Memorial and Honorary Scholarships

The Student Excellence Foundation is proud to support honorary and memorial scholarships for students at both Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South High Schools. The Heatherington Baker Unity Scholarship Fund Program has been created to support current awards and as a means to expand the Student Excellence Foundation’s scholarship program.

The Ralph Heatherington Spirit Award at Wheaton North High School

Ralph Heatherington, former principal of Wheaton North HS, was inspired to become a teacher when he was serving in Vietnam. In 1972, Mr. Heatherington began teaching business classes at the former Wheaton Central High School. Ten years later, he was named the assistant principal at Wheaton Central. For two years, he served as principal at Kaneland High School in Elburn and returned to Wheaton as the assistant principal at Wheaton North. In 1996, he was named principal of Wheaton North, a position which he held until his retirement in 2004. Mr. Heatherington wasn’t one to revel in his retirement for long. He chaired the referendum committee to construct the new Hubble Middle School and became a co-principal at Lincoln Middle School in Park Ridge in 2009. Having retired at last, Ralph spends his winters golfing in Florida.

Graduation day was one of the most rewarding parts of his job. After witnessing emotional, physical, and academic growth, “graduation day is the culmination of what the students accomplished during their high school years.” The advice he conveyed to his students was to always believe in themselves and to maintain a positive outlook. He’d tell them;

• “Give your best, sometimes the best may not be good enough, but keep trying and don’t give up. 
• Finally, never stop dreaming.  
• Never stop looking ahead, never stop setting goals and trying to improve.  
• Never be afraid to make a mistake.  
• Learn from those mistakes, but don’t dwell upon them.
•  And remember, ‘Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.’”

The Charles Baker Commitment Award at Wheaton Warrenville South High School

Chuck Baker, the former principal of Wheaton Central High School and Wheaton Warrenville South High School began his 38-year career with District 200 in 1972 at Edison Junior High School, as an English and Social Studies teacher, and also coached basketball, soccer, and track & field. He joined the Wheaton Central High School faculty in 1983 as the English department chair, was named assistant principal in 1985, and became the school’s principal in 1988. Mr. Baker was involved in the renaming of the school and relocation to its current location. He retired from Wheaton Warrenville South in 2004. For the next five years, he served as the district’s Director of Secondary Education and later as interim Superintendent.

Mr. Baker credits Kay Kamin, and her “confidence in, at the time, a problematic high school sophomore,” with inspiring him to think beyond high school. The most rewarding part of his job was “the opportunity to remain forever young.” He says that it’s hard not to think young when being around students. Mr. Baker liked to remind his students that “high school is not the high point of your life.” He feels that students will someday recognize those high points in life “if we do our jobs correctly.” Chuck had a defining principle through his career that he learned from Gene Propes. “School was built for the educational benefit of every student who walks through its doors.  You do not teach for yourself; you teach to serve the best interests of all of your students.”

For more information about our scholarship programs or to obtain information about creating a new memorial/honorary scholarship, please contact the Scholarship Committee.