Newtown High School Lists Available 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.

American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program — The American Legion awards college scholarships to high school student winners in an annual oratorical contest. The topic is on a phase of the US Constitution. One winner from each state will receive a $1,500 scholarship and the opportunity to compete on the national level for larger scholarship prizes. Interested students should go to legion.org for complete details. The local and state contests usually take place in February or March.  

Miss Greater Watertown Scholarship Program — The Miss Greater Watertown Scholarship Program is available to young women between the ages of 17 and 24 who will have graduated from high school by July 1. It is an official preliminary competition to the Miss Connecticut Scholarship Program, which is a part of the Miss America Pageant system. The organization looks for well-rounded young women who believe in the betterment of our youth and the community. Prospective contestants are expected to attend weekly rehearsals. The Miss Greater Watertown Scholarship Program will be held on March 8 at Watertown High School. The Career Center has information forms.

National Co-op Scholarships — The National Commission for Cooperative Education offers merit co-op scholarships of $6,000 per year to high school seniors who are planning to participate in a college cooperative education. Applicants must have a B+ GPA or better. The program’s ten partner schools are Pace, Johnson & Wales, Northeastern, Kettering, CW Post, Drexel, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and RIT. The deadline is February 15, early applications are strongly encouraged. Information is available at co-op.edu.

American Dream Scholarships — Commerce Bank will award 225 nonrenewable scholarships of $1,000 to graduating high school seniors who reside in its service areas. Fairfield County is one of two counties in the state where students may apply. Applicants must plan to enroll in an accredited full-time undergraduate program of study at a two- or four-year college, university or vocational technical school. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale along with demonstrated involvement in community service, school activities and/or employment responsibilities is required. Financial need is not considered. Additional information is available at commerceonline.com/AmericanDream. All applications must be postmarked by December 15.

Elks Legacy Awards — The Elks National Foundation will award $1,000 nonrenewable scholarships to high school seniors who are children, grandchildren or legal wards of living Elks in good standing. Up to 500 scholarships for college will be awarded. The selection committee will evaluate applications based on the core values of integrity, knowledge, charity, and community. Applications are available at elks.org/enf/scholars/legacy.cfm. Applications must be postmarked to the Elks National Foundation by January 11.

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 jfkcontest.org. All students must have a nominating teacher. Submissions can be made online or by mail and are due by January 12.

McKelvey First Generation Scholarship — The McKelvey Foundation will award 150 scholarships to high school seniors who are the first in their families to attend college. The Foundation will award $12,000 scholarships ($3,000 for four years) for qualifying high school seniors to attend any four-year college in their home state. Applicants must submit financial information and show involvement in work and/or extra curricular activities. A 2.5 academic average is required to maintain the scholarship during college. Apply by December 1. The application process is online at mckelvey.com.

McKelvey Entrepreneurial Scholarship — The McKelvey Foundation will award $10,000 renewable academic scholarships for four years of college level study at any US college. Scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors who have demonstrated entrepreneurial sprit by owning and operating a business while in high school. Winners are expected to attend an eVenture program in the summer. All applications must be completed online by January 15. Information is available at mckelvey.com.