Scholarship Help for Seniors

PPEF plans scholarship seminar for seniors

Graduating seniors will have a new resource to help secure scholarships this year.

The Pilot Point Educational Foundation is holding a workshop for any Pilot Point graduate or graduating senior from 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 21 that will teach them how to find scholarships and apply for them properly.

This is the first year the workshop will be offered. PPEF President Micky Nortman and other members of the organization saw a need in the community for graduates to learn how to apply for scholarships.

“We’ve seen that some of the kids tend to struggle with filling out the information that we look at,” Nortman said.

She went on to say many had questions about the essays required. Students may need clarification about whether the foundation wants to know about their community service, school activities or leadership examples.

“We just thought, ‘Well, maybe this will help,’” she said.

Although the PPEF is hosting the workshop, Nortman said that skills covered will help seniors applying for any scholarship.

“Most of [the scholarships] out there available, they need to get those applications in right away,” she said. Students who wait until spring to apply would be too late for many awards.

PPEF is working with new high school counselor Melissa Baggs to create the workshop, Nortman said.

“She’s providing the expertise and knowledge, and we’re providing the breakfast and advertising,” she said.

The PPEF has been in existence since 1995 and has provided scholarships for PPISD graduates and grants for PPISD teachers through donations from the community of Pilot Point. It is a charitable organization that consists of community members, local businesses and alumni.

Community members can contribute with one-time gifts or start an endowed scholarship of their own. When a donation reaches $10,000, it is considered fully endowed and will create a $1,500 scholarship every year for more students.

“We’ve seen a decline in the past few years of number of applicants,” Nortman said.

That might mean unclaimed scholarship money.

“There are ... thousands, and possibly hundreds of thousands, of scholarship dollars that are left unclaimed because the kids just don’t know how to go get them.”

Some scholarship applications can simply mean submitting a 500-word essay and a picture to be awarded money.

“I mean, it’s just that easy,” she said.

In 2021, the PPEF awarded scholarships to the following:

•Caleb Holloway - Brian Strittmatter & Melissa Boerner and Nortman Family Scholarships;

•Troy Tincher - Class of 2009-11 Scholarship;

•Yolanda Benitez - Albert & Vera Duesman Memorial Scholarship;

•Miguel Prado - Irick Family and Donnie Ferguson (Dennards) Scholarships;

•Aspyn McCord - Ronald Pelzel Memorial and CoServ Scholarships;

•Maiah Morris - Pilot Point Cabinet Makers Scholarship;

•Max Hollar - Archie Harris Memorial;

•Teagan Raines - Dr. Cecil Threadgill Scholarship;

•Hayley Raines - Irick Family and Masonic Lodge Scholarships;

•Shelby Malone - Denton Regional Medical and Tad Travis Memorial Scholarships;

•Cooper Jones - Kelly Brooks Memorial Scholarship;

•Madison Stufflebeam - John & Penne Coxsey Memorial Scholarship;

•David Vincent - Neil Johnson Memorial Scholarship;

•Samuel Cory - Class of 1973 Scholarship;

•Collin Haynes - Jesse Foutch Memorial Scholarship;

•Raedon Schon - Bob Heuman Memorial Scholarship;

•Skyler Moore - Matt Gardner Memorial Scholarship;

•Cindy Franco - Friends of Vail and Donnie Ferguson (Dennards) Scholarships;

•Jazmine Wheeler - Chance Vaughn Memorial Scholarship;

•Abigail Walker - Virgil & Pauline Berend Memorial Scholarship.