Each winter a committee representing the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum selects a high school student for the $3,000 Marshall and E.J. Sprague Scholarship. This scholarship is made possible through an endowment to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum Foundation in honor of Marshall and E.J. Sprague. The Spragues were dedicated to family, community, and learning. Their work exposes generations of people to the fascinating history of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region and encourages people to explore and protect the world around us. Their commitment to education is carried on through this scholarship.
High school students competing as individuals in the Colorado Springs Regional History Day competition held at Colorado College are eligible to apply. The scholarship is intended for college-related expenses. Student projects are judged by their historical quality, the clarity of their presentation, and their demonstrated passion for history.
This year, Liberty High School 11th grader, Veronica Masztalerz was chosen for her exhibit entry “Esperanto: An Ophthalmologist’s Vision for Linguistic World Peace.” Student’s competed virtually in this year’s event which presented unique challenges as they had to convert their exhibit display boards to a virtual presentation. This year’s theme was Communication in History: The Key to Understanding.
Growing up in late 19th century Poland, L.L. Zamenhof saw the power language held and recognized miscommunication as a source of conflict. To combat this, he constructed Esperanto: an auxiliary language designed to foster global understanding through establishing a common bond between people. Despite initial resistance to its creation, Esperanto has amassed nearly two million speakers globally, and validates the benefits and possibility of universal languages.
Veronica Masztalerz met with Leah Davis Witherow, Curator of History, to accept her scholarship.
Museum Director, Matt Mayberry, presented the scholarship to Veronica Masztalerz during the Regional History Day virtual awards ceremony.
The Museum would like to thank our volunteer committee for assisting with the judging process: Chrys Fotenos, Judy Cross, and Katherine Ritchie Rapp. The Museum’s Program Coordinator, Meg Poole, also assisted with the process.
Meg Poole, CSPM Programs Coordinator
The Marshall and E. J. Sprague Scholarship will be awarded every year to a high school student competing as an individual in the Colorado Springs Regional History Day competition held at Colorado College. Visit this page for when the scholarship application opens again in 2022.
719.385.5631 | Meg.Poole@coloradosprings.gov