Rotary to Award Secondary and Tertiary Level Scholarships

By JENNIFER DALY Rotary Club of Placencia Press Volunteer dalyjennifer709@gmail.com

The members of the Rotary Club of Placencia have been preparing for back to school time! One of the club’s most important undertaking is the Rotary Scholarship Program that assists students with a high school education.

In Belize, primary school ends at Standard 6 (the eighth grade equivalent of elementary school, for our U.S. readers), with most students finishing at about 13 years old. Unlike most government and church-run primary schools in Belize that are either fully covered or mostly subsidized by the government, secondary education in Belize comes with a relatively great financial cost. This can discourage many students, especially those living in rural Belize -- and many whose parents have survived without a high school education working manual labor in the agricultural, fishing and tourism industries -- from attending.

The Rotary Club steps in with funding qualified students from the Peninsula with the complete four years of high school. This translates to approximately BZ$750 (US$375) per student per year. The amount varies year to year, child to child, and the government also contributes a portion towards the freshman and sophomore years.

In order to maintain a Rotary Club Scholarship, the student must maintain a 75% grade point average, demonstrate a continued financial need and have good standing in their school and community. The Club finances whatever portion remains unpaid along with registration fees, orientation fees, social fees, textbooks and even the requisite physical education class uniform.

The Rotary scholar can choose from enrolling in two secondary education institutions in our area -- Independence High School or Georgetown Technical High School. Both of these schools are located off the Peninsula as there is none here. Students are bussed back and forth by the government, which means long days for the children, as this bus ride alone can be upwards of 90 minutes. [Editor's Note: Private pre-K to eighth-grade primary school, Peninsula International Academy, is currently seeking grants to establish a private high school in Placencia Village. See our May issue article by Aaron Krohn for more information.]

The Rotary Scholarship Program began in 2010 and this school year, we assisted 30 scholars ranging from ages 14 to 16, representing both Seine Bight and Placencia Villages. This year we are inducting eight new students into the program as some of our scholars graduate from high school and move on to the tertiary level. We received 25 excellent applications, and our Scholarship Committee will review each application and make their decisions soon.

The Rotary Scholarship committee is comprised of Diana Fell, Linda Cazin, both of whom are co-chairs, David Payne and Margaret Smyth. These fine folks monitor everything the student may need such as tutoring, helping to source books, collecting report cards, and offer any advice that may be needed. Sandi Johnson, Gail Smith and Judy Lutz also helped to mentor students this year. Twice a year the committee meets with all the participants, and this is a mandatory part of their commitment to the program. At these gatherings, an invitation is also extended to the parents, so everyone can help to build camaraderie and have fun!

In addition to maintaining excellent grades and good behaviour, the pupils must complete 20 hours of community service. This can be accumulated in many ways. This past year, the kids volunteered for The End of the World Marathon, the Seniors Christmas Food Baskets Program and our Beach Olympics. They can also help in other ways such as helping an elderly neighbour or participate in beach and community clean ups.

After our students complete Fourth Form (senior year of high school), they can apply for a Higher Education Scholarship from the Placencia Rotary Club. Higher education includes junior college, (Sixth Form) and university, offering majors such as business, liberal arts, vocational, tourism or science. Any student from the Peninsula or within the vicinity that has completed high school can apply for a Higher Education Scholarship, and they do not have to be a previously funded Rotary scholar. This past school year we sent scholars to Independence Junior College, Ecumenical Junior College, St. John’s Junior College and the University of Belize.

Our tertiary level scholarship is funded differently than our high school program. The government funds a portion, as long as the student has passed their Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams, including math and English while maintaining a 75% grade point average in

school. CXC exams are the equivalent of SAT exams in the United States and Canada. The tuition for higher education can be upwards to a couple thousand Belize dollars per year depending upon the school. In addition to the tuition, there are other fees such as registration and book fees. Unlike the High School Scholarship Program, students applying for a Higher Education Scholarship must do so each year; whereas, only one application is needed to secure the four years of the high school scholarship while meeting maintenance requirements. The higher education scholars also manage their courses independently.

If you would like to sponsor a child through our scholarship program, please contact Diana Fell or Linda Cazin. You can find them on Facebook or through our Facebook page, Placencia Rotary. Please ask to join our page so you can follow along with all of our activities. ▪

Rotary Club of Placencia High School Scholarship students accompany longtime Rotarian Harold Wallen during a delivery of Christmas baskets to Peninsula seniors