GREENVILLE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
ACADEMY OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
SENIOR NEWSLETTER
Reminder #1: Keep your grades up! Your college will receive a final transcript after you
graduate and your LIFE Scholarship will depend (in part) on that minimum 3.0 final cum GPA!
Reminder #2: If your college applications require mid-year reports be sure to get the forms to
me as soon as possible! If you think you have already given them to me, come by and be sure I
have them and that I know where to send them! They will be sent out as soon as possible after
the semester ends.
The Greenville County School District will sponsor four financial aid
workshops during the month of January. See the “Dates to Know” section of
this newsletter for information about when and where these workshops will
be held.
SC ETV will host a program entitled Finding Money for College on Sunday,
01/27, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. See “Dates to Know” for details.
Important News
Sirrine Scholarship applications are available in Dr. Algary’s office. This is a scholarship
opportunity offered only to the students of Greenville County high schools. The Sirrine
Scholarship can be used at any accredited post-secondary institution in the United States.
You may apply for this scholarship if you will attend a four-year college, a two-year
college, or a technical or vocational school. If you will attend a four-year or two-year
college (including Greenville Tech’s University Transfer), you must submit SAT or ACT
scores as part of your application. You must have taken or arrange to take one of these
tests in time to be able to submit your results before the application deadline of April 15.
SAT or ACT scores are not required for technical or vocational programs. You must also
complete the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) and submit a copy of
your Student Aid Report (SAR). All of this, including the application itself, must be
postmarked by April 15.
Dates to Know
Friday, January 4 – Registration deadline for the February 9 ACT
Tuesday, January 8 – The first of four Greenville County Schools Financial Aid Workshops
will be held at Berea High School beginning at 7:00 pm. You do not have to attend Berea in
order to attend this workshop. College financial aid experts will be there to work with parents
and students. Students and parents from any school may attend any of the workshops. The
same material will be presented at all workshops (other dates & locations are listed below).
Thursday, January 17 – The second of Greenville County Schools Financial Aid Workshops
will be held at Hillcrest High School beginning at 7:00 pm. (See January 8 for details)
Thursday, January 24 – The third of Greenville County Schools Financial Aid Workshop will
be held here at Greenville High School beginning at 7:00 pm. (See January 8 for details)
Saturday, January 26 - SAT test date
Sunday, January 27 – SCETV will present a special two-hour program beginning at 6:00 pm
entitled Finding Money for College. This program will feature financial aid professionals from
public and private colleges and universities in South Carolina. Representatives from the SC
Higher Education Tuition Grants, SC Student Loan Corporation and SC Commission on Higher
Education will give information on accessing scholarships, grants and loans.
Thursday, January 31 – The final Greenville County Schools Financial Aid Workshop will be
held at Southside High School at 7:00 pm. (See January 8 for details)
Tuesday, January 29 – Registration deadline for the March 1 SAT.
$Scholarship Information$
AES Engineers offers a scholarship award of $500. You are not required to be taking
Engineering courses in order to be eligible. You must submit an essay of no more than 1000
words in answer to one of the two questions that are posted on the website:
www.aesengineers.com/scholarships.php. Deadline for entry is September 15, 2008.
American Leprosy Missions announces that it will award Dorothy Marron Memorial
Scholarships of $2000 per year for four years to two students in Greenville County who intend to
pursue degrees that will lead to a vocation involving international service to the poor,
disenfranchised and afflicted peoples in the developing countries of the world. Three letters of
endorsement, an essay, and the application must be submitted by February 15. Information
and applications are available from Dr. Algary.
Archibald Rutledge Scholarship Program offers students the opportunity to compete for a
scholarship worth approximately $4000 in drama, creative writing, music, and visual arts. To
compete, students should submit one original composition and a process folio by February 1 at
5:00 pm. Additional information and applications are available from Dr. Algary or on the SC
State Department of Education website, http://ed.sc.gov/.
Greenville Technical College Scholarships:
Business Education Department Scholarship – Award amount of $1500 for an
academic year (three consecutive semesters). One senior from GHS can be
recommended. You do not have to major in business in order to apply for this
scholarship.
Lillian Simpson Scholarship – Award amount is $1500 for an academic year (three
consecutive semesters). To apply you must meet the SAT/ACT requirement and be in
the top 50% of the class. All students who are interested and eligible may apply.
Recipient will be selected by Greenville Tech.
Both of these scholarships require that you have minimum SAT Critical Reading and Math
scores of 480 or ACT Math and English scores of 19 or higher. See Dr. Algary if you are
interested in applying for either one of these scholarships. Application deadline for both is
March 31.
