Dear Barb,

Welcome to the Spring Newsletter for KSF! Once again, we are excited to welcome new scholars to KSF, highlight the amazing things students are accomplishing at every grade level, and giving you an opportunity to give back by donating to our Summer Book Drive.

Be sure to read the full articles on our website and follow us on social media for all things KSF!

Congratulations, New Knott Scholar Class of 2023!

The Knott Scholarship Funds are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Knott Scholarship Competition. These scholarships, funded by the Marion Burk Knott Scholarship Fund and the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Scholarship Fund, cover four-year, full tuition in the Catholic school of the scholar’s choosing. Since its inception in 1981, the Knott Scholarship Funds have provided support for more than eighteen hundred and fifty scholars. 

"We received many, many qualified applications this year. Our applicants attend not only Catholic Schools, but public, private, other faith-based institutions, as well as those who are are home-schooled. My parents would be thrilled to see the wide range of students who apply, and so proud of this year's recipients." - Martin Knott, Chair of the Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Scholarship Fund

Thank You, William Macsherry!

Knott Scholarship Funds is extremely grateful for the 24 years of support and contributions that Alumni Director, William Macsherry, has given to our organization! We are honored to have worked alongside him for so long, and know that his impact on the scholar community will be felt for many years to come. We thank him sincerely for his dedication to KSF and wish him success in all future endeavors! Join us in reflecting on his time with KSF with a message from William below. 

“It was an absolute joy to be involved with this scholar community. I was privileged and awed by the time, talent, and treasure shared by countless current and former Knott scholars. I thoroughly enjoyed my engagement with the Knott Scholar Council and numerous families of scholars, and am delighted to have built lasting relationships with so many of which I shall always cherish. It was truly gratifying to witness the amazing participation in our year-round service and philanthropic activities - ranging from clean up days, supplies collections, and book drives to after school mentoring, social and networking events, and annual pinning ceremonies. Most recently, I truly enjoyed fundraising for the Knott CARES Fund.” - William Macsherry

Read more about William’s time with KSF by clicking below. We are excited to welcome Bailey Jenkins to our team part-time to assist in filling this role and helping to coordinate our communications!

Pictured: Bill (left) received recognition of his service during a Knott Scholar Council meeting from Martin Knott.

Undergraduate Student Feature: Maria Cary

Maria Cary is a current student at Mount St. Mary’s University majoring in History with a minor in Biology. She is set to graduate early in the Winter of 2023 before pursuing her dream of attending law school! Maria has attended Catholic school her entire life, from Pre-K to college. At Mount St. Mary’s, she is extremely involved in the student body, and has founded a new program, called Mount Mobile. As a Knott Scholar recipient, and current SGA Vice President, Maria believes that one of the most important things for a successful career is the ability to network, and we have shared her insight below!

Can you share your experiences with networking, and how it has helped you achieve your goals? 

“I believe that one of the most important things for a successful career is the ability to network. I am currently looking for an internship to gain priceless experience before law school. I was able to meet Martin Knott at a luncheon hosted by the Mount. I had a great conversation with him and expressed my passion for law. After that, Mr. Knott introduced me to Meghan Casey, a partner at Gallagher, Evilius, and Jones, and a member of the board for the Marion Burk Knott Scholarship Fund. I was able to have a lovely conversation with Mrs. Casey and learned so much. I am now able to have someone to go to if I have any questions about anything with law. My advice to making connections is to be yourself and put yourself out there. Rejection can be scary, but it is better to try than to not try at all.”

How did Knott Scholarship Funds support your college dreams at Mount St. Mary's?

“The Knott family supported my college dreams at Mount St. Mary's by investing into my future. I am the first person in my family to attend a four-year university. The Knott Scholarship helped make that possible. The scholarship helped me continue my education in a Catholic Institution by supporting me financially and providing me other resources that are priceless. KSF has helped me form connections into the career path that I want to pursue.”

Read the rest of this feature below.

Secondary School Highlight: Luke Dragonette

Meet Luke Dragonette, current Student Class President at Calvert Hall pursuing his dreams of attending the University of Maryland College Park (a family tradition)! We interviewed Luke to learn more about his future plans, developing leadership skills, and his involvement as class president. When asked how KSF supports his future goals, Luke stated he believes that over the last few years, KSF has helped him realize that “scholarship is more than a transaction… I feel the effects in the community and opportunity the scholarship provides. I am good friends with many of the 14 other Knott Scholars that Calvert Hall has, and I am happy to have them because they also stand for hard work, service, and the Catholic Church.”

What made you interested in becoming student class president and what has your focus been in this role?

“My youngest brother, Tim, was interested in Student Council when he attended Calvert Hall some years ago. I was partially inspired by him to run, in addition to wanting to give back to a school that has done so much for the four of us. I am glad that this role has focused on the service part of leadership… we plan events and these represent our school, so we put our hearts into constructing a good Junior Ring Ceremony as a way of taking care of our alma mater. Leaders are meant to serve, so we try to serve our classmates by making their years and careers at Calvert Hall better and more impactful, often in ways they do not realize.”

