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.

Nutmeg Statewide PTA Scholarship — Graduating seniors who are planning to attend a four-year college to pursue a career in service to children other than teaching are eligible to apply for this scholarship. Previous recipients’ career choices have been pediatric plastic surgeon, attorney, social worker, etc. Applicants are asked to write a one-page essay with the first sentence beginning: “I expect to be serving children ten years after college graduation by....” Applications are available in the Career Center. Newtown High School may nominate only one student to apply for this scholarship. Do not mail directly. All completed applications must be returned to Kitty Latowicki in the Career Center by March 3 to be considered for this scholarship. Scholarship recipients must be available to accept the award in person at the CT PTSA Convention on Friday, April 1.

Dolores Ann Ventura Memorial Scholarship Fund — A $750 scholarship will be awarded to one graduating senior from Newtown High School. Eligible students must have a physical disability and/or have experienced challenges with school. An essay of no more than 500 words on the topic, “How College Will Impact My Life” is also required. All applicants must have plans to attend a two- or four-year college, university, or technical school. Applications may be downloaded from Naviance. The application and essay must be submitted to Kitty Latowicki in the Career Center by April 1. The award will be presented at the Senior Awards night.

Newtown Babe Ruth Girls Softball Scholarship — Newtown Babe Ruth Softball League is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a 2011 Newtown High School graduating senior who was a participant in the program for at least one full season. The scholarship is to be used for educational training beyond high school in any university, college, technical, or nursing school. Applications may be downloaded from Naviance. The requirements also include an essay describing how softball has enriched her life. All applications must be submitted to Kitty Latowicki in the Career Center by April 25. All applications will be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee and, if necessary, they will conduct personal interviews. The award will be presented to the recipient at the High School Awards Ceremony.

Connecticut PTA Scholarships — Scholarships in memory of Christa McAuliffe, First Teacher in Space, will be awarded to two graduating seniors from CT PTA/PTSA high schools. Students must be planning to attend a four-year college to pursue a career in teaching. Presentation of the awards will be during the Connecticut PTA State Convention on April 1 at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Southbury. All applications must be returned to Kitty Latowicki in the Career Center by February 22 to participate in the school nomination process. Newtown High School may nominate only one candidate. The essay topic for the award answers the question, “What is your reason for entering the teaching profession?” and should be limited to one standard page. Applications are available in the Career Center.

Meserve Memorial Scholarship Fund — Local high school seniors, high school graduates or current college students pursuing a college degree in the environmental sciences or nursing are eligible to apply for the Meserve Memorial Scholarship Fund. A course of environmental studies includes, but is not limited to: agriculture, animal husbandry, ecological studies, forestry, or marine sciences. Students residing in Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, and Ridgefield are eligible. Apply online by March 1 at www.csascholars.org. Send additional application requirements via mail also by March 1.

Hawley School PTA Scholarship — The Hawley School PTA will award a scholarship to two graduating seniors from NHS who attended Hawley School. Applicants must be ranked academically in the top half of the graduating class and be accepted to a post-high school academic program. Applicants should demonstrate the elements of character, achievement, and dedication representative of the highest goals of education at Hawley School. The application should also include an official transcript, two letters of recommendation and the letter of admission to the academic program you plan to attend. An interview with the PTA Scholarship Committee is also required. The scholarship chairperson will contact applicants to schedule interviews. Application forms can be downloaded from Naviance. Applicants should read the cover page carefully. It is recommended that all applicants call to inform the committee of an intention to apply in case an application is not received. The deadline for completed applications is April 15.

Newtown Junior Women’s Club Scholarship In Memory of Jane Symes — The Newtown Junior Women’s Club will award one scholarship for $500 to a high school senior from Newtown. The award is open to any student planning a career in the field of special education or education. All applicants must be planning to attend a full-time college, university, or community college. The award is also open to any special education students regardless of their career plans. The award is based entirely upon merit without regard for financial need. The scholarship will be forwarded to the college of his/her choice for the purchase of books. Applications may be downloaded directly from Naviance; the deadline is April 1.

Hord Foundation Scholarships — The Hord Foundation scholarship program is a need-based award program open to black/African American students graduating from high school from the greater Danbury area which includes Newtown. The award criteria are: acceptance to an undergraduate program or other program of continuing education, academic standing, contributions to school/community, financial need, an essay, a personal interview, and overall strength of the application. Complete an online application www.hordfoundation.org by February 14. Also, forward recent transcript to: The Hord Foundation, PO Box 4671, Danbury, CT 06813. Awards are renewable up to four years of undergraduate-level study.

