Scholarship Information

Scholarships from the Ethos of Rugby Foundation (both High School and Continuing Education) are awarded based upon demonstrated leadership and community service. While helping to coach youth rugby programs is a form of service, most of our past scholarship recipients have also performed important services to their communities beyond just our sport. The scholarship awards are intended to help these outstanding individuals involved in rugby pay for their rugby expenses. All Scholarships are $500.

2024 Continuing Education Scholarships

Application Window is Closed

Applicants must have completed at least one semester of college or three months of an apprenticeship program.

Application window is closed. Winners announced on November 1, 2024.

2024 High School Girls and Boys Scholarships

Application window is closed. Winners were announced June 1, 2024.

2024 High School Scholarships Winners

Benett Singer

Benett Singer was awarded a $500 Robert Buchanan Scholarship. Benett plays rugby for Marquette University School in Milwaukee. Benett is planning to attend Miami University this fall and study Kinesiology. He will be working towards a degree in physical therapy. After twelve years of scouting and achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, Benett also completed 240 hours of service working for the Milwaukee County Zoo. There he worked on building animal enrichment and sustainability projects. One of the projects was to build ventilated crane transport crates that would withstand international shipping and keep the cranes safe during transport. Working toward becoming an Eagle Scout and completing his final project took a great deal of time, dedication and perseverance. Benett learned the value and reward of hard work and being resilient. He is looking forward to applying what he’s learned as he moves on to other goals.

Brayden Mikelonis

Brayden Mikelonis was awarded a $500 Richard Staedtler scholarship. Brayden plays rugby for the Waukesha Gold Rugby Club. Brayden will be attending UW Stevens Point and majoring in Wildlife Ecology. He has been in Scouting for 10 years and has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. His Eagle project involved work on restoring St Mary’s Church in Pewaukee. The Church was originally scheduled to be torn down. It took a community effort to restore and save this 166 year old structure. Brayden will take what he learned from Scouting and his work on the restoration forward with him as he moves on to UW Stevens Point.

Bryce Roder

Bryce Roder was awarded a $500 Scholarship given in memory of Stuart Pippel. Bryce plays rugby for the Marquette University School in Milwaukee. Bryce will be attending the Colorado School of Mines this fall and studying Chemical Engineering. A highlight of his community service was volunteering as a third-grade classroom aide at the Indian Community School in Franklin. This turned out to be an influential activity for Bryce. He felt like his presence mattered to the third graders and that he was making a positive impact on their lives. Some of the students had difficult home situations and different backgrounds that Bryce. While not Native American, Bryce found it rewarding for him to learn about a different culture. Attending a Powwow was particularly eye opening. The students rewarded Bryce with drawings and hugs in appreciation for his work and made this an impactful time for him.

Grace Leone

Grace Leone was awarded a $500 Marge Buchanan Scholarship. Grace plays rugby for the Fox Cities Iron Maidens. Grace is first looking to obtain her CNA certification and then will be going to Loyola University Chicago to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has performed volunteer each year since her sophomore year and was an officer on the student council. Besides rugby, Grace has been on the swim team and has served as its captain. She led the team and made all practices despite having a broken foot. One of the biggest lessons she learned as captain was how to lead in a positive manner. She will be using the skills learned on the pitch and in the pool as she works on her Nursing degree.

Kyla Schneider

Kyla Scheider was awarded a $500 Marge Buchanan Scholarship. Kyla plays rugby for the Madison Furies and attends Monona Grove High School. Kyla’s goal is to become a Pediatric Psychologist. One reason for her interest is the desire to assist kids dealing with trauma. Much of her volunteer work has been done through St Dennis Church. At the church school she has worked on fundraisers for kids in Belize and volunteers to help kindergarteners and 2^nd graders. In the summer she can found organizing and working with groups of kids at camp. Guiding 2^nd graders through the process of their first Communion was a meaningful activity. It allowed her to make a difference, provide a positive activity and bond with the kids.

Pamela Domes

Pamela Domes was awarded a $500 Marge Buchanan Scholarship. Pamela plays for SPASH Panthers Girls Rugby. She is planning to attend Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in the fall. RIT has the National Technical Institute of the Deaf (NTID) which gives access to accommodative resources for the over 1,000+ deaf students in attendance. As a deaf student, Pamela hopes to use these resources to ‘level the playing field’ for her educational experience. As a volunteer, Pamela worked as a tutor teaching conversational ASL and as a mentor supporting deaf students with linguistic skills in ASL and English. She took part in a number of other activities including the Portage County Business Council Teen Leadership program. That helped her develop leadership skills and the knowledge of where to apply them. One of the most memorable experiences for Pamela was becoming a mentor to a deaf student with minimal English or ASL skills. It opened her eyes to the issue of severe language deprivation. She was the only student at the high school that could communicate with him. It was rewarding to see the growth the student made but it helped Pamela realize that she is fortunate to go to a deaf school and have access to the necessary resources. That realization made an impact on how she acted towards others. She aspires to give support and respect to others and be an example to show that deafness doesn’t limit you to a small, unfulfilled life.

Scout Spadoni

Scout Spadoni was awarded a $500 Dorothy Jafferis Scholarship. Scout plays rugby for SPASH Rugby in Stevens Point. Scout will be attending Frostburg State University and pursuing a degree in Parks and Recreation Management with an emphasis in Sports Promotion and Communication. After University she hopes to work in professional sports, ideally back in Wisconsin. Scout was an executive member in the school’s chapter for the National Honor Society for two years. She’s worked on blood drives, as an official for the Great Northwest Basketball Tournaments, helped with the planning and running of the community CrossFit games and even worked as a manager for the football team. The community CrossFit games are known as the “Harleigh Games”. They are named in honor of Harleigh, a student with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome that passed away as a sophomore. Scout, her dad and Harleigh trained for CrossFit together. Not wanting to forget her friend and to honor her memory the “Harleigh Games” were created. They started in 2019 and are still going. Scout is still inspired and motivated by the memory of her friend’s passion and determination.

Sydney Worzalla

Sydney Worzalla was awarded a $500 Dorothy Jafferis Scholarship. Sydney plays rugby for SPASH Girls Rugby Club. Sydney is planning to study Criminal Justice and then attend graduate school. Her sense of purpose involves supporting the community by encouraging health, safety and opportunity. The number and type of community service activities shows she is on the right track. Working on blood drives, providing healthy snacks for elementary school students, collecting socks and undergarments for elementary students in need, trick or treating for canned goods to donate to a homeless shelter were just some of Sydney’s activities. Being the 2023-2024 President of the school’s HOSA challenged Sydney to get out of her comfort zone and take on the responsibility of leading the 60 member chapter. Organizing volunteer and community outreach activities helped make her grateful and aware of all that she received and all that she has been able to give back.