Dennis Conner Memorial Scholarship
A memorial scholarship has been set up through the Woodlake High School Foundation Endowment program. Donations can be made online here or mailed to WHS Foundation P.O. Box 475, Woodlake, CA 93286 or via a payment app: Venmo @WHSFoundation or CashApp $woodlakefoundation Please include the note Endowment Fund-Dennis Conner. Donations to the Endowment fund made by December 27, 2024, will be tripled, thanks to a generous graduate of WHS.
Dennis was an innovative, creative, and hardworking educator at Woodlake High School and was inducted into the Woodlake High School Hall of Fame earlier this year. He started teaching in 1969 when Woodlake High School was a Model School on modular scheduling. He taught Spanish, French, and English as a Second Language (ESL). During this time, students had unscheduled time to go to classes they were interested in or in which they needed extra help. Many of Dennis’s students were interested in Hispanic Dance and Music and requested Dennis to help them with their dance research. This led to Dennis developing a Mexican Folk Dance class in 1970 open to all Woodlake High School students. The program became Dennis’s passion due to student participation and overall enthusiasm. In 1981, Dennis was selected as the Woodlake High School Teacher of the Year.
In 1986, Dennis was hired as a Woodlake High School counselor. He continued his involvement and encouragement of the Ballet Folklorico program and ensured that it would continue to grow into the outstanding program it is today. He and his counseling partner, Sally Pace, started many programs that are still in existence today, including: Career Day, College Study Trips, Portfolios, Senior Exit Interviews, and the Community Service Graduation Requirement.
Dennis Conner definitely left a lasting mark on the Woodlake High School culture! His quiet style of leadership and careful planning helped sell his ideas to the administration, staff, parents, students, and the WHS School Board. Dennis retired in 2004 after thirty-five years of dedication to Woodlake High School.
Criteria: To Be Determined
Selected By: WHS Foundation Scholarship Committee
