Scholarship named for Austintown legend

By PAM JADUE

neighbors@vindy.com

A tradition of helping students in Austintown that began with the late Anthony “Zoc” Zoccali’s job as teacher and principal at Frank Ohl Middle School is being carried on by his family and friends with the establishment of a college scholarship fund.

The fund helps Austintown students who are interested in pursuing a career in education. It was started by Zoccali’s son, Mike, and is primarily funded through local sponsors and funds generated during the Anthony Zoccali Memorial Golf outing held annually.

Zoccali is remembered fondly for his work as teacher and principal at Frank Ohl Middle school. After 31 years working in education, Zoccali retired in 1998 because of an illness. He passed away in 1999.

Senior counselor at Fitch High School, Maribeth McGlynn, attested to Zoccali’s impact on the community remarking.

“He was a great leader and educator,” she said. “During his career, he did so much for Austintown. This scholarship has also had a huge impact on the students who are recipients.”

“I feel this is a great way to honor his memory. His goal was always to help kids and this was a way for us to continue his work,” said Mike Zoccali.

Over the past three years, the scholarship fund has awarded $6,500 to Austintown Fitch seniors who planned to attend college and study in the education field.

With support from the community and sponsors throughout the Mahoning Valley, the amount of money that the fund is able to award has increased each year. It began as a single $1,500 scholarship in 2007. Last year, two $1,500 scholarships were awarded.

This year, there will be two $2,000 scholarships.

“We have been able to generate nearly $20,000 over the past three years through the generosity of people in our community and the surrounding area,” said Zoccali. “Our goal is to impact as many students as possible.”

Austintown Fitch seniors carrying a GPA of 3.0 or higher and plan to pursue a career in education may inquire in their senior guidance office about the scholarship. This award is not limited to a specific college and can go to students pursuing careers in various areas of education.

McGlynn explained that as part of the application process, students will be required to complete a reflective essay on the impact their own experience in Austintown and their teachers have had on their decision to pursue a career in education.

Applications will be assigned a number and reviewed by a committee to keep the selection process unbiased. The scholarship recipients will be announced at the Fitch High School scholastic banquet May 17.

Past scholarships have been awarded to Jamie Watkins (2007), Kayla Wilson (2008), Lauren Frost (2008) and Amy Kolenich (2009).

The scholarship committee has set a date of Aug. 21 for the 2010 golf outing at Knoll Run Golf Course. Event sponsorship will come from Dr. James Shina and reception sponsorship from Dr. Michael Sekman.

The 2009 event was the largest so far with 104 golfers participating. Anyone interested in participating or becoming a sponsor can contact Mike Zoccali at 330-702-1412.