiate. Giving much of the credit to her teachers, who ignite an excitement to learn within their students, she went on to share, “I look forward to coming to school everyday now because you never know what’s going to happen and what you’ll learn.”
When asked if he would recommend Collegiate to other students, Jaeden simply stated, “If you can, definitely go.” I also asked what his advice to incoming students would be. “Have a strong work ethic and build relationships. It’s challenging, but people want you to succeed and are here to help.”
All of us at WCS welcome these three new additions to our school, and we can’t help but admire how they are already taking advantage of the empowering opportunities before them.
We are now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Interested applicants can learn more here or contact Kathy Rukes (krukes@wcsks.com or 316-771-2203) for more information. Deadline to apply is March 15.