1. Please Collect the Following Items:
1 District Scholarship Application Package (including Application/Activity form)
List of District Scholarships
Community Service/Volunteer Hours Request Letter
Letter of Reference Request Form
Sample Cover Letter
Paper and a pen/pencil to take notes

2. 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. 

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

4. School Based Awards
You should already have completed and handed in your Grad Profile to me. Only those students who have completed and handed in a Grad Profile will be eligible for school-based awards.
If you have not yet completed a Grad Profile, the absolute last chance you have to do that is Tuesday, March 1st.

5. School-based Awards Alpha Art Scholarship Alpha Grad Council Awards
Alpha PAC Scholarships
Alpha School Scholarships
Alpha Staff Scholarships
Language Schools: Kiu Do and Gilmore/Norburn Chinese School
Artona, Chevron and Fraser Valley Vending
Memorial Scholarships for past Alpha students and teachers: Brad Langas, Jeff Quelch, Klaus Lundin, and Gene Stanicky

6. 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. Santoso – 2 day wait time)
3 or more Reference Letters (1 from a teacher, and the other two should support your community and school service)

7. Application/Activity Form
The District Committee is looking at current information from grade (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 Community Service/Volunteer Hours request form to ask for documentation from your supervisors.
Must be Canadian Citizen or Landed Immigrant unless otherwise specified.

8. Letters of Reference
Most scholarships will ask for 3 or more reference letters.
Give your reference letter referees 2 weeks or more and remember to thank them with a card or small gift.
Give a completed “Letter of Reference Request Form” to each of your referees as it provides details that are helpful to him or her when writing your letter.
One letter should be a character reference and should come from a teacher
Other reference letters should be from your community, volunteerism, community service supervisors or sports coaches.

9. 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.

10. DUE DATE FOR APPLICATIONS
Due date for all District Scholarship applications is March 31 in room 325 (the Thursday after Spring Break).
NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE LOOKED AT AFTER MARCH 31!

11. 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 9th.
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.

12. Final Notes
Make sure you have handed in a Grad Profile to me (by March 1st) 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: MARCH 31. 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...