About the Edison Scholarship and Memorial Foundation

The Edison Scholarship and Memorial Foundation (ESMF) is a non-profit organization made up of Edison Staff members (elected by the Edison Staff) whose duties are to select recipients for the various scholarships that have been donated to the ESMF and to administer the paying out of these scholarships.

The ESMF was founded in 1946 as the Louis G. Cook Memorial Fund to preserve the memory of Louis G. Cook, principal of Edison High School from 1921 to 1944, and to provide scholarships and other aids to deserving students, former students, and graduates of Edison High School.

Mission Statement
We are dedicated to giving service to promote the continuing education of Edison High School graduates. It is our position that all students receive an equal opportunity to attain scholarships and /or financial aid in their pursuit of higher learning.


Our primary strategies include:

  1. In the fall of their senior year, all students are invited to submit an application, a resume and two essays to the trustees.

  2. We actively solicit funds from former and present staff members. We accept memorials and honor the intentions of the donors in cases in which specific criteria have been cited for the student recipient.

  3. Through regular and frequent meetings, careful reading and recording of pertinent information from the essays, and consultations with other staff members, every effort is made to match students to the criteria of existing community, state, and national scholarships.

  4. In the spring of the year, an all school assembly* is held in which the seniors are publicly acknowledged for their accomplishments in school and in the community. Announcements of awarded scholarships are made at this time.


The current trustees of the ESMF are:

Michael Iacarella, President (Business) 2017-2022

Tara Stassen Ferguson, Vice President (English) 2017 – 2022

Ted Stassen, Secretary (English) 2019 - 2022

Claire Hypolite, Treasurer (Science) 2017 - 2022

Nora Guerin (Community Support)

Trustees are members of the Edison Staff and have been elected to their positions by a vote of the staff of Edison High School.


*In the springs of 2020 and 2021, an all-school assembly was not possible due to COVID-19.

Instead, students were invited to an online awards ceremony which was recorded and released later for general viewing.