The Oklahoma State School Boards Association Foundation will present the Dr. Bob Mooneyham Memorial Scholarship again this spring to a high school senior who plans to be an Oklahoma teacher.
Applications for the one-time $5,000 scholarship are due Jan. 9. Candidates can complete the application online at ossba. org/scholarship.
Dr. Bob Mooneyham began his career as a teacher, coach and guidance counselor, before becoming a school superintendent and college professor. He served as executive director of OSSBA from 1975 to 2000. From the Capitol to the classroom, colleagues say he was a respected and caring professional who made a difference in the lives of students across the state.
The scholarship is granted to a senior who plans to declare education as their major and join the teaching profession upon graduation.
“Dr. Mooneyham dedicated his career to providing educational opportunities for Oklahoma students,” Dr. Shawn Hime, OSSBA executive director, said. “It is fitting to honor him and his legacy by supporting a future teacher who will make a difference for Oklahoma students.'
To qualify for the scholarship, candidates must be a high school student who will earn a diploma from an Oklahoma public high school during the 2025-26 school year and has plans to pursue a degree at an accredited Oklahoma college, university or career technology center beginning in the fall of 2026.
Other criteria include a minimum 3.0 unweighted high school GPA and a preferred minimum 20 ACT or 1040 SAT score. Financial need will also be considered.
The scholarship recipient will be notified of his or her selection by mid-March.
Children or grandchildren of current OSSBA employees, officers, or board of director members, as well as international students, high school graduates and temporary residents, are ineligible to receive the scholarship.
Mooneyham, who passed away in 2012, is honored annually during the OSSBA Dr. Bob Mooneyham Memorial Golf Tournament. Proceeds from past and future tournaments will be used to fund the scholarship in his name.
OSSBA is a non-profit organization that works to promote quality public education for the children of Oklahoma through training and information services to the state’s approximately 2,500 locally elected school board members.
For more information about the scholarship, please contact Amber Graham Fitzgerald, OSSBA Director of Member and Community Engagement, at amberf@ossba. org.