Scholarship Opportunities
Article in the Ukiah Daily Journal:
Dozens of seniors received nearly $300,000 in scholarships from local donors this month as they graduated from Anderson Valley High School, Superintendent Louise Simson reported.
“This level of generosity is truly unparalleled in the educational world,” Simson wrote. “When in your life do you see a crowd of people gathering together to pledge their time and treasure to make sure a group of graduates are launched into career and college?”
Simson explained that the 42 seniors applied for the scholarships “during their Senior Seminar courses, the organizations meticulously reviewed the applications, and awarded funds based on those applications.
“We had large awards by the amazingly generous Anderson-Miner Foundation and the AV Education Foundation, and then we had a plethora of hugely generous community organizations that stepped up and gave and gave and gave, (including) a group of members putting pledges of $20, $50, and $100 together to create a truly significant award combined,” Simson wrote, listing the donors as including:
- The Mendocino Community Foundation
- AV CSEA
- Anderson Valley Fire Department
- American Legion
- Unity Club
- Lions Club
- Anderson Valley Grange Dusenberry Memorial
- AV Teachers Association
- Michael L. Shapiro Memorial
- AV Arts
- Cheri Fish Memorial
- Independent Career Women
- AV Boosters
- William Sterling Memorial
- AV Education Foundation
- Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner Scholarships
Simson also recalled how important a scholarship was to her as she graduated high school: “When I was 18, I received a $5,000 scholarship (that was like a billion dollars in 1981) from a San Francisco carpenter named Peder P. Johnson. That $5,000 made the dream of college a possibility.”
She again thanked the donors for “making the dream of college a reality for kids like me. My hope is our students honor your gift by paying it forward for generations to come.”