Best Buy @ 15 Scholarship Program — The 2011 Best Buy @15 Scholarship Program will award one-time $1,000 scholarships to students based on their outstanding commitment and involvement in community service, along with a solid academic performance (a minimum grade point average of 2.5 is required). High school students in grades 9 through 12 who plan to attend a postsecondary education are eligible. Registration and application must be completed online at www.at15.com. The application deadline is 9 am eastern standard time, February 16.

Kline Family Community Service Scholarship — The Kline Family Scholarships will be awarded to deserving graduating seniors who have a demonstrated record of community service and who will be attending the University of Connecticut. Four scholarships in the amount of $500 were awarded last year. Applications are available in the Career Center. Completed application, recommendations and essay should be mailed to: Kline Family Scholarship, c/o Boyan, Balskus and Foran, LLC, 62 Hyde Ave., Vernon, CT 06066, by April 25.

Hartford Whalers Booster Club Hockey Scholarship — A hockey scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior who has excelled in both the classroom and the hockey arena. Seniors from Connecticut who played high school hockey and plan to attend a four-year college while playing collegiate hockey are eligible. Applications may be downloaded from the website www.whalerwatch.com. Send the completed application and the following requirements to: Harford Whalers Booster Club, PO Box 273, Hartford CT 06141. Requirements: an official transcript (high school and any college courses taken), a resume, a brief description of your career goals, a hockey inspiration summary, and at least two letters of recommendation. All applications must be postmarked by March 1.

Eagle Foundation Scholarships — The Eagle Foundation will select up to ten highly motivated high school seniors to receive four-year scholarships of up to $10,000 annually. Recipients must be residents of the metro area of New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut and within a two-hour drive time from Eagle’s Greenwich office. Successful candidates will possess all of the following characteristics: a grade point minimum of 3.4; an SAT minimum of 1800 (combined math, verbal, and writing); have been publicly recognized by their school and community for their leadership skills; and also demonstrates the need for financial assistance to attend college. The website www.theeaglefoundation.com has the application and all of the details about the requirements and paperwork for this scholarship program. Submission of documents is due by April 1. All applicants must demonstrate financial need in order to qualify for this scholarship.

Student-View Scholarship Program — Student Insights, a market research firm helping colleges and universities communicate more effectively with high school seniors, is sponsoring a scholarship contest. The 2011 Student-View Scholarship Program is offering $10,000 worth of scholarships for those seniors planning to attend a four-year college, community/junior college, or career school. Interested students should go to the website www.student-view.com and complete a 15- to 20-minute application survey about colleges in the Connecticut area. The scholarship deadline is April 22. There are no minimum SAT/ACT/GPA scores, no essay requirement, and no lengthy application process. All scholarships will be awarded via a random drawing of all completed applications and will be announced in May.

Moody’s Mega Math Challenge — The 2011 M3 Challenge is open to teams of eleventh and twelfth grade high school students from the Eastern United States from Maine to Florida. Teams will be presented with a realistic, open-ended, math-modeling problem focused on real-world issues that is unlikely to have an exact or uniquely correct solution. The demonstration of creative problem-solving abilities and originality in quantitative or qualitative reasoning is important. Each school may enter up to two teams consisting of three, four, or five students. Each team must have a teacher-coach who will work with the students to prepare for the contest, but are not permitted to help on Challenge Day. All teams are required to register by 5 pm February 25. The 2011 Challenge Weekend is March 5 to 6, and there are no entrance or participation fees. Team prizes range from $1,000 per team for an honorable mention to the champions’ prize of $20,000. Complete information and sample problems are available M3Challenge.siam.org.

Connecticut Junior Soccer Association Scholarship (CJSA) — The Board of Directors of the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association has established a scholarship fund for graduating high school seniors. Applicants must have participated with a CJSA affiliated club (Newtown students should verify affiliation with the Northeast District), have a C+ or better average and anticipate attending college as a freshman in September 2011. All applicants must submit a 250-word essay on “What Soccer Means to Me” and be available for a personal interview with the Selection Committee. The fund will award four $1,000 scholarships to candidates meeting the established criteria. Applications are available online www.cjsa.org and must be submitted in its entirety in one package by April 1 to: Scholarship Committee, CJSA, 11 Executive Drive, Farmington CT 06032.

