$100K Livermore High School Scholarship Program Launched

LIVERMORE, CA — A Livermore High School graduate and Spanish teacher bequeathed $100,000, which will be used to create the Isabelle Henriques Valedictorian Award.

Valedictorians will receive $5,000 scholarships. The account for the award was approved last month by the school board, according to a statement from the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District.

The scholarship fund was a lifelong dream for Henriques, said Superintendent Kelly Bowers in a statement.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled that the highest achieving Livermore High students of this generation and beyond will be the beneficiaries of Ms.Henriques’ generosity," said Helen Gladden, Livermore High principal, in the statement." Her legacy as an alumna and distinguished teacher will live on through her support of future generations."

Henriques — the benefactor — graduated from Livermore High in 1950 and died in June, the school district said. She was remembered as an inspiring, upbeat, compassionate teacher with a passion for education and a command of Spanish. Henriques set high expectations for students and set them up for success.

Henriques inspired one former student, Mary Coehlo Wilson, to become a Spanish teacher herself.

“Ms. Henriques was a wonderful teacher who had a profound influence on my life ... Now my daughter teaches high school Spanish and one of my grandchildren is bilingual," Wilson said in the statement.