Endowments

The Clarence F. Cedarholm Scholarship Endowment was founded to honor the life of Clarence F. Cedarholm, who dedicated his life to serving the Lord humbly. In the thick of battle while serving on the USS New Mexico during World War II, a Japanese kamikaze slammed into Clarence’s ship. Most of the sailors on his gun deck were killed. While lying wounded, Clarence felt that his life had been spared for a reason. There, he dedicated his life to full-time service as a foreign missionary. In 1953, he set sail for Africa with his wife, Gladys, along with a three-year-old child and a three-month-old baby. After reaching the southern tip of Africa, he drove his family into the deep interior of Zimbabwe, where he served the Lord for twenty-five years. Clarence spent those years starting churches, building schools, constructing a hospital, setting up a Christian bookstore, and doing a lot of one-on-one discipleship. Clarence dreamed that all children would have the opportunity to attend an excellent Christian school to learn how to think and live from a Christian perspective. Distributions from the Cedarholm Endowment support scholarships specifically for children from missionary families.

The Harry Reeder Scholarship Endowment began with a lead gift from Christ Covenant Church to honor the legacy of Harry Reeder, Senior Pastor of Christ Covenant Church from 1983 to 1999. Harry’s heart longed that every child whose family desired it could find a place at CDS, even if the family had limited financial resources. An annual distribution from the Reeder Endowment provides important funding each year for the school’s general financial aid budget, which is the primary vehicle for making a CDS education possible for many families who could not otherwise afford it.

The Rice Diversity Scholarship Endowment was founded with an initial donation from CDS alumni parents, Garry and Susan Rice, who envisioned seeing increased opportunities for minority students in the Matthews area to attend Covenant Day School. Since that initial donation, other families who share the Rice family’s vision have helped to grow the endowment further and expand the number of minority students who can attend the school. Distributions from the Rice Diversity Endowment provide funding for significant, renewable scholarships to minority students with demonstrated financial need.

The Faith Scholarship Endowment was started with a lead gift from CDS grandparents who observed firsthand the impact that a Covenant Day education had on their grandchildren. They desired to see more students experience the same benefits that their grandchildren received, and they recognized that many families cannot provide that opportunity for their children without significant financial assistance. Distributions from the Faith Endowment provide funding for significant, renewable scholarships to students with demonstrated financial need who also demonstrate the biblical values representative of Covenant Day School.

The Excellence in Teaching Endowment was founded with a lead gift from CDS alumni parents whose students were impacted in a significant way by teachers in the CDS High School. The endowment shines a light on the powerful impact that excellent teachers at CDS can have on the student body. The endowment’s purpose is to provide a vehicle for recognizing one or more high school teachers for demonstrating Christlikeness and their dedication to their calling inside and outside the classroom, among other characteristics of excellence. Distributions from the Excellence in Teaching Endowment fund are awarded to one or more high school teachers yearly.

The Dr. Marni Halvorson Faculty Endowment was started through the efforts of a former CDS Head of School, Dr. Marni Halvorson. As part of her doctoral dissertation, she explored the factors that would benefit recruiting and retaining teachers embarking on a career in education. She found that while college students considering careers in education are rarely motivated solely by salary, they must be offered sufficient compensation to meet basic needs to enter and remain in the field. The Faculty Endowment seeks to provide a source of long-term funding for compensation and professional development initiatives targeted towards teachers who are relatively new to the teaching profession.

The H. Brent McKnight Endowment was founded in honor of H. Brent McKnight, CDS alumni parent, who served as United States District Judge in North Carolina before his untimely passing. To honor his legacy, Judge McKnight’s family established this endowment to fund programs that honor the principles for which Judge McKnight stood. The endowment supports the  H. Brent McKnight Words Have Meaning Award and the H. Brent McKnight Justice and Mercy Oratory Contest in the CDS high school. These two programs reflect not only Judge McKnight's love of history and Scripture, but also the high value he placed on the ability of young people to articulate what they believe. The awards also underscore how foundational the biblical teachings of justice, mercy, and humility were to his work. Distributions from the McKnight Endowment fund the awards and expenses associated with these unique CDS programs.

The Dr. John T. Roper Jr. Scholarship Endowment was founded to honor the life of Dr. John Roper Jr., who lived an all-too-short life dedicated to serving others as a physician and believer. Dr. Roper deeply appreciated the education provided by CDS, which blessed members of his extended family. The Roper family and friends began this fund to honor Dr. Roper’s servant-leader life, to pay tribute to Christ, and to serve families in the community. Distributions from the Roper Endowment support scholarships specifically for children from families with demonstrated financial need who are also members of Christ Covenant Church.