Communities give dollars to scholars

With spring just around the corner, it's time for high school seniors to think about caps, gowns and student loans.

For those looking to continue their education, the staggeringly high prices for degrees can be intimidating. Fortunately for them, hundreds of thousands of dollars are just an application away.

Every year, local organizations and families funnel scholarship money to seniors in the nine area school districts. The amount of money available and the number of students claiming those scholarships can vary widely from district to district.

Guidance counselors reported occasionally having scholarships no one seeks and they all wanted to see more students apply.

Fort Recovery guidance counselor Amy Kaiser said students often misunderstand the application process.

"If we ever don't have a scholarship handed out in a certain year, it's normally not because the family or organization doesn't want to hand out money that year. Some students look at scholarships as something only for the top-level students in terms of academics, so they won't apply. But we have a couple scholarships every year geared toward certain career paths or majors that go unclaimed because nobody applied for them," Kaiser said.

Kaiser said the only other reason a scholarship would go unclaimed is if no students met the requirements, such as attending a specific university.

On average, 30 local families and organizations offer scholarships to Fort Recovery students. In 2014, $60,000 in local scholarships were given to 27 Fort Recovery seniors - 43 percent of the 63-student graduating class.

Kaiser alerts seniors and their parents of scholarship opportunities through a newsletter that includes links to websites where applications can be downloaded.

She had some advice for students looking to get scholarships.

"It works in the student's favor to keep coming in and keep applying. The organizations recognize that commitment. The scholarships are there if the kids are willing to put the time in," Kaiser said.

Mike Makley of the St. Marys Community Foundation handles scholarships for the high school and said online applications have streamlined the process.

"It's all online now. Scholarships used to be a paper nightmare," Makley said.

St. Marys students have a similar misconception about scholarship requirements and he stressed that scholarships are for everyone, not just the valedictorian, he said.

"Most of our scholarships go to 'average' kids. We look at community involvement and hard work, not just grades. We want to reward those kids, too," he said.

St. Marys had 65 local organizations and families give out about $100,000 in 2014 to more than 80 students, Makley said. That amounts to 51 percent of the 172 students in 2014's graduating class. Makley said scholarship opportunities are listed in local newspapers, with guidance counselors and online.

In Celina, a smaller percentage of the graduates receive scholarships, but a comparable number of scholarships and funds are available. Celina had the largest local 2014 graduating class by 20 students and had 134 more students than Parkway, the smallest.

According to guidance counselor Lynne Carmean, about 24 percent of 2014's graduating class received local scholarships - 47 out of 192 students - but 60 organizations and families gave $85,000. Carmean said scholarship opportunities are listed on the daily school announcements as well as posted online.

Minster and New Bremen schools had almost all 2014 graduates receive local scholarship money.

In New Bremen, 79 percent of the 2014 graduating class received scholarship money, superintendent Howard Overman told the paper. Minster guidance counselor Kim Seaver said that district's total was even higher - 85 percent.

In New Bremen, 80 scholarships were handed out for a grand total of $80,700, Overman said.

"Our community has a lot of individuals committed to quality education. We are very fortunate to have so many people willing to step up to help our students," Overman said.

In Minster, 30 local scholarships worth $91,000 were given to 63 of the 74 seniors, Seaver said.

Superintendent Brenda Boeke credited the Minster High School Scholarship Fund for the high rate.

"It's an organization that works in coordination with the school," Boeke said. "The graduates reap the benefits of (the organization's) hard work. They do a great job of raising awareness, and that's why we see such a high percent of students apply."

Despite Parkway's size, 25 students received a total of $45,000 in 2014. Guidance counselor Mickey McConahay said 25 local families and organizations regularly offer scholarships. Forty-three percent of the 58-student graduating class received local scholarships.

At Marion Local, guidance counselor Jenny Dippold said she puts a lot of effort into making sure all the scholarships get handed out every year.

"We try to spread it out evenly. Most kids who fill out forms will get scholarships," Dippold said.

In 2014, 30 seniors earned scholarships from 30 different organizations and families. The scholarships totaled $32,650 and went to 60 percent of the graduating class of 75 students.

Dippold sends students and parents emails with scholarship applications attached. All scholarships are listed in her office, as well.

Coldwater guidance counselor Natalie Kanney conducts interviews with every senior to determine career interests. Throughout the school year, she strives to find scholarships matching students' interests, she said.

"If a student expresses interest in being a park ranger, for instance, I'll keep my eye out for any scholarships that go to students looking to become park rangers," Kanney said.

Kanney's efforts resulted in 28 seniors - 29 percent of the graduating class of 97 students - receiving scholarships in 2014. Forty organizations and families awarded $33,755 in scholarships last year.

Betsy Armstrong, guidance counselor at St. Henry, said $70,990 in local scholarships was given to 27 seniors in 2014 - 35 percent of the 77-student graduating class.

Armstrong emails seniors' parents notifying them of available scholarships. She also alerts students during daily announcements, she said.