TO: NTCHS Seniors and Parents

TO: NTCHS Seniors and Parents FROM: Natalie Kerfoot DATE: January 7, 2016 SUBJECT: FAFSA, Scholarships and More Scholarships

NTCHS will be hosting a FAFSA workshop through College Goal Montana on January 25 at 6:30 at the high school in Room #4. Refreshments will be served. All seniors planning on furthering their education after high school are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity for you as a student to complete the FAFSA with your parent and meet those priority deadlines for student aid. You and your parent will need to have their FAFSA ID prior to the event (www.pin.edu.gov). If you do not have your 2015 taxes completed, no need to worry. Just bring your 2014 completed tax information. Once you have filed for 2015, you can simply update that information with FAFSA quite easily. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Kerfoot at 937-2431. I look forward to seeing both parents and seniors at this workshop 

The Montana FAFSA deadline: March 1 – you must have tax information for both you and your parents; U of M has a priority deadline in February. However, it is best to get it in as early as possible. The earlier you apply, the better chances you have to get grants and assistance (when they run out of money, it’s gone!). There are many student aid resources for students and parents available by ordering at www.edpubs.gov. A lot of colleges will not consider your scholarship application unless you have completed the FAFSA. Even if you don’t think you qualify for assistance, you need to apply to keep these opportunities open.

COLLEGE VISITS: Seniors may take up to 2 days to visit colleges. Pick up a form from the office BEFORE you go to the college, have the form completed by the college personnel and return it to the office for an excused absence.

SCHOLLY: Register at register at www.myscholly.com/safmt. If you get asked for an access code you will only need to put in safmt and you will be granted free access!

Check out the information on FAFSA at www.smartaboutcollege.org. Click on MCIS (Montana Career Information System) for a section relating to financial aid and scholarships.

IMPORTANT: Visit the website of the college you plan to attend for scholarships and deadlines!!!!!!!

Another place to search: ESA Scholarships – go to www.epsilonsigmaalpha.org/scholarships-and- grants/scholarships From main scholarship page, select Montana. Click search scholarships. Create a scholarship account by clicking “Apply Now” to access online scholarship application system. Deadline: February 1.

Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program – some of you have already submitted---those of you still working, the deadline has been extended to Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Military Order of the Purple Heart – The MOPH Scholarship Program is a competitive scholarship program that awards approximately eighty (80) scholarships to Purple Heart recipients and their spouses, children, and grandchildren each year. For the application, visit: http://www.purpleheart.org/ Deadline: January 22nd Elks National Foundation Scholarships for Elk Families – Legacy Awards is a scholarship program offering 250 college scholarships worth $4,000 to children and grandchildren of dues-paying Elks. Application Deadline is January 29th. For more information and to obtain an online application, visit: www.elks.org/enf/scholars.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative Scholarship – Remember, this application will also be used for the Marias River Electric scholarship! Simply make copies of all your application materials. MRE will then pass on the 2nd application to Basin Electric. Due to me by January 28th or to the MRE office by 5 pm on January 29th.

FEEA Scholarships: scholarships open exclusively to federal employees, spouses, and children. Deadline is between January and March. See the website for more information. www.feea.org/programs/scholarships.

UPCOMING:

ARA Foundation Scholarships – The equipment rental industry’s future success depends on having educated rental business and manufacturer/supplier owners, managers and employees. To support that effort, the ARA Foundation and its affiliate programs offer trade/technical/vocational, undergraduate and graduate scholarships to help students pursue their dreams. For the 2016-2017 school year, 53 scholarships with a total value of $88,000 are available to students in the U.S. and Canada. For online app or to download the paper version - Visit: http://www.arafoundation.com/Scholarship-Program/Scholarship-Program/Scholarship-application- forms. Deadline: February 1

National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Scholarships – a variety of scholarships at www.dar.org – follow the scholarships link for detailed information. Some examples of scholarships are: Richard and Elizabeth Dean Scholarship based on academic merit, political science, government, history, economics, medical and nursing. Deadline: February 10.

AXA Achievement Community Scholarship – Download application at www.axa-achievement.com. Deadline is February 15. The AXA Achievement Scholarship is awarded to 52 students nationwide – one selected from each state, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Each state winner receives a scholarship award of $10,000. From that pool of 52 winners, ten are selected as national winners and receive an additional $15,000, bringing the national AXA Achievers’ total scholarship awards to $25,000 each.

