History
The Blytheville High School Scholarship Foundation was established August 6, 1991, by a group of school administrators, teachers, interested parents, and friends of area youth.
Purpose
The purpose is to provide post-seconday educational opportunities for Blytheville High School graduates. Educational institutions included are two-year and four-year colleges, universities, and vocational institutions.
Services Provided
The goal of the organization is to provide academic scholarships for graduates of Blytheville High School. Scholarships are in varying amounts as determined by the BHS Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors.
Program Administration
The funds of the BHS Scholarship Foundation are administered through a local financial institution at the direction of the elected foundation board members. The financial goal of the BHS Scholarship Foundation is a minimum $1,000,000 endowment fund. Interest from the endowment fund is to be used to provide scholarships for BHS graduates. Scholarships may be renewable for a period of four (4) years. This is at the discretion of the Scholarship Board.
Structure
The BHS Scholarship Foundation is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt, 501 3(C) organization comprised of volunteers who represent a cross-section of the patrons of the Blytheville School District. Members are interested in furthering educational opportunities for area youth and are committed to community improvement through education.
Board of Directors
The BHS Scholarship Foundation is governed by a board of ten members elected from the scholarship foundation's general membership. Current members are listed below:
| Tommy Colemen - Director |
| Dr. Mike Williams - President |
| Bill Nelson - Vice President |
| Gwen Hooks - Secretary |
| Richard Atwill - Superintendent |
| Rick Ellis |
| Billy Fair |
| Lucretia McDonald |
| Jim McMahan |
| Dr. Van Parker |
Funding
The BHS Scholarship Foundation is financed through private, tax-exempt donations and fund-raising projects. Currently, the BHS Scholarship Foundation has awarded approximately $500,000 is scholarships since 1997.
How You Can Help
- Be a partner by volunteering to help with fund-raising projects
- Make a personal annual, tax-deductible contribution
- Honor or memorialize someone with a donation
- Encourage friends and relatives to make donations
- Encourage former classmates to make contributions
- Ask your club to make a contribution
- Establish a named scholarship by making a $2,000 or greater contribution annually for a period of five (5) years, or a one-time donation of $10,000
Your tax-deductible contribution helps insure continued educational opportunities for Blytheville youth.
Selection Criteria
For All Applicants:
- Must be a graduate of Blytheville High School
- Must have attended BHS since the beginning of the junior year
- Must have attended high school on a regular basis
- Must submit a statement of goals, i.e. career plans, courses of study, and college choice
Other important considerations: citzenship, participation in school, community, and church activities; difficulty of courses taken; and financial need.
FOR APPLICANTS ATTENDING TWO OR FOUR-YEAR COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES:
- Must have a minimum score of 19 on the ACT or 900 on the SAT by Jan. 1 of the senior year.
- Must have a minimum 3.0 GPA in the Comprehensive Academic Program.
- Must have a minimum 3.25 GPA in the Regular Academic Program.
FOR APPLICANTS ATTENDING STATE-FUNDED TECHNICAL INSTITUTES:
- Must have demonstrated outstanding ability or the potential for outstanding ability in a specific trade.
FOR RENEWAL OF SCHOLARSHIP:
- Must maintain a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale during the freshman year.
- Must maintain a 3.0 GPA for each consecutive year.
- Must maintain a course load of 12 hours per semester (remedial course not counted)
- Must provide current transcript before July 1.
- Must show progress toward earning a degree.
- Renewals are based on available funds.
Scholarship Amounts
The monetary value of each scholarship is determined by the BHS Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors based upon the annual earnings of investments and financial need of the applicant.
Approved Use of Funds
Scholarship funds may be used for tuition, books, room and board (campus housing), and/or lab fees.
