Scholarships Available

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.bbg.org or 703-276-0100.

Full details on all scholarships are available at the high school Career Center.

CASIA Police/Fire Scholarships — The Connecticut Alarm and Systems Integrators Association will award a $1,000 scholarship and one for $500 to qualified graduating seniors from Connecticut. The first place winner will qualify for national awards of up to $6,500.

Eligible students must have a parent or natural guardian who is a full-time employee (not on disability or retired) of the Connecticut police or fire communities (volunteers included). Students who are volunteers themselves, but not the child of a firefighter, are not eligible.

An essay of 500 to 750 words based on the theme “What it means to ME to have my parent or guardian involved in securing our community” is required and an official high school transcript.

The Career Center has applications and the application deadline is March 6.

The Principal’s Leadership Award is a national award program which recognizes outstanding student leaders. Scholarships totaling $125,000 will be awarded to outstanding student leaders across the country, with awards ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 each. Newtown High School will select one student to be considered for this scholarship program.

All information, instructions and criteria can be downloaded from principals.org/PLA.

Students who wish to apply must download the application from the website, complete and return to Mrs Latowicki in the Career Center by November 17 in order to participate in the nomination process.  

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations is a $1,000 cash award for high school students of any grade from selected regions across the United States who are doing outstanding work in their schools or communities to advance the cause of race relations. Last year there were 19 first prizes awarded.

Additional information and applications are available at Princeton.edu/PrincetonPrize. Apply by January 31.

American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest — High school students may compete for scholarships at the local, district, state, and national level through an oratorical contest that focuses on the US Constitution. The national website has complete information on eligibility, dates and all details under the Program/Events heading.

Students should register to receive details on the speech topic and competition rules. Students should also contact their local American Legion office for details on local contests.

There are also details in the state website at CT.Legion.org. The state and local competitions usually take place early in the calendar year.

American Fire Sprinkler Association Scholarships (AFSA) Scholarship Contest is open to high school seniors in the United States who plan to further their education at a college, university, or certified trade school in the US. The scholarship is not based on financial need.

Applicants must read the “Fire Sprinkler Essay” online at AFAScholarship.org/information, and then take a ten-question open-book multiple-choice test. For each question answered correctly, students will receive one entry into a drawing for one of ten $2,000 scholarships.

The deadline for this scholarship is April 1.

Bohdan Kolinsky Memorial Scholarship — The Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance will award a $1,000 renewable scholarship to a high school senior in Connecticut planning to attend an accredited four-year college with hopes of pursuing a career in sports print journalism. Applicants will be judged on the basis of their promise as journalists and their ability to successfully complete college-level academic work.

Applications may be downloaded from Naviance or from CTSportsWriters.org. All applications and supporting materials must be postmarked by January 2.

CHSCA Scholar Athlete Awards — Six scholarships of $1,000 from the Connecticut High School Coaches Association will be awarded to three male and three female graduating high school seniors from across Connecticut. Seniors are eligible to apply if they have earned at least one varsity athletic letter, have achieved a minimum 3.0 academic average, and have demonstrated exemplary citizenship and leadership.

Newtown High School may nominate one boy and one girl to participate in the final selection process. The Career Center has the nomination norms for this scholarship program. All applicants must return their forms to Mrs Latowicki in the Career Center by January 5.

Cut Above Awards — A growing number of students and educators realize that nonanimal learning methods teach concepts of anatomy and biology just as well or better than traditional dissection. These nonanimal methods also teach students to value and respect all life forms, and can save schools money.

Student who have made significant moves to replace dissection in school with humane, non-animal alternatives should consider applying for the above award by December 1. Applications are available from DissectionAlternatives.org.

Freedom in Academia Essay Contest Scholarships — High school seniors from across the United States are invited to write an extensive essay on freedom of speech on college campuses. Essays should cover the betrayal of liberty and violation of constitutional rights at American colleges and universities documented by FIRE at fire.org/multimedia.

First place is a $5,000 college scholarship and second prize is $2,500. The deadline for essay submissions is November 20.

John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest — All high school students are eligible to participate in this essay contest which requires a 1,000-word essay that is original, creative, and demonstrates an understanding of political courage as described by John F. Kennedy in Profiles in Courage.

Specific requirements are available at JFKLibrary.org. All students must have a nominating teacher. The winner will receive $5,000 and will be invited to the Profile in Courage Award Ceremony, to be held in May in Boston, to accept his or her award. One second place winner will receive $1,000, and up to five finalists will each receive $500.

Submissions can be made online or by mail. The deadline is January 10.

Union Plus Education Foundation Scholarships — The children of American Federation of Teachers members or other unions are eligible for scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $3,000. Awards will be based on academic achievement and potential, character, leadership, social awareness, career goals, and financial need.

Applications are available at UnionPlus.org/benefits/education/scholarships. The deadline is January 31.