Scholarship Criteria:
Preference for Education Major and those attending a college or university in Ohio.
The Scioto Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of the Amy M. Keating Scholarship Fund established by Kathy Fish and Tom Keating, Amy’s mother and husband, in memory of the highly-regarded English teacher and tennis coach who passed away on February 5, 2019.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be graduating seniors from Portsmouth or Notre Dame High School and maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.8 on a scale of 4.0. Preference will be given to students studying education and attending Ohio schools. As the fund grows, it is anticipated that annual awards will be made to graduating seniors from other high schools in Scioto County.
A committee of up to five members will make annual selections in concert with the Scioto Foundation’s volunteer scholarship committee. If the committee no longer chooses to make the selections, the volunteer scholarship committee, on behalf of the Scioto Foundation Board of Governors, will name the annual recipients.
A daughter of David E. Barney and Kathy Boyce Fish, Amy was born June 20, 1969 in Portsmouth. An English teacher at Portsmouth High School, Amy was influential not only as a tennis coach but also as a life coach for her students. She was a successful Quiz Bowl and Mock Trial coach, had multiple winning seasons in both Boys’ and Girls’ tennis and was the yearbook advisor. Amy coined the PHS phrase “You Belong Here” and was instrumental in the development of the school’s new food bank. She was an avid tennis player and enjoyed tackling new adventures such as hiking with friends, old and new.
“Amy regularly received letters from her former students thanking her for preparing them for college English. Students came by the school to see her and to let her know they wouldn’t have made it through college if it weren’t for her classes,” said her mother and husband. “Amy was the kind of teacher and person that the students wanted to be with – whether in the classroom or the tennis courts. Parents have told us their daughters want to be like Amy. Some parents told us they encouraged their children to sign up for everything Amy was doing so they could spend more time with her.”
“Amy encouraged and inspired her students, and she made each and every one of them feel special. She encouraged them to push themselves to be better students, athletes and people. We want the scholarship fund to keep Amy’s legacy alive by helping those who seek a good life for themselves while helping others achieve success. Amy’s message was ‘Believe in your abilities,’ “ Fish and Keating explained.
Amy was a 1987 graduate of PHS and earned a Bachelor of English degree from Eastern Kentucky University and a teaching degree from Ohio University. She received a Master of Education degree from Concordia University. Amy was a board member of the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery and attended Cornerstone United Methodist Church. She and Tom were married on August 7, 2000, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Their family includes stepsons Thomas Jacob and Benjamin David Keating of Indianapolis, Indiana and stepdaughter Megan Sowkulech of McDermott, Ohio.
Additions to the Amy M. Keating Scholarship Fund may be made by friends, family and supporters in the form of gifts of cash, securities or property at any time. Further information about the Amy M. Keating Scholarship Fund or other planned giving opportunities may be obtained by contacting Kim Cutlip or Patty Tennant at the Scioto Foundation office, (740) 354-4612 or by visiting the SF website at www.sciotofoundation.org.