The FHS Alumni Association is pleased to announce that a scholarship honoring the teaching career of Catherine Zagula (1969-2009) has been fully endowed by Malcolm R. Shrimplin, an FHS graduate. The purpose of the scholarship, which will be awarded this spring, is to encourage young women to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“I’m grateful for the year I spent learning various precalculus concepts from Mrs. Zagula,” Shrimplin said. “She was an excellent teacher who clearly cared about her students. The knowledge that I gained from Mrs. Zagula served me well when taking advanced math courses for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I encourage others who benefitted from Mrs. Zagula’s tutelage, along with those who want to encourage women pursuing careers in STEM-related fields, to contribute to this scholarship.”
Zagula earned a bachelor of science in business, majoring in marketing and minoring in mathematics in 1969 from Miami University. After graduating from Miami, she attended Franciscan University to acquire her teaching certification.
From 1969-1977 she taught Algebra I and II at Steubenville High School. After taking three years off to attend to family, she taught precalculus, business math and algebra as an adjunct from 1980-86 at Jefferson County Technical College. She studied at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Ashland University for additional coursework. Zagula finished her teaching career with a 23-year stint at Fredericktown High School.
“I thoroughly enjoyed teaching algebra, precalculus and A.P. calculus at Fredericktown High School,” she said, reflecting on her career. "The faculty was all about preparing students for their future careers. Encouraging young women to investigate and pursue the many opportunities in math and science will be enhanced by these scholarships.”
Shimplin graduated at the top of his class at FHS in 1988 and earned a BSBA in operations research cum laude from Bowling Green State University in 1992. He also earned a master’s degree in management science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Malcolm and his husband, David, reside in Scottsdale, Arizona. His current employer, Applied Materials, has provided matching funds for this series of scholarships via its Employee Giving Program.
Tax-deductible donations to the Catherine Zagula Women in STEM Scholarship may be made as follows: write a check payable to “FHS Alumni Scholarship Fund.” Please note “FHS Zagula STEM” on the memo line and mail it to The Knox County Foundation, P.O. Box 309, Mount Vernon, OH 43050-0309. To donate online, please click on the “Donate” button on the FHS Alumni website at fredericktownalumni.org, and note “FHS Zagula STEM” when donating.
This scholarship is the third in a series of four planned to honor the teaching careers of female STEM teachers from Fredericktown High school and encourage women to pursue careers in STEM-related fields. The first two, the Rachel A. Gregg Women in STEM Scholarship and the Ruth E. Auker Women in STEM Scholarship, were awarded in the spring of 2021 and 2022, respectively. Donations may also be made to the entire series of four scholarships by just noting “FHS STEM” when doing so. These donations will be allocated to keep the payout of these four scholarships across the years as consistent as possible.
