William "Bill" Schick Memorial Scholarship

William "Bill" Schick Memorial Scholarship has been established by the Northwest District KMEA. This memorial will pay the first or initial NAfME/KS KMEA membership dues for those teachers who have just completed their music education degree and will be in their first year of teaching in the Northwest District. (right out of college). Teachers who may have taught music before but are teaching music for the first time in the Northwest District will also be eligible for this scholarship.

Contact the District Executive Director for information on registering for NAfME/KS KMEA and obtain reimbursement for the membership payment.

Bill Schick was an outstanding music educator, musician and friend to many in the Northwest District and throughout the state. He taught band for many years in Plainville and, in 2000, moved to his hometown of Phillipsburg. He retired in 2019 after 40 years of teaching. Bill enjoyed teaching fifth to twelfth grade and watching students' progress as musicians and young adults. He taught music to hundreds of students and enjoyed seeing them succeed at festivals or being selected for various honor groups. His bands always received high ratings at festivals. Bill was an excellent clarinet player and would play his clarinet to show his students how the rhythm or music sounded. Bill served as guest conductor and woodwind instructor for many honor bands and taught many years at Hal Palmer High Plains Band Camp.

Bill served as President of Northwest District KMEA, chaired numerous district committees and served two years on the state board.

Bill served as Northwest District Mentor and Advocacy Chair for many years. He was instrumental in facilitating a special get-together for first year teachers or teachers new to the NW District. This event took place at the beginning of the school year. In addition, he spent many hours contacting schools in the Northwest District to locate first year teachers and pair them with a mentor music teacher. This get-together for first year teachers became so popular that other KMEA districts modeled it and established their own district first-year teacher meetings.

In 2021 William "Bill" Schick was inducted in the KMEA Hall of Fame. He was recognized for his accomplishments and dedication to music education and to Kansas Music Educators Association.

Bill passed away April 10, 2023. In June of 2023 at the summer district board meeting, this scholarship was established to honor him and the impact he had on the Northwest District.