Scholarships Available To Newtown High School Students

The Newtown High School Career Center publicizes all scholarships of which it is notified.

A few of the scholarships, typically national ones, request that money be enclosed with the application. The Career Center believes that students should not have to pay to apply for scholarships. If a student chooses to apply for a scholarship that charges a fee, however, the Career Center strongly advises parents and students to check its authenticity through the FTC Consumer Response Center, www.ftc.gov or 877-FTC-HELP; the National Fraud Information Center, www.fraud.org or 800-876-7060; or the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org or 703-276-0100.

Newtown Scholarship Association — The Newtown Scholarship Association provides scholarship awards to graduating high school seniors from Newtown who plan to continue their education. The scholarships are based on financial need. All applicants will have a personal interview with the Awards Committee. Students should download applications from Naviance (limited number of paper applications will be available from Mrs Latowicki in the Career Center). The deadline for all applications is April 16. Only complete applications will be considered. Personal interviews are required for this scholarship. All students must sign up with Mrs Latowicki for the personal interview with the Newtown Scholarship Association Awards Committee, which will be held Wednesday, May 6.

Feile Scholarships — Feile, Inc, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of Irish culture, will award three scholarships of $1,500 to graduating high school seniors who will be entering accredited institutions of higher learning in 2010. Applicants need not be of Irish heritage to participate. Awards will be based primarily on the submission of an essay with additional consideration for school, community, and religious institution activities, as well as overall academic achievement. The 500-word essay topic this year is, “Why do the Irish consider it so important to preserve the Irish language?” Complete details and applications are available at www.feileinc.org. The application deadline is April 25. Scholarship winners will be notified by June 1 with presentations during the June Fairfield County Irish Festival.

Northrop Grumman Engineering Scholarship — This is a $10,000 scholarship award for Fairfield County and New Haven County graduating high school seniors who will be entering an accredited college or university to pursue a degree in engineering. The funds are to be used for tuition, books and/or room and board at the institution of higher learning chosen by the applicant. All applicants must be United States citizens. A minimum composite SAT score of 1700 or an ACT score of 27 is required along with a GPA of 3.5 for grades 9–12. A 500-word essay about career goals and three letters of recommendation are also required. Application packets are available from www.es.northropgrumman.com/engscholars. Completed applications must be received by the scholarship committee by April 30.

Education Connection Scholarship — Education Connection will award two scholarships of $750 to area high school seniors who plan to pursue careers that relate to the organization’s stated mission and programs. The mission statement and programs are detailed on the back of the application. Applicants should also show a long-term commitment to community service and submit an essay regarding their involvement. Applications are available in the Career Center and must be received at the Education Connection main office by April 1. The selection will be announced by Friday, May 7.

Connecticut Building Congress Scholarship — Graduating high school students from Connecticut entering college-level programs in architecture, engineering, construction management, surveying, drafting, planning, or other courses of study leading to an associate, BA or master’s degree in the construction field are eligible for the CBC scholarships. The awards of $500–$2,000 will be given for academic merit, extracurricular activities, potential and financial need. The scholarships may be renewable each year based on performance in school and available resources. The number of awards as well as the amounts may vary at the discretion of the CBCSF Board of Directors. Applications are available from www.cbc-ct.org under Scholarship Fund within the Member Services page. All applications must be received by March 30.

Meserve Memorial Fund Scholarships — Local high school seniors and high school graduates pursuing a college degree in the environmental sciences or nursing are eligible to apply for the Meserve Memorial Fund Scholarships. This scholarship opportunity is only available for students living in Newtown, Bethel, Brookfield, Bridgewater, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Redding, Ridgefield, and Sherman. A course of environmental studies includes, but is not limited to: agriculture, animal husbandry, ecological studies, forestry, or marine sciences. Nursing students will also be given priority. Download the application and associated forms at www.fccfoundation.org. The deadline is April 15.

VNA of Newtown Scholarships — The VNA of Newtown is offering two scholarships for graduating high school seniors from Newtown who will attend nursing school. The $4,000 Anna E. Clow Scholarship is for a student entering a program leading to a BSN or RN. The $2,500 Janice B. Van Syckle Scholarship available to a student entering a program leading to a BSN. Both scholarships will be awarded to the recipient when he or she has entered the clinical portion of the nursing program, at least into the second year of his or her nursing education. Applications are available in the Career Center and must be turned in to Mrs Latowicki in the Career Center by April 6. An interview is required. All interviews will be held at Newtown High School on a date TBA. Sign up for an interview time with Mrs Latowicki.

Arthritis Foundation College Scholarships — The Arthritis Foundation is offering at least three $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors or college undergraduates with juvenile arthritis or another rheumatic disease. Students must be residents of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, or selected counties in New York. Copies of applications are available online at www.arthritis.org, by mail, email, or fax. The Career Center does not have applications. The application deadline is April 16.

Sandy Hook School PTA Scholarship — The Sandy Hook PTA will be awarding two scholarships for $1,000. Applicants must be graduating seniors who attended Sandy Hook Elementary School and have been accepted to a post-high school academic program. All applicants must complete the two-page scholarship form. Each applicant must submit two letters of reference, one of which must be from a high school guidance counselor, teacher, or principal, and the other from a nonrelative. An interview may be required. Applications may be downloaded from Naviance. Completed applications should be sent directly to Sandy Hook School. The strict deadline for submissions is Friday, April 9, at 3 pm.

Sons of Portugal Scholarship — High school seniors from the greater Danbury area who are of Portuguese descent living at least one full year in the local area may apply for these scholarships. The awards range from $1,000 to $3,500 per person. The applicant or his/her parent(s) must be an active member in a Portuguese cultural organization. Those organizations are the following: Portuguese Cultural Center in Danbury and/or its active groups, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Danbury and/or its active groups, Sons of Portugal Band and /or Sons of Portugal Folklore Dance Group. Awards will be made on the basis of: Portuguese community involvement, scholastic record, character and evidence of leadership. Two letters of recommendation are required. The official transcript of the applicant’s high school record and a copy of the SAT scores are required. Scholarships will be granted to any accredited educational institution up to a maximum of four years per recipient. Applications are available to download from Naviance. The application deadline is April 10.