Allison Zahn receives $10,000 Schlenker scholarship
JOHNSTON, Ia. (May 12, 2022) —Johnston High School senior Allison Zahn returned home on her 18thbirthday to a wonderful surprise — she learned that she is the winner of a $10,000 scholarship that will help her attend the University of Iowa and work toward her goal of finishing college in three years with no student debt.
“Best birthday gift EVER!” she said.
Zahn, the daughter of David and Dana Zahn, was on Thursday named the 2022 recipient of the Raymond and Marie Schlenker Scholarship, provided by the Johnston Community School Foundation. Her path has taken her from Wallace Elementary School to Summit Middle School, Johnston Middle School and Johnston High School.
In high school, Zahn has been actively involved in cross country, track and field, JHS Student Council, mock trial, Youth Leadership Initiative and community service, to name a few of her activities. In her application for the scholarship, Zahn reflected on how these activities have helped her.
“One of my favorite things about being involved in so much is my ability to connect my classroom learning to my activities,” she said. “This has made me much more engaged in my schoolwork because it directly applies to me and the activities I am. For example, I was able to connect the material from my kinesiology class to my cross country training, my business classes to my job at Scooter’s, and the knowledge about the environment from AP Biology was utilized during Science and Sustainability Club meetings.”
Zahn plans to attend the University of Iowa’s Tippie School of Business. In college, she intends to 
continue being involved in campus clubs, which she said will allow her to keep connecting her classroom learning to other parts of her life.
The Schlenker Scholarship is made possible by a generous gift bequeathed from the estate of Raymond and Marie Schlenker in April 2007. The Schlenkers had no children of their own but asked that the Johnston Community School Foundation use the gift to continue to benefit JCSD students. To further the Schlenker legacy, the Foundation established a $10,000 scholarship that would be given annually to one Johnston high school senior. The first scholarship was awarded in 2009.
The $10,000 Schlenker Scholarship is payable at a rate of $2,500 a year for four years. Johnston High School seniors can apply for the scholarship between March and April each year. To be eligible, students must be JHS seniors with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, who have accepted full-time enrollment in an Iowa four-year college or university. They must also maintain a GPA of 2.5 each term for the four years.
The scholarship application process includes completing a written application with essay questions, going through the interview process, and submitting letters of recommendation. Zahn was chosen from a very strong pool of candidates this year.
Between the Schlenker Scholarship and classroom grants, the Johnston Community School Foundation has donated nearly $1 million to the students and educators across the Johnston Community School District since being founded in 1998.
Read about past recipients:
2021: JCSF Awards Emma Winterboer with Schlenker Scholarship
2020: Foundation Awards $10,000 Schlenker Scholarship to Cole Eichacker