Chestermere High School Scholarship

Started in 1978 by a Chestermere student, Carolyn Tester, who noticed there was nothing for students who were capable of further study and willing to do it but did not have the marks to win the awards that existed. The fund was built by donation to a principal now sitting at $15,000, and the award is paid from the interest, so a committee of five community members and a school representative decides each year both who wins and how much they get. Selection weighs academic proficiency, extracurricular involvement, citizenship, leadership and financial need together.

Two rules here are worth more than the criteria. The deadline is September 1 of your graduating year, months after most school awards close, because it wants proof of registration rather than a letter of acceptance. And in a year when nobody applies, that year's graduates may apply the following year, which is a second chance almost no award offers. Forms come from the guidance office, usually updated in April.