SCHOLARSHIP

[Mike Hickey]

So people seem positive on our doing a scholarship. In the WCAR we have it set up so that any senior can apply. There is an application and it contains the following;
Personal Info
Parent's names and occupation
Household yearly income (we then break this into 3 groups, <$40K. $40K - $100K, and above $100K. These are weighted. The first group gets 3 points, second gets 2 points and third gets 1)
The guidance counselors provide the overall GPA up to Feb of that year and the SAT and ACT scores. Points are awarded for the GPA and the board scores.
The student can submit letters. Usually these are from teachers or church or civic leaders.
The student also writes a brief letter on their goals and aspirations.
The student tells us if they have received and/or are applying other scholarships.
From all this based upon how we want to weigh the applications, you select the top three and then conduct an interview. This could be 3 or 4 of us locally.
That seems like a lot of work and it can be but I'm in for it.
Another option is to see if the school or some other organization has an existing program and we let them do the work and we give a scholarship to the second place winner if you will.

So let's talk about this.

Mike

[Patricia Parman Copelin]

I would suggest that 1/2 of the scholarship funds be given for the first semester of college, with the stipulation that to receive the 2nd 1/2 of the money, a predetermined GPA must be achieved first semester--in my son's case w/his scholarship, he had to maintain a 3.0 for the first semester in order to get the second half of the money. It was a good incentive not to let the grades slide in favor of "over-partying"! Although, I don't think he missed too many of the parties!!


Tricia Copelin

[Mike Hickey]

Good idea.
Mike

[Scott Merrick]

This sounds great. I'm in to help as well, can maybe coordinate an application website. I'd like to propose early on that we think about naming a scholarship in honor of Albert Gaines, who was so influential in so many of our lives. Many may not feel the same and may rather call it something else. I agree with the Hickey. Let's talk.

Many colleges are considering lowering the weight of standardized test scores, which as everyone has known forever are a pretty good indication of a student's performance filling in little circles with a number 2 pencil on a single day of their lives (I for one did great on SAT even filling out the last quarter of the thing randomly). I'd weigh in in favor of crafting a novel revision of the very nice WCAR model that might at least lower test scores' importance and reflect an emphasis on community service, or creative performance, or some other focal point. If it's a Gaines award, the obvious one would be creative writing, or maybe teaching.

Just food for thought, and btw I greatly appreciated a little scholarship I was granted long ago that was in the amount of $750.00. We need not hit ppl's pocketbooks too hard to make a difference in the self-confidence and motivation of a student or two...

Cheerio,
Scott

[Emily Caldwell Furlong]

Scott Merrick said:

This sounds great. I'm in to help as well, can maybe coordinate an application website. I'd like to propose early on that we think about naming a scholarship in honor of Albert Gaines, who was so influential in so many of our lives. Many may not feel the same and may rather call it something else. I agree with the Hickey. Let's talk.

Many colleges are considering lowering the weight of standardized test scores, which as everyone has known forever are a pretty good indication of a student's performance filling in little circles with a number 2 pencil on a single day of their lives (I for one did great on SAT even filling out the last quarter of the thing randomly). I'd weigh in in favor of crafting a novel revision of the very nice WCAR model that might at least lower test scores' importance and reflect an emphasis on community service, or creative performance, or some other focal point. If it's a Gaines award, the obvious one would be creative writing, or maybe teaching.

Just food for thought, and btw I greatly appreciated a little scholarship I was granted long ago that was in the amount of $750.00. We need not hit ppl's pocketbooks too hard to make a difference in the self-confidence and motivation of a student or two...

Cheerio,
Scott

[Emily Caldwell Furlong]

Although I am far away, I am happy to help if possible. My husband and I set up a scholarship program when he was in public office. He pledged to give 25% of his take home while he was a county commissioner and a school board member. We also have started a scholarship at Ole Miss. The one we gave here (Seminole County, FL) went to 5 students each year. They were to be the hardest working senior. Most of the students went on to college, but one used it for a trade school. We managed it ourselves, but the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools could have managed it for us. The only requirements were that the students supply a transcript, two letters of recommendation, wrote a short essay about why they were the hardest woking senior, and they had to be registered to vote or preregistered if they were only 17. It was very rewarding. We have kept up with some of the students since then. The hardest part for us was all the calls from parents the night before the deadline saying why little Johnny couldn't get it in on time. How are you planning to fund the scholarship? How musch do you hope to award? Is there a foundation for Nashville Public Schools that could assist? If you are wanting our classmates to donate for the schoarship, they could get a tax deduction if it is donated through the foundation. Let me know what I can do to help. I drove the same VW Super Beetle for 24 years so that we could fund the scholarship program, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Eemily

[david barry]

Great ideas bubbling up.
I would like to consider keeping the identity of the fund associated with the Class of 1968, because i think it is about our group. Mr. Gaines was a fine man, although i never had the pleasure of being in one of his classes, but i like the idea of an all-encompassing focus on our class. I do think it may inspire a few other classes to do similar things.

[Mike Hickey]

My original thought was if 50 people gave $20 then we could do $1000 to one student. I will check and see if there are existing foundations that administer small scholarships like ours.
Mike

[Mike Hickey]

Here is what we need to guard against, and I notice that few comment here as opposed to our rambling 'reply to all emails'. For me I do not want to start this and then it die in a year or two because we all lost the glow of a fantastic 40th. We are really in to what we felt or we are not. If we are not, then this will be a one or two time event that will hopefully help one or two students but it will leave an impression that we all felt from our 40th was like the first time we did sex or whatever. THERE IS A COMMITMENT TO THIS. I am not saying that you need to burden your kids and say 'Hey when I die keep sending money to the Hillwood Class of 68 fund (althought that would be great). My vision is that we as graduates of 40 years ago create an environment where all classes that graduate after us will grasp "THE COMMITMENT" to do what they can for as long as they can. That then becomes a sustainable system of giving.

Keep talking folks we need to get this at least 90% right on the first try in my mind. Well my 58 year old mind.

Mike

[Scott Merrick]

That makes great sense to me. Everyone didn't have the chance to benefit from his loving care, but everyone did benefit from that of the community he belonged to.

david barry said:

Great ideas bubbling up.
I would like to consider keeping the identity of the fund associated with the Class of 1968, because i think it is about our group. Mr. Gaines was a fine man, although i never had the pleasure of being in one of his classes, but i like the idea of an all-encompassing focus on our class. I do think it may inspire a few other classes to do similar things.

[billy green]

It doesnt have to be 50 people @ $20. Id be willing to contribute more.

[Rick Lankford]

I think there are so very good ideas here. We need to do some research to find all of our options for administering the scholarship so as Mike said 'we get this at least 90% right the first time". I am sure there are numerous options available. I also agree with Billy in that I think many will be able to contribute more than $20.00. With that in mind we may be able to keep excess funds in an account to build over the years so that this program will have a built in growth factor. Just thinking out loud.
Rick Lankford

[Scott Merrick]

I just had a brain burp and recalled that an old personal friend runs a local company that specializes in the administration of scholarships. I'll consult with her and if she has anything attractive to add to the conversation I'll share it out. For a couple years in the past, I reviewed applications for her on a consulting basis.

I'm thinking "Endowment," so that we have funds in an account that is working for us, assuming the economy is working and we are invested with a capable funds management entity.