Association Montana of Conservation Districts Scholarship – GPA minimum 3.0 and plans to enroll in a course of study that allows students to explore natural resource issues, such as agriculture, agribusiness, animal science, range science, forestry, environmental science, land resource science, plant science, etc. Visit: http://macdnet.org/ Deadline: February 18

Montana Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association Scholarship – applicant must have participated in two sports for at least two years in each sport, have earned at least one varsity letter in each of two sports, and meet two of the following – minimum B+ average, ranked in top 25% of class, ACT score of 24 or SAT score of 1500. Visit http://www.niaaa.org/chapters/montana/ and click on Awards to access the application. Deadline: received by February 28. American Legion Auxiliary Children of Warriors National President’s Scholarship – Candidates must be relatives of veterans who served in Armed Forces during eligibility dates as listed on application and have completed 50 hours of volunteer community service. For scholarship application - Visit: https://www.alaforveterans.org/scholarships/children-of-warriors-national-presidents--scholarship/ Deadline: delivered to local chairperson, Barbara Monroe, Box 315, Kevin, MT by March 1.

Montana Farmers Union Scholarships – open those who are currently paid members of MFU. Hubert K. Seymour Scholarship – deadline March 1 Bud Daniel’s Memorial Scholarship – deadline March 1 Montana Farmers Union Scholarship – deadline March 1 John Korsbeck Memorial Scholarship – deadline March 1 Stanley Moore National Scholarship – deadline April 1 Further information on website: http://www.montanafarmersunion.com/?hd=education&id=scholarships. Fill-able application forms can be downloaded there as well.

Montana Community Foundation Scholarships – applications for this scholarship program are online at http:www.mtcf.org/applications and all awards are designated to specifically benefit Montana students. It is partnered with Scholar Select to provide an entirely online application process. Teachers can use this to provide letters of recommendation through email. Here is a list of scholarships in our area that students may qualify for: Alan and Janette Blackburn, Evelyn B. Johnson Memorial, Montana Food Distributors Association. Deadlines vary but most are March 1. For more information, visit www.mtcf.org. If you have questions, contact Jenny Lou Stark at 443-8313 ext. 109 or [email protected].

MSWGA Scholarship – senior girl involved with golf. Download the application at http://www.msgagolf.org/. Deadline March 15.

Full Circle Scholarships - The Full Circle Foundation is pleased to offer Scholarship Support to students from rural cities with populations less than 3,000 people who will be the first in their family to attend college. Applicants must come from the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota or Iowa. The Full Circle Scholarship is a competitive scholarship open to any student who meets the requirements listed above and has a minimum GPA of 2.5. This scholarship provides financial assistance to eligible students. Funds may be used to provide tuition assistance and pay school fees. The selection committee will also consider certain living expenses on an individual basis. The Ona Vee Sage Scholarship is a competitive scholarship open to women with a minimum 3.0 GPA. It will also be limited to the state of Montana because although Ona Vee Sage was born in North Dakota, she lived 64 years of her life in Montana. The standard requirement of a Personal Statement, Extra Curricular Activities and any Awards or Honors they have received also apply to this Scholarship. For online application visit: http://fullcircle-foundation.org/

CodeMontana Scholarship – Twenty $4000 scholarships. Information available on website at cs.mtech.edu/codemt. Plan to attend Montana Tech, complete 4 modules by April to apply.

Need money for college? Consider the National Guard Army ROTC - www.rotc.monroe.army.mil/ or Montana National Guard at www.montanaguard.net

There is no job that you will ever have that pays more per hour than applying for scholarships!

TOP TEN FINANCIAL AID TIPS 1. Start now – making good choices in high school affects college success. 2. Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1. 3. Don’t pay to have someone complete the FAFSA for you. 4. Explore scholarships. Apply for institutional scholarships first. Use scholarship searches online. 5. Apply for admission now and submit your ACT scores. 6. Create college savings. Pre-pay tuition, make a dorm deposit, purchase a computer. Anticipate costs and ‘spend down’ student savings before completing FAFSA. 7. Create choice. Apply to your dream school, a second choice, and a ‘safety school’ closer to home. 8. Special circumstances can increase your awards. Notify financial aid office if you have a disability, job loss, divorce or death in family. 9. Meet all your deadlines to maximize your awards. 10. Borrow only as a last resort. Federal student loans must be repaid.

it’s all downhill