t’s a program with a purpose – to help local students further their education, and to honour the legacy of Grand Falls-Windsor’s “pioneer citizens.”
The 2005 Legacy Scholarship is again open for students of Exploits Valley High (EVH), a scholarship established in 2008 by the Grand Falls-Windsor Centennial Committee.
“These were funds that were collected and solicited during the centennial celebrations, and one of the things we wanted to do as a committee…as a legacy to the town, was to create a scholarship for its children,” said Roger Pike, Chair of the Centennial Legacy Scholarship Committee.
“The money has been invested, and the interest of that money is used to fund the scholarship program,” he said.
Pike said they wanted to establish a “lasting legacy,” one that would benefit the town for future generations. In addition to the scholarship program, a gazebo and memorial was erected at Church Road Park.
“It’s dedicated to the founding fathers of the community; the men and women who built the paper industry, who built the town,” Pike explained. “That’s why, as part of the scholarship application form, there’s a question and answer (portion), that highlights some of the (town’s) history.”
It’s a salute to the hard working people who built the town from the ground up, “many uneducated people who never had the opportunity to go to school,” Pike said.
The scholarship is a dual program. Two 2,000 scholarships are up for grabs, one directed towards a university education, the other with a focus on the trades.
“(It’s) been a success, but last year we were sort of taken back or surprised…that there were no applications for the trades (portion) of the scholarship.”
And unlike other scholarships, Pike suggests all students should apply.
“It’s not based (fully) on academic performance, although that does play a part in the evaluation process.
“The committee felt that…if you could capture the student that maybe is on the fence about what he wants to do or she wants to do – than maybe the scholarship would encourage them,” Pike said. “And it’s based on need as well.”
Applications are available for students at EVH. The deadline is May 31.
“This is an opportunity for someone who wants to get a helping hand financially, to pursue their career dreams, whether they be university or trades,” Pike said. “It’s a simple matter of contacting the office at the school, and they will get an application form.”
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