Sue Bauche dedicated her life to serving the needs of choral musicians in St. Francois County from 1983 through 2013.  She taught fourteen years at West County R-3 Schools, teaching grades six through twelve.  Her first high school choir had four students.  In 1997 when she left, there were over fifty students in the high school choir.  Sue taught at Farmington High School for fifteen years, taking over a very successful program and raising the bar even higher.  She maintained a consistent level of excellence in the MSHSAA music festivals by continuing to earn superior “one” ratings annually, as her predecessors did the preceding thirty years.  Her career was highlighted with a performance for the Missouri Music Educators Association annual conference in-service/workshop in January of 2005.  This is truly one of the highest honors to achieve in music in Missouri.  Sue served as secretary/treasurer for the East Central District Music Educators Association for over twenty years.  She also conducted the Memorial United Methodist Church’s Chancel Choir for twelve years.  She referred to her students as her “babies” just as they referred to her as “Mama Bauche”.  She suffered from stage four colon cancer in her twenty ninth year of teaching, but she continued to teach not only that year, but also the following year, retiring in May 2012.  She was persistent, loving, caring, passionate, and compassionate toward young singers.

 

This scholarship will be presented to a graduating student of the FHS choral music program who exhibits a love of choral music, demonstrated by enthusiastic participation in all aspects of the program.  The recipient does not need to pursue a career in vocal music, but must show a superior record of involvement in choral music for a large portion of his/her school life.  Prospective candidates should reflect on the attributes of positive participation beyond pure musical talent.  The applicant should also consider ensemble work ethic, personality, cooperative effort, heart-felt contribution and enthusiasm.  A letter of recommendation should testify to these attributes of the applicant.

 

Eligibility

 

1. Applicant must be a graduating student of Farmington Senior High School.

2. Applicant must have applied and been accepted to an accredited college or university.

3. Applicant must have been an active participant in FHS choral music activities.

4. Preference will be given to an applicant who plans to major in education (this must be explained in the essay).

 

Application

 

The following documents must be included with each application:

 

1. A completed and signed application form, which is attached.

2. Two letters of recommendation of character and musical achievement, one of which must be from the FHS Choral Music Director and the other from a professional music educator within the St. Francois County region (private instructor, elementary or junior high music teacher, employed church music director, etc.)

3. At least two (2) but not more than four (4) written recommendations, half of which are from FHS faculty or staff members.

4. Write a 600-word type-written essay that focuses on the applicant’s life experiences and achievements, as well as the applicant’s aspirations for the future. Include a discussion of how the choral program at FHS impacted the applicant’s life.

5. The most recent official High School transcript and evidence of class rank.

 

An interview with the applicant may be requested.  Applicant will be notified if an interview is desired.   If no suitable applicant is found, the scholarship committee may choose to not present a scholarship.

Disposition of Scholarship Award Money

 

1. The monetary award will either be sent directly to the scholarship winner or to the college or university.  This will solely be the decision of the scholarship committee.  The scholarship funds must be used for direct expenses incurred while attending a college or university full time.  Any use of funds not used in this manner must be reimbursed, in full, to the Farmington Educational Foundation. Eligible expenses are tuition, books, fees, and supplies needed for class work.

2. Prior to dispersing this money, the scholarship committee or the Executive Director must receive evidence that the student has enrolled full time.

3. Awards will be disbursed in one lump sum prior to the fall semester of the student’s first year of college.

4. The student is required to notify the Farmington Educational Foundation in the event the student leaves school, reduces the number of credit hours to part time, or any other non-compliance to either the intent of this scholarship program or its expressed requirements.  The student will reimburse the Farmington Educational Foundation for any funds received for the semester affected.

5. The student, by accepting the scholarship funds, agrees to reimburse the Farmington Educational Foundation for any funds received but not used for purposes congruent with the intent and requirements of this scholarship program.