The Weller Foundation Incorporated, a nonprofit organization that was established in 1962 to provide financial assistance to education, charitable, and civic organizations, has announced scholarship programs for the 2019-20 academic year are open for applications now. It also announced its Weller Excellence in Teaching Award is open for applications.

Full-time senior students enrolled at Joel Barlow, Masuk, Newtown, Shelton, and Trumbull High Schools can compete for scholarships. Specific rules/requirements and scholarship application forms are available through each school’s Guidance Department. Scholarship programs will not be offered unless a minimum of three qualified applicants apply. All award recipients will be honored at the foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner, to be held on April 22 at Fairfield University. All scholarships will be paid directly to the college or university for deposit into the student’s account and will be awarded without regard to the student’s existing financial status.

$15,000 Barton L. Weller Scholarship Program

Established in 1978, the purpose of this $15,000 scholarship is to encourage academic excellence in a substantial five-month independent research or study project. Full-time seniors may submit a one- to two-page proposal outlining the student’s project in any field of study. A student may submit only one proposal. Proposals must be received by the foundation by October 3. Up to five finalists will be selected from all entries and will be notified on October 17. The finalists selected to compete will receive $200 on November 7 to help defray expenses. For the finalists, the project development period will run from October 17 to March 3, with submission and documentation of the project due by March 3. All projects will be judged by a committee selected from outside the foundation’s Board of Trustees. The primary standards for judgment will be the degree to which and the skill and care with which the original proposal is developed into the final project. On March 25, the judges will convene to interview the finalists and select the $15,000 scholarship recipient. The finalists, who have successfully completed and submitted their projects on time, will be invited to a dinner in their honor on April 22. At that time, the $15,000 scholarship will be presented to the student whose project is judged to be the best, and all runners-up will receive $500 for completion and timely submission of their projects. To be eligible for the $15,000 scholarship or runners-up award, the finalists must attend the required meetings.

$6,000 Weller Medical/Health Sciences Scholarship

Established in 1995, the purpose of this $6,000 scholarship is to encourage and financially assist a senior who has chosen a course of study leading to a degree in medical/health sciences. Healthcare careers (which provide one-on-one healthcare to people) acceptable into this program are emergency medical technician, nurse, nurse practitioner, paramedic, physician assistant, and therapist (physical, occupational, speech/auditory). Programs leading to MD or PhD degrees are not eligible. Other programs that are not eligible include pharmacists, biomedical research technicians, and psychologists/social workers. Applicants are advised to obtain the foundation’s approval before submitting an application in a non-listed medical/health science field.

Academic programs shall be a minimum of one year and a maximum of six years in duration, with a maximum of four years of payments. Qualified applicants from the five eligible high schools shall be competing for one award. A minimum of three qualified applicants will ensure granting the award. The award is a total of $6,000 or 50 percent of the cost of tuition for the training program, whichever is less. Specific payment schedules are outlined in the application program. Eligibility requirements include that applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0 during the first three cumulative years of high school and a minimum SAT score of 1160 or an ACT score of 22. Completed applications must be received by March 2. A committee of the foundation’s trustees will rule on eligibility and interview/judge the award applicants on March 24. The award recipient will be chosen based upon the applicant’s ability to demonstrate a commitment to the medical/health field as a career and their potential success as a medical/health provider. Several criteria outlined in the application package will assist the judges in choosing the award recipient.

$6,000 Weller Education Scholarship

Established in 2002, the purpose of this $6,000 scholarship is to recognize and financially assist a senior who has chosen a course of study leading to a degree in teaching in a public or private elementary or secondary school. Qualified applicants from the five eligible high schools shall be competing for one award. Applicants must be accepted and subsequently enrolled at a four-year fully accredited college or university majoring in elementary or secondary education. Eligibility requirements include that applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0 or a class rank in the top 20 percent at the end of eleventh grade of high school and a minimum SAT score of 1160 and/or an ACT score of 22. Completed applications must be received by March 2. A committee of the foundation’s trustees will rule on eligibility and interview/judge the award applicants on March 23. The award recipient will be chosen based upon the applicant’s ability to demonstrate a commitment to the education field as a career and their potential success as an elementary or secondary school teacher. Several criteria outlined in the application package will assist the judges in choosing the award recipient.