AAAC Youth of the Year Award — The 12th Annual Classic Awards seeks to recognize the best and brightest graduating seniors in the Connecticut African American community. Applicants should demonstrate academic excellence and leadership abilities in the community, as it relates to the development of the cultural, social and/or political well being of the African American community. A school nomination is required for this award and is available in the Career Center. All nominations must be received by March 4. The State of Connecticut African American Affairs Commission will host its Classic Awards in May at the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford.

Doodle 4 Google Competition — Doodle 4 Google is a national competition for students in grades K–12. Students are invited to reinvent Google’s homepage logo. The national, regional, and state finalists receive monetary recognition and prizes. The national winner will be awarded a $15,000 college scholarship, a trip to the Google New York office, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet and a T-shirt printed with their doodle. The company will also award the winner’s school with a $25,000 technology grant. Three national finalists will receive $5,000 college scholarships and recognition for regional and state finalists. Students are required to submit: a student entry form, a signed and completed parent consent form, the student doodle (artwork), preregistration ID written on the front of the student doodle (artwork), a title for doodle, and a supporting statement of up to 50 words explaining the “What I’d like to do someday…” theme (written on the space provided on the entry form). The necessary forms can be downloaded from the website www.google.com/doodle4google. Schools can submit unlimited entries; one entry per student. Online registration must be done by March 2 and the completed entry forms/artwork must be postmarked by March 16.

UConn Waterbury Campus: Katherine Hill Pomeroy Scholarship — Connecticut high school seniors who will be entering the University of Connecticut at Waterbury as full-time students in the fall 2011 semester are eligible to apply for this scholarship. The award will be based on financial need, character, and achievement. Up to seven scholarships of $1,500 will be awarded. Applications may be downloaded from www.waterbury.uconn.edu. Students may also download the application through Naviance. Completed application must be returned to Stuart Brown, Director of Student Services, UConn-Waterbury, 99 East Main Street, Waterbury CT 06702, by Friday, February 25.

CT State USBC Association — A $1,000 bowling scholarship will 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 April 15 and sent to: Dolores Voelker, 11 Willow Lane, Clinton CT 06413.

Links, Inc. Scholarship — The Fairfield County Chapter of the Links, Incorporated will award a scholarship of $3,000 to a deserving minority high school senior from the Greater Danbury who will enroll full-time at an accredited college/university, junior college or technical school. Candidates must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and be in need of financial assistance. Participation in school activities and community service/volunteerism is considered. Applications are available in the Career Center or online fairfieldcountylinksinc.org. The deadline for applications is April 1. Scholarships are awarded for one academic year but recipients may reapply annually.

UConn — 100 Years of Women Scholarship Award — UConn Women’s Center will honor a current UConn undergraduate, graduate, or high school senior planning to enroll at UConn in the fall 2011 semester who has demonstrated a commitment to women’s issues through service to their community or school. Applicants must be in need of financial assistance and demonstrate high academic performance. Applicants must complete the application with a short essay, enclose two letters of recommendation, and an unofficial transcript. Forward all documents to the UConn Women’s Center, 2110 Hillside Road, Unit 3118, Student Union, Room 421, Storrs CT 06269-3118 by February 25.

Bill Lauf Memorial Scholarship — The Danbury Fish and Game Club will award one $1,000 scholarship to a high school senior from the greater Danbury area planning a career in journalism or the environment. The committee will make the award to the student who best exemplifies the qualities possessed by the late sportsman and journalist, Bill Lauf. These qualities include, but are not limited to, sportsmanship, integrity, humor, curiosity, love of his fellow man, and love of writing. Applications are available to download from NHS’s Naviance database and all submissions including a 250-word essay must be sent via email by April 15.

Cindy Dimenstein Memorial Scholarship — The Connecticut Breast Cancer Coalition Foundation will award six college scholarship in the amount of $500 each to Connecticut high school seniors whose lives and families have been personally affected by breast cancer. The scholarships are in memory of Cindy Dimenstein, a dedicated Connecticut educator and breast cancer activist. Applications are available to download from NHS’s Naviance database and must be submitted by March 31. Additional information is available at the Cancer Coalition Foundation website at www.cbccf.org.