MLK Dream Weekend includes awarding a $2000 MLK Young Dreamer Scholarship, a $2000
Coretta Scott King Dream Keeper Scholarship, and a $1000 Greenville Technical College
Dreamer Scholarship. To apply you must submit a 250 word autobiography, three letters of
recommendation, an official transcript, and an application. Information and the scholarship
application are available from Dr. Algary. Materials must be submitted by January 11.
Ronald McDonald House Charities National Scholarship Program sponsors the following
scholarships: RMHC/ASIA for students with one parent of Asian-Pacific heritage;
RMHC/HACER for students with one parent of Hispanic heritage; RMHC/Future Achievers for
students with one parent of African American or Black Caribbean heritage; and RMHC/Scholars
for all students regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability or
national origin. See Dr. Algary for applications. Completed applications and supporting
documents must be postmarked by February 15.
South Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals announces their annual
scholarship of $1000 to a senior planning to pursue a degree in the business field. Applications
are available in Dr. Algary’s office. Application materials must be postmarked by February 1.
South Carolina Department of Transportation is sponsoring two scholarships in the amount
or $1000 and $500. Applicants must be the child, ward, or grandchild of a current Adopt-AHighway volunteer. Dr. Algary has more information and applications. Deadline is March 1.
Important Information about Financial Aid
It’s time to think about completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
The FAFSA is completed electronically (if you need to submit a paper FAFSA, you will need to
download the form) by going to www.fafsa.ed.gov. You should file as soon after January 1 as
possible. You and your parents complete the FAFSA by using information from your 2007 income
tax return, so be sure to tell your parents to plan to complete their federal income tax return as soon
as possible (you too, if you file a tax return). Please note this word of caution – there are web sites
beginning with the FAFSA letters that are not the government web site. These unofficial websites charge money to
file your FAFSA form. Filing the FAFSA form is free using the fafsa.ed.gov address.
After you submit your FAFSA, you will receive a SAR (Student Aid Report). If you file
electronically, you will receive your SAR within a few days. If you file using the paper application, it
could be several weeks. Check your SAR for accuracy, making any necessary corrections.
Colleges use the information from the FAFSA to determine the EFC (Expected Family
Contribution) which, in turn, determines the amount of student financial aid that you should need
to attend a particular school (cost of the college minus EFC). Colleges begin awarding available
money to students as soon as they get this information and so, if you are very late with filing your
FAFSA, much of the available money may have already been awarded. Schools also have financial
aid deadlines and some of them require their own institutional form to be completed, so it’s best to
check with the financial aid office at your college about all these things.
Colleges will receive the information from the FAFSA (you will code to what colleges the
information is to be sent - like you coded to have your SAT or ACT scores sent to colleges). Once
the college receives this information they will send you a letter regarding the financial aid for which
you qualify and are offered. This is usually referred to as a "financial aid package" because it can
be a combination of scholarships, grants, work-study and student loans. It will also tell you what
your family will be expected to contribute…all of which will add up to the total expense of attending
that particular college.
The "rule-of-thumb" for financial aid is that everyone should apply for it whether you think you will
qualify or not. Many factors go into determining eligibility for financial aid and you just never know
until you apply. Things like the expense of the college, the number of people in the family, other
financial obligations, and so forth are considered so there is no one formula that fits everyone.
There are basically three types of financial aid:
 Scholarships and grants - Does not have to be paid back
 Loans - Do have to be paid back.*
 Work-study - An on-campus job that the college assigns to the student to offset the
cost of attending
Sources of financial aid include:
 Federal Programs - Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Perkins
Loan Program, Work Study Program (FWSP), Pell Grants, Stafford Loans (subsidized
and unsubsidized), Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). For more
information see www.studentaid.ed.gov
 State Funds - SC Tuition Grants (for attendance at SC private colleges - see
www.sctuitiongrants.com), Palmetto Fellows, LIFE Scholarship, HOPE Scholarship,
Lottery Tuition Assistance (for two-year institutions), and Need-Based Grants. For
more information see www.che400.state.sc.us (click on “Students & Parents”)
 Institutional Funds - The money that a college or university has available through its
own endowments/funds to award scholarships, grants or work-study.
 Other sources - Such as military, corporations, foundations, religious organizations
clubs and so forth, as well as those published in our Senior Newsletter and found such
places as www.fastweb.com
*Something like 80% of all students are said to have student loans to repay at the end of college.
Although these loans are typically at a reasonable interest rate and are repaid over as many as 10
years, students are cautioned against borrowing money unless it is absolutely necessary. Carefully
consider borrowing what seems like "easy money" as it can be financially painful to pay back!