$6,000 Robert Swart Engineering Scholarship

Established in 2014 and renamed in 2018 to honor a former trustee who passed away in 2017, the purpose of this $6,000 scholarship is to encourage and financially assist a senior upon graduation who has chosen a course of study leading to a degree in engineering. Qualified applicants from the five eligible high schools shall be competing for one scholarship. A minimum of three qualified applicants will ensure the granting of the award. Applicants must be accepted and subsequently enrolled at a four-year fully accredited college or university majoring in an approved engineering field listed in the application. Eligibility requirements include that applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 out of 4.0 or 4.1 out of 5.0 and a minimum SAT score of 1230 and/or an ACT score of 23. Completed applications must be received by March 2. A committee of the foundation’s trustees will rule on eligibility and interview/judge the award applicants on March 26. The award recipient will be chosen based upon the applicant’s ability to demonstrate a commitment to the engineering field. Several criteria outlined in the application package will assist the judges in choosing the award recipient.

$6,000 Weller Computer Science/Technology Scholarship

Initially established in 2008 and suspended in 2010, this award was reinstated in 2018. The purpose of this $6,000 scholarship is to encourage and financially assist a senior upon graduation who has chosen a course of study leading to a degree in computer science. Qualified applicants from the five eligible high schools shall be competing for one scholarship. A minimum of three qualified applicants will ensure the granting of the award. Applicants must be accepted and subsequently enrolled at a four-year fully accredited college or university majoring in an approved computer science field listed in the application. Eligibility requirements include that applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 out of 4.0 or 4.1 out of 5.0 and a minimum SAT score of 1230 and/or an ACT score of 23. Completed applications must be received by March 2. A committee of the foundation’s trustees will rule on eligibility and interview/judge the award applicants on March 25. The award recipient will be chosen based upon the applicant’s ability to demonstrate a commitment to the computer science field. Several criteria outlined in the application package will assist the judges in choosing the award recipient.

$3,000 Vincent A. Voccia Vocational Award

Established in 1983, the purpose of this $3,000 award is to provide financial assistance to high school seniors planning to pursue a career in the skilled trades. The Award is named for Vincent A. Voccia, who served as a trustee of the foundation before he passed away in 1980. Each of the five participating high schools will be eligible for one award recipient to receive a grant equal to the lesser of $3,000 or 50 percent of the tuition cost of the vocational program. Specific acceptable vocational-technical programs are listed in the application form. There are no tests, quizzes, projects to complete, or interviews. A properly completed application form, submitted on or prior to the due date, will establish eligibility. Completed applications must be received by March 11. A minimum of three qualified applications is necessary for each high school to receive one award recipient. The award recipients will be announced on or about March 25. The award recipients will be selected from a committee of trustees based on their demonstrated interest and talent in their chosen vocational-technical field.

The Weller Excellence In Teaching Award

The Weller Foundation Incorporated also announced that certified teachers of kindergarten through fifth grade currently teaching in the public school systems of Easton, Monroe, Newtown, Shelton, and Trumbull who have developed a successful curriculum project which was implemented in the classroom as part of the curriculum during the current or previous academic year are eligible to apply for the Weller Excellence in Teaching Award (formerly the Weller Outstanding Teacher Award). Its purpose is to recognize the teaching quality and innovation exhibited by certified classroom teachers of kindergarten through fifth grade. It is hoped that this honor will help encourage teaching excellence, which is so vital to our youth.

Entrants are required to submit a completed application form to their superintendent’s office prior to March 2. A panel of judges from each town will select their town recipient. The five recipients will be honored at an awards banquet to be held on April 22 at Fairfield University. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 check and a Certificate of Honor.

Any certified teacher interested in applying for The Weller Excellence in Teaching Award may obtain details about eligibility and the application form from their town’s superintendent’s office or from The Weller Foundation Incorporated PO Box 894, Newtown, Connecticut, 06470.

The Weller Foundation Incorporated is a nonprofit organization established in 1962 to provide financial assistance to education, charitable, and civic organizations. The Foundation is well-known in the area for its numerous scholarship programs, student awards, and other supporting contributions.