The first slate of eligible Our North Tama Girl Scholarship athletes pictured with scholarship representatives. From left, Carissa Calderwood, Christy (Calderwood) Flamme, Patty Calderwood, 2024 nominees Ava Breakenridge and Ava Monat, 2024 recipient Briar Blake, and 2024 nominee Faith Dvorak. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTY CALDERWOOD

Telegraph Note: This story will publish in the Friday, July 4 print edition of the newspaper.

TRAER – North Tama supporters have a new way to rally behind our community’s female athletes. Community members have been actively contributing to the Our North Tama Girl Scholarship, a fund dedicated to recognizing and rewarding outstanding student-athletes.

At the North Tama basketball games on Feb. 8, 2025, and the softball/baseball game on June 18, 2025, supporters showed their dedication by volunteering at the concessions stand, grilling delicious pork burgers and providing other menu items. These efforts, which generated $2,200, were part of the latest fundraiser to support the scholarship. As the community works to ensure future female athletes have additional opportunities to pursue their educational goals, the founders report the endowment balance is a little over halfway to its goal of raising $30,000.

A scholarship with meaning

Established in Aug. 2024, the Our North Tama Girl Scholarship was created to honor the achievements of North Tama’s female student-athletes. Recognizing the valuable life lessons gained through sports, the scholarship aims to support young women as they move on to postsecondary education.

This initiative was founded with the hope that parents, families, and community members would contribute in honor of the inspiring girls and women in their lives – whether daughters, granddaughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, or nieces.

Scholarship details

Each year, the recipient of the Outstanding Jr./Sr. Female Athletic Award will be selected according to North Tama High School’s criteria and scoring for athletic excellence. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be used toward furthering their education.

How to contribute

Community members looking to support this scholarship can participate in upcoming fundraisers, purchase spirit attire, or make tax-deductible contributions through the Traer Community Foundation at Farmers Savings Bank & Trust, 611 2nd Street, PO Box 435, Traer, IA 50675. (Please note that contributions should be designated for the “North Tama Girl Scholarship Endowment.)

Siblings and North Tama alumni (l-r) Carissa Calderwood (2019), Christy (née Calderwood) Flamme (2013), and Carston Calderwood (2010) volunteer in the basketball concession stand on Feb. 8, 2025. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTY CALDERWOOD

Currently, a spirit attire web store is open online at https://ourntgirls.itemorder.com/shop/home/. This web store closes on July 1, 2025 with all proceeds from the sale of this attire to benefit the scholarship.

The next fundraising opportunity, during this year’s Winding Stairs Festival, will allow community members, alumni, and friends to lace up and participate in the 5K race Saturday morning, Aug. 9. Proceeds from that race will benefit both in-school athletic programs and the Our North Tama Girls Scholarship. Stay tuned for more information.

Thank you to our donors

Our North Tama Girls would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the individuals who have generously contributed to the scholarship fund since its inception.

-David and Patty Calderwood, in honor of their daughters Christy (Calderwood) Flamme, Carissa Calderwood, and to recognize all the girls Patty worked with at North Tama

-Josh and Cindy Youel, in honor of their daughter Josie (Youel) Hulme

-Tom and Linda McDermott, in honor of their daughters Jane and Becky

-Josie and Dalton Hulme, in honor of their daughter Luka Hulme

-Harold Youngblut, in honor of his mother Agnes Youngblut who loved basketball

-Rex and Phyllis McKee

-Judy and Bruce Morrison

-Marilyn and Jared Bauch

-Carl Limyao

-All those who enjoyed pork burgers and donated at the concession stand fundraisers held recently, generating $2300 for the scholarship fund

Community support helps ensure that North Tama female athletes are recognized and encouraged to achieve great things beyond high school.

For more information, stay connected with North Tama athletics and upcoming fundraising efforts, or contact North Tama Athletic Director Andrew Knaack (andrew.knaack@n-tama.k12.ia.us), or Patty Calderwood, Our NT Girls Scholarship Representative.