Granite Education Foundation

Programs

Kahlil Gibran said, "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." Tonight we are honoring a couple who have literally given their all to serving others. It is with a huge debt of gratitude that we honor them this evening. Without Scott, we would not be here tonight. From his vision and passion to serve others, the Granite Education Foundation had its beginning.

We are all familiar with the beloved poem, "The Touch of the Master’s Hand," by Myra Brooks Welch. The old violin was battered and scarred and the auctioneer scarcely thought it worth his while. After the beautiful tone rose to those present through the touch of the Master, the bidders realized the true worth of the instrument. What that Master did for the violin is much the same as Scott and Susan Whipple do with people. They see the true value of each individual and are masters at helping that individual - and those around them - to also see their great worth. We honor Scott and Susan tonight because the time has come for Scott to retire. We are saddened that he and Susan will be moving on to a new phase of life, but we are forever grateful for the legacy of love and caring they have given us.

Scott Whipple was born and raised in Salt Lake City and married the love of his life, Susan Herrscher. Together they have 9 children and 17 grandchildren whom they cherish, and their children and grandchildren adore Scott and Susan in return.

Susan is a devoted mother and grandmother. Motherhood is where she has focused her time and energy. Her children will tell you that their mother is a great example of faith. Despite the challenges she has faced in her life, her faith and wisdom have remained strong. She has had many opportunities to teach and to serve. One of the most valuable lessons that Susan and Scott taught by example in their home was that of service. The Whipple's often invited people over for meals - even at Thanksgiving and Christmas. They always made room for anyone who needed a place to go and a need to feel loved. Susan has served in many callings in her church, including Primary President, Young Women’s presidency and a Relief Society teacher for many years.

Scott began his career in Granite School District as a Special Education teacher at Granite High School. He went on to become an assistant principal at Cyprus High, principal at Granite Park Junior High and also at the Granite Alternative High School. He spent two terms in the district office and was a supervisor in the Special Education Department as well as the Department of Instruction. He was the district chair of the Self Esteem Task Force, did grant writing for the district, and served as the district liaison for the Juvenile Court.

Throughout Scott's career, he has had a keen desire to help children and youth who struggle with school and with life in general. He spent 7 years as the principal of the Granite Alternative High School helping youth and adults to find new direction for their lives. He also worked part time for 8 years as a counselor for the Juvenile Detention Center helping students put their lives back together. Scott served for 3 years in the Branch Presidency of the LDS Church ARTEC Branch which is the "Adolescent Residential Treatment and Education Center." He has spent the past 15 years mentoring struggling youth at Lincoln Elementary School helping them attain reading proficiency and building self esteem.

Many leadership opportunities have come Scott's way. He served as the president of Lambda Delta Sigma at the University of Utah; was on the Executive Board of the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals; was president of the Utah "Association of Alternative High Schools"; president of the Utah Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development; was the Utah Director of the Academies Program; president of the Utah Association of Public School Foundations (where he served for 2 terms); and serves on the Advisory Board of the National School Foundation Association.

In 1988, Scott and a number of business, community and school leaders had the vision to organize the Granite Education Foundation whose mission is: 'To enable and encourage individuals and businesses to make a direct and meaningful impact on our children and educators in public schools." For the past 23 years, Scott has served as the Executive Director of the Foundation. Because of his deep love for helping others, tens of thousands of lives in our community have been impacted for good. He has done this through his hard work and devotion to finding help and solutions to problems through the joint efforts of school and business community partnerships. Scott says that the highlight of his career has been working with the devoted business and community leaders who volunteer at the Granite Education Foundation.