Alton Family Creates $2K Scholarship for Educator Parents

When three brothers wanted to honor their parents' lifelong commitment to education, they created something that will help students for years to come.

Jim and Emily Wigger dedicated their careers to educating students in the Alton School District. Now their sons have partnered with the Alton Educational Foundation to create a memorial scholarship that will award $2,000 to an Alton High School senior starting this April.

Kristie Baumgartner, Executive Director of the Alton Educational Foundation, says the brothers designed the scholarship to have real impact while recognizing their parents' educational legacy. The organization will handle the administration and award process going forward.

The scholarship criteria reflect what Jim and Emily valued most in their teaching careers. Selection will focus on students who demonstrate respect and mindfulness of community values and service, ensuring the award goes to someone who embodies the spirit the Wiggers brought to their classrooms.

Why This Inspires

This scholarship does more than provide financial support. It ensures that two educators who shaped countless young lives will continue influencing students long after their careers ended, turning personal loss into lasting opportunity.

The Wigger brothers could have chosen many ways to remember their parents, but they picked one that directly helps a student achieve their dreams. That choice says everything about the values Jim and Emily passed down to their own children.

Alton High School seniors interested in applying have until March 30 to submit their applications. They can access the Wigger Memorial Scholarship Application through the Alton High Guidance Department at altonschools.org or visit the Alton Educational Foundation's website at altoned.org.

One student will receive this gift in just a few weeks, carrying forward a family's love of learning.