The Career Center At Newtown High School Lists Scholarships

The 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 that he or she first 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.bbg.org or 703-276-0100.

2007 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards — High school students of any grade and middle and intermediate school students who demonstrated outstanding involvement in a volunteer community service activity performed within the last year are eligible for this national award program. Newtown High School may select one applicant to be forwarded to the state round of judging from among the high school applicants. State level honorees will receive $1,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C. The national winner receives $6,000. Applications are available at prudential.com and in the Career Center. Completed forms are due to the Career Center by October 24 for the nomination process.

SAE Engineering Scholarships — The Society of Automotive Engineers offers a number of scholarships to high school seniors intending to earn a degree in engineering or related science. Applicants must be US citizens and meet minimum requirements for GPA, SAT, and/or ACT scores. Interested students can to retrieve the application and information online at sae.org/students/engchlr.htm. Applications are due by December 1.

Horatio Alger Scholarship — This national scholarship program is for high school seniors with a strong commitment to pursuing a bachelor’s degree and with critical financial need. The guidelines indicate a $50,000 or lower adjusted gross income in per family. Applicants should demonstrate involvement in co-curricular and community activities and have a minimum GPA. Students must submit an online application at horatioalger.org/scholarships by October 30.

Ron Brown Scholar Program — Ten high school seniors from across the United States will each receive $10,000 annually for four years for full-time undergraduate study. Applicants must be African American US citizens or permanent residents who have demonstrated high academic achievement, leadership, and have made a significant contribution to their community through community service. Applications are available at ronbrown.org and are due by November 1.

National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut Scholarships — The NFB provides several scholarships to recognize achievement of blind scholars. All applicants must be legally blind and Connecticut residents or attending school full-time in Connecticut. The Career Center has applications or they may be downloaded from nfbct.org. Completed applications must be submitted by September 15.

Stamford Symphony Orchestra Scholarship Competition — High school seniors during the coming year (2006-2007) from Connecticut are eligible to compete for this music performance scholarship award program. The first place prize is a $5,000 scholarship renewable for four years and second place is a $1,000 renewable scholarship. Applicants must intend to apply as music performance majors to accredited conservatories, colleges, or universities. Applications can be downloaded from stamfordsyphony.org and must be received by the symphony by September 26.

The Barton L. Weller Scholarship — Any senior attending Newtown, Joel Barlow, Masuk, Shelton, or Trumbull High School on a full-time basis is eligible to apply for this scholarship. The award is $12,000 and the requirements consist of a five-month original independent research or study project of the student’s choice. Detailed information is available in the Career Center. All students who plan to participate must submit a proposal and MUST see Gerry Waterbury in the Guidance Department. All proposals must be returned to Mrs Waterbury in Guidance by October 20.

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation — Each year the foundation awards 250 achievement-based scholarships to high school seniors. Fifty awards are for $20,000 payable in equal installments over a four-year period. The remaining 200 awards are for $10,000, payable over a four-year period. The scholarship can be used for any course of study at any accredited US college or university. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of demonstrated leadership, commitment to community, academic achievement and employment. All applications must be completed online at coca-colascholars.org and must be received by October 31. The Career Center has guideline information.  

NASA Podcast Competition — The 21st Century Explorer Podcast Competition is an education and public outreach project to inspire and motivate the next generation of explorers. Entrants (ages 11–18) must create an original audio or video podcast to answer the question: “How will space exploration benefit your life in the future?” The contest opened on September 1 and closes with the first 1,000 entries or on October 10, whichever comes first. The top winner will receive a MacBook Laptop. All contest rules and judging criteria are available at explorationpodcast.com and in the Career Center.