Scholarships were very important to Naomi Pasemann. As a counselor, she helped many students apply for scholarships and even started a few herself. She also remembered hearing someone say that every $100 begins with a penny. So, when Pasemann Elementary opened in 1998-99, Mrs. Pasemann came up with the idea of starting the Pasemann Pennies Scholarship fund.
“I had a cousin who sent a check as an honorarium for the school being named, and we used that money to start the Pasemann Pennies fund,” Mrs.
Pasemann recalled in a 2018 interview. “At the scholarship assembly I am privileged to award that scholarship and I always give the recipients a shiny penny as a reminder that when you have reached the pinnacle of your success, please give back.”
Mrs. Pasemann passed away in December of 2019, but the Pasemann Pennies tradition continues today. Students and staff at Pasemann Elementary are working extra hard to build up the fund during March, Mrs.
Pasemann’s birthday month. The money will be awarded as scholarships to seniors who had attended Pasemann Elementary School.
