Scholarships grow as teachers deepen community support

On May 28, the Mahopac Teachers’ Association will join other organizations at Mahopac High School's Senior Award Night to present its annual scholarships where several graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 will receive scholarship awards.

Through the MTA’s scholarship fundraising efforts, we are proud to announce that we are able to award our students with roughly $10,000 in scholarships, a 50 percent increase from last year’s awards.

Scholarship recipients are nominated and selected by current MTA members and individual scholarships are awarded to deserving students who plan to: major in education, have exhibited exceptional service to the school and/or community, have exhibited exceptional perseverance, have overcome an obstacle or challenge, have maintained an exceptional work ethic under difficult or adverse circumstances, or, in honor of our lost MTA members, have exhibited a strong sense of compassion for others.

The teachers of Mahopac pride themselves not only on the work they do in the classroom, but also the work they do out and within the Mahopac community as a whole. MTA President Tracey Casey stated, “Our union has always believed in lifting up our community through outreach initiatives and these scholarship donations are a direct investment in our students' futures.”

The Bowling Spectacular, a new event organized and sponsored by the MTA, brought 88 teachers, administrators, staff, community members and board members from throughout the district together for an afternoon of friendly competition, food and fundraising in the name of the students we serve. In addition, each building hosted a breakfast raffle that raised nearly $700 for the scholarship fund. Combined, these fundraisers boosted the fund by roughly $3,700 that we are proud to give back to these deserving students. When discussing the MTA fundraising events and initiatives of the 2025-26 school year, Casey shared, “The MTA banded together to support student goals and aspirations in the most meaningful ways. I'm proud of how our members continue to lead with purpose. That's the true spirit of our union.”

The Mahopac Teachers’ Association also gave back to the Mahopac community through various drives and community outreach initiatives including organizing an on-going food drive to support the St. John’s Food Pantry and the Women’s Resource Center, and contributing donations to help fund holiday gift baskets for our families in need. The Association extended their support to various local organizations as well, including the Pajama Project, United for the Troops, Putnam County Action Partnership and Lake Mahopac Rotary.

The MTA’s continued commitment to service highlights the powerful impact educators can have beyond the classroom. Through fundraising and outreach efforts, the MTA not only supports deserving students in pursuing their future goals, but also strengthens the entire Mahopac community, demonstrating that when educators come together, their influence reaches far beyond school walls.