Jean Rambo Scholarship

The Jean Rambo Scholarship Honors the life and work of
Jean Rambo, a teacher who served our parish and school
for over 30 years.

The 4th Grade Student Jean Rambo Scholarship Fund begins its 7th Year!

Donate Here

During the “Irish” month of March, we are asking you to consider supporting
the Jean Rambo Scholarship (Jean was 100% Irish!). With the ongoing donations of
many former students, friends, and family over the last five years, we have received over
$23,000 and have been able to offer tuition to five outstanding students!

Your prayers and financial assistance are greatly appreciated. You are making an important investment in Catholic education which makes a huge difference one student at a time!
Please make checks payable to St. Thomas Aquinas with the notation
Jean Rambo Scholarship on the memo line.

Contributions may be mailed to:
 St. Thomas Aquinas at 955 Alton Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823.

This year’s award (for the 2023-24 school year) will be presented on
Thursday, May 25 after the 9am Mass.
Please join us for Mass and the presentation!

A note from Helen Hillman who established this scholarship in Mrs. Rambo's honor:

I met Mrs. Rambo in 1975 when she took me under her welcoming and hospitable wing.  I had just begun teaching and we taught 4^th grade together.  She was my biggest cheerleader and made me feel like I’d been teaching for a long time!  I followed her around trying to take in all of her wisdom!  She was an honorable person whom I admired greatly.
 
More than that she was in her very humble, dynamic way, a teacher for everyone!  She welcomed and complimented the “new teacher on the block,” the new families that joined STA, the students in her classroom, her colleagues, basically everyone she met!  Her classroom was Room 108 by the front door.  It was a perfect location for someone so filled with love for her neighbors!  She often greeted visitors and helped them get where they needed to go!
 
My thought in establishing this scholarship was to honor a very kind, effective, educator who was a constant at St. Thomas Aquinas for 30 years.  She would come to school, even when her health was poor, when she had no voice, when she felt tired, no matter what, you could count on her to be in her classroom very early and to stay very late.  She had, and her term for it was, a “rust bucket” for a car until we all pitched in to give her a bright shiny red one!  Before that she had to often times come up with a solution for transportation someway, somehow!  Her determination to be at school every day was inspirational!
 
The students in her Math, Science, and History classes were treated to her expertise, her love of learning, and her enthusiasm!  Her teaching methods were expansive, diverse, and creative. (She could simultaneously engage an entire classroom in the excitement of learning, while patiently tutoring each individual student “one heart at a time.” She had a quick welcoming smile when a student had that light bulb moment.  She worked tirelessly and beyond measure, often through her lunch hour, to help someone achieve. Her many hours of preparation made learning fun, intense, and stimulating!

The biggest and most important part of Mrs. Rambo’s presence was her deep, deep faith in God, Her devotion to the Sacred Heart and her love of Mary.  She prayed the rosary and it gave her strength and peace to face any challenge. She created a classroom of thought-provoking reflection on more than just the subject matter.  She wanted students to consider life’s bigger purpose and God’s plan for them. Her authentically lived faith quietly mentored and inspired her fellow teachers whether they were just beginning their vocation or were a veteran.

When her sons and I talked about establishing a scholarship in her name, we decided the following criteria would most honor Mrs. Rambo’s legacy:

The student:
  ~Demonstrates Catholic values of respect, friendliness, and fairness towards fellow students       
       and adults.
  ~Shows discipline, diligence, and dedication to their studies to the best of their ability.
  ~Financial need will be a consideration as a way to honor Jean’s considerable sacrifice
       throughout her life.
 
Mrs. Rambo died on Monday, November 13, the feast day of Mother Frances Cabrini.  How appropriate that a dedicated teacher of 30 years at St. Thomas Aquinas school enters eternal life on the feast day of a Saint so passionate about education. St Frances Cabrini’s love of learning, dedication to the faith, and devotion to her community were the same qualities Mrs. Rambo shared with St Thomas Aquinas during her long years of service. May we honor her legacy by aspiring to those same qualities today!

Mrs. Rambo was Irish and I’d like to close with an Irish blessing:
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And may rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God keep you in the palm of His hand.
 
Thank you for your generous support of the Jean Rambo Scholarship!