Former teacher leaves entire estate totaling nearly $500K to schools for scholarships
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Updated: 1:40 PM EDT Jun 22, 2021
WLWT Digital Staff
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Updated: 1:40 PM EDT Jun 22, 2021
WLWT Digital Staff
WLWT Digital Staff
A former teacher in Ohio is continuing her legacy of impacting students' lives in a huge way, by leaving her entire estate totaling nearly $500,000 to put toward scholarships.Patricia "Patty" McCandless was an English teacher at Clearcreek High School, which is now known as Springboro High School, from 1961-1968.McCandless left her entire estate to Springboro High School after her passing in 2018.The estate, which totals $471,644, was given to the district and will be used over the course of many years towards scholarships and other potential student needs.School officials said a committee of administration, staff, community members and friends of McCandless will be assembled this summer to determine how the money will be distributed. Related video below: College surprises future students with scholarshipsMcCandless was hired by Clearcreek Local Schools — now Springboro Schools — Superintendent Ray Perez in 1961, after receiving her bachelor's degree in education from Miami University. Perez was McCandless's sixth-grade teacher at Anthony Wayne Elementary, which is now a part of Franklin City Schools, as well as her homeroom teacher at Franklin High School, where she graduated from in 1957. McCandless resigned from Clearcreek High School in 1968, in order to attend Indiana University, where she earned her a master's in library science. "We've been asking ourselves, 'Why? Why Springboro High School?'" said Scott Marshall, District Communications Coordinator for Springboro Schools. "Through various conversations with some close friends of Patty's, who were grade school and high school classmates, the consensus seems to be former Superintendent Ray Perez as the reason Patty donated her estate to SHS. Mr. Perez was a teacher and adviser of Patty's in Franklin who made an impact on Ms. McCandless, and then ultimately gave Patty her start in the field of education by hiring her right out of college at Clearcreek High School." At Franklin High School, Patty was a member of the Future Teachers of America (FTA) club during her sophomore, junior and senior years. Ray Perez served as the adviser."While never stated by Ms. McCandless, that we could find, it's the opinion of friends close to Patty that Ray Perez giving Ms. McCandless her start at Clearcreek High School was the reason for Patty's gracious donation to SHS all these years later. You couldn't ask for a better example of paying it forward," Marshall said.