Shadle Alum Donates Scholarship Money To Grads Stephen Ross Wants To Reward Students For Achievements

Shadle Park High School alum Stephen Ross subscribes to the belief that it’s only right to put a few cookies back into the jar you once ate from.

Ross, 38, rewarded four members from the Highlanders’ class of 1997 with $11,000 in scholarship money for college in the fall.

Shadle valedictorian Lindsey Plaster, and Nicole Mauldin, Jeff Meyers and Vanessa Larkin are the first-ever recipients of the Stephen Ross Achievement Scholarship Award. Ross said he plans to donate more scholarship money in the future.

Ross graduated from Shadle Park in 1977. A successful entrepreneur in Laguna Hills, Calif., Ross said he wanted to put something back into Shadle Park High School.

“Shadle’s given quite a bit to me,” Ross said. “I wanted to return the favor.”

Ross’ father, George, was a science teacher at Shadle until his retirement just a few years ago. Stephen Ross said the scholarship is also set up in honor of his father.

“I wanted to reward the kind of kids my father tried to get everybody to be,” Ross said. “Well-rounded in activities in school, the church and community.”

Ross started his own venture capital firm last year to help high-tech businesses with start-up costs. For four years before that he co-founded a high-tech business in Oxford, England.

Mauldin and Plaster were each awarded $5,000 scholarships, while Meyers and Larkin were each awarded $500.

Ross said that in the future at least one student will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship. He said the high quality of candidates in this year’s graduating class made him decide to contribute more scholarship money.

Plaster will attend Brigham Young University, while Mauldin, Meyers and Larkin will attend the University of Washington in the fall.

Plaster was one of the original founders of Shadle’s Students Against Drunk Driving club, and last year she was the senior class vice president and a varsity cheerleader.

At church she was a youth counselor at an all-girls camp for the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints and held other leadership positions in youth groups.

Plaster was also involved in Spokane’s Habitat for Humanity and Adopt a Highway programs.

Plaster said she doesn’t mind having a full plate.

“I always liked to be busy and have things to do,” she said.

Plaster said she plans to get her degree in nursing from BYU.

Shadle principal Emmett Arndt helped conduct interviews for applicants.

Of Mauldin, the other $5,000 winner, he said talking to her was “like interviewing Einstein.”

Mauldin took first place in the regional “Knowledge Bowl” and received numerous honors from the Society of Women’s Engineers and the American Association of University Women.

Mauldin attended the Running Start program at Spokane Falls Community College and had her graduation requirements finished before her last quarter of school.

“That allowed me a lot of time to devote to other things outside of school,” Mauldin said.

Arndt said he was thrilled with Ross’ contributions.

“Sometimes you see this from corporate sponsors, but it’s rare to see it from one individual,” Arndt said.

, DataTimes