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.bbb.org or 703-276-0100.

Holocaust Remembrance Writing Project — This is a national essay contest for high school students of any grade designed to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust. Students responding to this year’s writing contest should prepare an essay of no more than 1,200 words. Refer to the website www.holocaust.hklaw.com to successfully submit the essay and entry form. The ten first-place winners and teachers chosen to accompany the group will join Holocaust survivors during an all-expense-paid trip to Boston in late June 2012. During the trip the ten first-place winners will be awarded college scholarships from $5,000 to $2,500. Ten second-place winners are awarded $500 cash prizes and ten third-place winners are awarded $250 cash prizes by mail. The submission deadline is April 19.

United States JCI Senate Foundation Scholarship Program — The Connecticut JCI (Jaycees) Senate awards two $500 scholarships to Connecticut high school seniors and submits these candidates to US JCI Senate Foundation for consideration for the $1,000 awards at the national level. The scholarships are for those students who plan to continue their education at accredited postsecondary colleges, university, or vocational schools. Refer to the website www.ctjcisenate.org for the application forms and details. All materials must be postmarked by January 6 and mailed directly to: Karen M. Thomson, 48 Hull Street, Ansonia, CT 06401.

CT State USBC Association Bowling Scholar of the Year — CT State USBC Association is sponsoring a $1,000 bowling scholarship to be awarded to a graduating high school senior from Connecticut who either is a CT USBC member or who has a parent or grandparent who is a sanctioned member of the CT USBC. Applicants must be planning to continue their education in the summer or fall. The top five candidates will be required to attend an interview. Applications are available in the Career Center and must be signed by a guidance counselor. All documentation must be postmarked by March 15 and sent to: Scott Hockford, 322 Ocean Avenue, New London, CT 06320.

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 United States Constitution. The national website has complete information on eligibility, dates and all contest details. Students should register online to receive initial details on the speech topic and competition rules. Students should also contact their local American Legion office for details on local contests.

American Museum of Natural History-Young Naturalist Awards — The Young Naturalist Awards program invites students to plan and conduct their own scientific investigation to include observations, questions, predictions, trips into the field to gather data, and analysis. The submission deadline is March 9. A panel of judges will review each submission, and 12 winners, two from each grade (seventh through twelfth), will be chosen. Winners will receive cash awards dependent upon the grade level. In May, winners will be invited, along with a parent or guardian, on an expense-paid trip to New York City to attend an award ceremony at the museum and to take a behind-the-scenes tour. In addition, their essays will be published on the museum’s website. Refer to the website www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards for eligibility details and guidelines.

Ayn Rand Essay Contests — Two national essay contests are open to high school student writers. A $10,000 first prize, five second prizes of $2,000 and ten third prizes are awarded for an essay on The Fountainhead; only eleventh and twelfth graders are eligible. Essay submissions are due by April 26. Entries must be between 800 to 1,600 words in length. The second essay contest is for eighth, ninth and tenth graders and is based on the book Anthem and has a deadline of March 20. The top prize is $2,000. Complete details are available on the website www.aynrandnovels.com.

Moody’s Mega Math Challenge — The 2012 Moody’s Mega Math Challenge is an Internet-based, high school applied math contest. The M3 Challenge introduces junior and senior students to math as a powerful tool to solve realistic problems, analyze and interpret relevant issues, and predict outcomes of current events and situations. Each school may enter up to two teams consisting of three to five students. Each team must have a teacher-coach who will work with the students to submit the online registration form by February 24 at 6 pm EST, prepare for the contest, but are not permitted to help on Challenge day. Students choose their Challenge day, either March 3 or March 4. Team prizes range from $1,000 per team for an honorable mention to the champions’ prize of $20,000. Refer to the website M3Challenge.siam.org for information on registration, guidelines, sample problems, videos, and more.

CASIA Police/Fire Scholarship Awards — The Connecticut Alarm and Systems Integrators Association will award a first prize scholarship of $1,000 and the second prize of $500 to qualified graduating seniors from Connecticut. CASIA’s first place winner will qualify for national awards. Eligible students must have a father, mother, or natural guardian who is a full-time employee of the Connecticut police or fire communities. 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. The deadline for filing all materials is March 9. Refer to the website www.casiact.org for applications.