Our Beginning...

  Our Beginning... Nine children from Boston, graduates of the Roxbury-Weston Preschool, entered the Weston Public Schools Kindergarten at Brook School via the METCO Program in September 1967. Weston’s unique plan for participating in METCO was to enroll a new cohort of kindergarten children, primarily those who had attended Roxbury-Weston Preschool, each fall, and have the children continue through graduation.
 

By the time the first cohort reached fourth grade, in 1971, Weston parent Jane Funkhouser drafted a letter to parents and host parents, urging that plans commence for the funds that would be needed to help support these children further their education beyond Weston High School. She invited contributions and established a savings account in a local bank. Over the next few years, Jane continued to solicit funds informally, and she urged formalizing the effort.
 

The first meeting of the Weston METCO Scholarship Fund, Inc. was held at 8:00 PM on Tuesday evening, January 13, 1976 in the METCO Coordinator’s office of the Weston Junior High School. Present were: Frank B. Dow, Jr., H. Kenneth Fish, Jane Funkhouser, Donald E. Pierson, Alton C. Thomas, Harry B. Thompson, Jr., Sally Z. Weiss, and Hamilton Wyche.  Sally Weiss led the meeting. She stated that the purpose of the meeting was to formalize the organization of the Weston METCO Scholarship Fund and to discuss the matter of raising funds for scholarship purposes. She reported that the Fund had approximately $800 in the savings account initiated by Jane Funkhouser. Sally also reported that the Weston Coalition, formed shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. had a balance of $1800 remaining in its treasury which they would like to give to the Fund.
 

Ken Fish distributed a draft of proposed by-laws. It was decided that the initial Board of Trustees should consist of six members, and the following were elected to serve: Frank B. Dow, Jr., Donald E. Pierson, Alton C. Thomas, Harry B. Thompson, Jr., Sally Z. Weiss, and Hamilton Wyche. Sally Weiss was elected President and Treasurer. Ken Fish agreed to serve as Clerk. Jane Funkhouser declined to accept an official position. It was agreed that future membership would be determined by votes of the Trustees at annual meetings.
 

The Articles of Organization for the Weston METCO Scholarship Fund, Inc., establishing the Fund as a charitable private foundation, were filed by H. Kenneth Fish with the Secretary of the Commonwealth at the State House on January 29, 1976.
 

The first scholarship awards were distributed in 1980, when the first group of METCO students graduated from Weston High School. The first graduates of the Weston METCO program were: Darryl Baynes, Beverly Clark, Maria DaRosa, Keith Haynes, Christopher Hill, Karen Horner, Paul Locker, Brenda McMillan, Myric Thompson, Fred Washington, and Mark Williams.
 

The Weston METCO Scholarship Fund has been benefitting Weston METCO graduates who are attending college or other post graduate studies for over 30 years.