Please Collect the Following Items: District Scholarship Application District Scholarship Activity Form List of District Scholarships Evidence Letter for Community Service/Volunteer Hours Paper and a pen/pencil to take notes

NOTIFICATION OF STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS/BURSARIES/ ENTRANCE AWARDS If you have been selected for any award, scholarship or bursary– Congratulations! Please let Ms. McChesney know the name & amount of the award ASAP, even if you are not going to accept it. The school likes to keep track of your achievements. Please visit the Alpha Scholarship Blog for current postings and applications. 

Types of Scholarships External (private businesses, universities, community organizations, etc.) School Based (specific to Alpha) District (offered by Burnaby School District to Burnaby students)

Have You Completed a Student Profile? You should already have completed and handed in your Student Profile to me.  Only those students who have completed and handed in a Student Profile will be eligible for district and school-based awards. If you have not yet completed a Student Profile, the absolute last chance you have to do that is this Friday, February 23rd.

School-based Awards Alpha Art Scholarship Alpha Grad Council Awards Alpha PAC Scholarships Alpha School Scholarships Alpha Staff Scholarships Artona, Chevron and Fraser Valley Vending Memorial Scholarships for past Alpha students and teachers: Brad Langas, Jeff Quelch, Klaus Lundin, and Gene Stanicky

What do I need to apply for District Scholarships? Application/Activity Form (fully completed, NEATLY, in ink or typed) Cover letters for each scholarship or bursary you apply for Specific application forms for each scholarship or bursary you apply for Financial need statement (if applicable) Resume (up to date) Transcript (request one from Ms. Cao – 2 day wait time) 2 (min) Reference Letters from the community 2 (min) Signatures from Alpha Staff (promising to write you a letter should the committee request it)

Application/Activity Form The District Committee is looking at current information from grade 10-12 (you can add older stuff but emphasis is on current volunteer/community service/sports) Be clear on the hours, dates and activities when documenting your community work or sports contributions. Be specific and back it up with documentation (certificates, letters of reference etc).  *Use the Evidence Letter for Community Service/Volunteer Hours to ask for documentation from your supervisors. Must be Canadian Citizen or Landed Immigrant unless otherwise specified.

Evidence of Community Service/Volunteer Work Evidence letters need to come from managers who have seen you work (not from family, friends, or other students). Evidence letters should be SPECIFIC. They should specify dates you served/volunteered, total hours worked, and descriptions of your activities/jobs. Your hours will be checked so be careful not to lie or stretch the truth. Be honest about what your contributions are. The more evidence you can provide the committee, the better. Evidence can be more than letters of reference. It can be certificates, photographs, awards etc. (Use copies, not originals) If you are using Work Experience for anything you must include your Work Experience Documentation that states where you worked and what you did.

You should have a minimum of FOUR letters of reference You should have a minimum of FOUR letters of reference.  Two letters (minimum) should be from Alpha staff to support your academic achievements, work habits, leadership skills, citizenship and school service.  Two letters (minimum) should be from people in the community:  coaches, bosses, community leaders, etc., to support your citizenship, volunteerism, leadership skills, work ethic, and character.   Teachers and Club Sponsors from Alpha will be contacted by Alpha’s Scholarship Committee to supply hard copies of letters ONLY if you are chosen by the committee to compete at the district level.  You will need to collect signatures of Alpha staff willing to support your application. Your other references, including community leaders and coaches, etc., should be given a minimum of two weeks notice to write their letters, and their letters MUST be INCLUDED with your application. Thank your referees with a card or chocolate! Letters of Reference

DUE DATE FOR APPLICATIONS Due date for all District Scholarship applications is Tuesday APRIL 3rd in room 325 (the Tuesday after Spring Break). NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE LOOKED AT AFTER April 3rd! DUE DATE FOR APPLICATIONS

Which Applications Go Forward to the District? The Scholarship Committee will meet the week after we get back from Spring Break. The Committee is made up of a variety of teachers, counsellors and administrators.  The best candidate for each award is chosen by the Committee, and I take our selections to the District Scholarship Meeting on April 16th. I DO NOT MAKE THE DECISIONS AS TO WHICH APPLICATIONS GO FORWARD TO THE DISTRICT LEVEL.  THE ALPHA SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE DECIDES. MY JOB IS FIGHT FOR YOU AT THE DISTRICT TABLE (BUT EVEN THEN, DECISIONS ARE MADE BY THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE, NOT BY ME). Remember, you are competing with students from the other 7 high schools in Burnaby.  If your application is not chosen to go forward to the District, or if you did not get chosen at the District level, you will be automatically put forward to be eligible for school based scholarships.  So it’s worth it to apply. Which Applications Go Forward to the District?

Final Notes Make sure you have handed in a Grad Profile to me (by February 23rd) and that it is updated. You will not know if you won anything until the night of the Leaving Ceremony. (But I will!) DEADLINE DATE IS:  APRIL 3rd.  NO LATE APPLICATIONS (NO MATTER WHAT) A copy of this presentation will be posted on the Alpha Scholarship Blog under “District Scholarships and Bursaries” for your reference. Now lets take a look at each available scholarship...