Read about Luke’s future endeavors and how Calvert Hall has helped him become a leader by clicking below.

Staying Optimistic During Challenging Times:

Agnes Klug

Congratulations to Agnes Klug on her finalist achievement in the St. Joe’s Cockeysville Oratorical Contest and the Timonium Optimist Club Contest! The theme was “Staying Optimistic During Challenging Times." This 7th grade scholar used the inspiration from our very own Henry J. Knott.

“In middle school, Saint Joseph School students participate in an oratorical contest. Last year, the theme of the contest was, “Staying Optimistic During Challenging Times.” For my project I chose to focus on the lives, experiences, and hardships of Jim Carrey and Henry J. Knott.

Jim Carrey’s story spoke to me as soon as I read about it. He grew up in poverty and dropped out of school to help support his family. Despite the challenges, Jim Carrey found the humor in life and his comedic career eventually took off. Through his undying optimism, Jim Carrey has motivated many people and helped them to look to the brighter times that are ahead.

Henry J. Knott was an inspiration whose selfless acts changed the course of many people’s lives. By creating the Knott Scholarship foundation, he offered people of all social classes a chance to receive a good, Catholic education. His influential legacy has given many children an opportunity to succeed and not only grow as a person, but to grow in faith.

Jim Carrey and Henry J. Knott embody what it means to overcome hardship and to put others first. Through magnanimous actions and the motivation to fulfill dreams, these two men have helped to make this world a better place one step at a time. The oratorical contest gave me the opportunity to further appreciate the work Jim Carrey and Henry J. Knott put into getting to where they are today.” - Agnes Klug

Artist & Author Spotlight: Miriam Toth

Currently an 8th grader at Monsignor Slade, Miriam Toth’s love for writing began at the young age of eight years old! When she’s not busy writing short stories, poetry, and novels, she also enjoys creating artwork. Featured in this newsletter are two of Miriam’s pieces. We know she will make an impact in the future at Archbishop Spalding with her talent.



The sunrise is a digital art piece, and the self-portrait is a pencil and watercolor. We caught up with Miriam. Below is what she had to say about her positive experience as a Knott Scholar!

"Meriting the Knott Scholarship gave me a lot more confidence to pursue leadership positions,

such as secretary of student council as well as leadership positions outside of school. What's

more, it gave my peers and teachers the impression that I could handle such positions. The

other day, no less than five of my classmates asked me to peer-edit their literary analysis, and I

was delighted to help. I'd just like to say once again how grateful I am for the opportunities that

have been given to me, especially the Knott Scholarship. It's had a huge impact on my life and

the lives of my family, considering the three kids my parents are trying to put through Catholic

school." - Miriam Toth

Want to read some of Miriam's fabulous work? Here's a sneak peek into a recent short story she authored. Read the full piece on our website!

Writer's Block

"Shayla leaned forward in her chair, cracking her neck as the Word document loaded. The blank white page appeared, ready for words to be placed on it. She tapped her fingers on her keyboard without typing anything, hoping that inspiration would strike her at any moment. She glanced at the poster on her wall, the Thomas Edison one that said, 'Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.'

'Still waiting on that one percent,' she muttered, turning back to the judgmentally blank page, as clean and white as fresh fallen snow.

Shayla wasn’t sure what to write about, but she knew she wanted to write. She had just

watched a bunch of writing videos on YouTube and she was feeling more motivated than she

had been in months. She just had to . . . think . . . of something to . . . write about. . ."

Notable News: 18 Under 18 Nomination, Scott Pawley

Currently a junior at Calvert Hall College High School, Scott Pawley was recently nominated to be part the inaugural class of the Central Maryland Junior Achievement’s 18 Under 18. This non-profit organization aims to inspire and prepare students ages 5-18 from the Baltimore area to be successful and impactful leaders by providing additional learning opportunities and resources to students, parents, and educators. Click here to learn more about this awesome organization.

In 2020, Scott spearheaded the Knott CARES Fund (Catholic Academic Resource Enrichment

Scholarship), with the help of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Catholic Community Foundation. The Knott CARES Fund supports students who have diverse learning requirements and need financial aid for those additional educational resources while attending a Catholic elementary school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. To learn more about Knott CARES, click here.

Knott Scholarship Funds recently caught up with Scott to learn about his most recent nomination. Learn what he had to say by visiting our website below!

Camp Umoja Book Drive

KSF is working together with Charm City Books again this year to donate new

books to Camp Umoja, a two-week summer enrichment program at Notre

Dame Preparatory School for children who live in the Housing Authority of Baltimore.

The book drive will last from April 3rd to May 26th and will provide sources of entertainment, imagination, creativity, and enrichment to children attending the camp. Children will receive the new books during camp.

To find a list of books for purchase, click here. Books will be delivered to Camp Umoja by Knott Scholars. Be sure to share with family and friends! Thank you in advance for your generosity!  

Let's Connect!

Keep up with Knott Scholarship Funds' happenings all year long by connecting with us on social media. Find us on Facebook and LinkedIn below.

Thank You for Reading!

Knott Scholarship Funds 

5850 Waterloo Road, Suite 140

Columbia, MD 21045

443-325-7884