Episcopal Day School is relaunching its Future Leaders Scholarship Program, a merit-based competition for rising sixth graders.
Participating students undergo a series of academic challenges to win awards that include scholarships for a percentage of their tuition throughout their time at EDS.
“As an Episcopal school, we believe in working towards equity and justice,” said school headmaster David Perkinson. “So having scholarships, having financial aid, using the Georgia GOAL program, are all about making sure that finances are not a reason that someone doesn’t come to the school.”
The GOAL Program is a Georgia scholarship program, funded by the Qualified Education Expense law, passed by the General Assembly in 2008, which offers tax credits to corporate and individual donors supporting student scholarship organizations.
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The extensive selection process—which is independent of financial need—begins with application procedures. The school requires transcripts, disciplinary records, and teacher recommendations, along with math, reading and writing assessments; a process required of every prospective EDS student. Then the school will select and interview semifinalists.
The actual competition day will be April 15 when finalists will come to campus to participate in activities, reviewed by judges outside of the school, testing skills in leadership and cooperative problem solving.
There will even be opportunities for artistically inclined students to show their creativity.
“If somebody’s very interested in the arts and can sing, then they’ll have a chance to sing for us,” Perkinson said, emphasizing enthusiasm in learning. “If they do drone flying, they’ll have a chance to do a drone demonstration for us. So, we want kids to demonstrate their interests, their hobbies and their passions.”
There are three scholarship tiers the young competitors can earn. Up to two students will be Lead Scholars, receiving 75% of their tuition. Up to four students will become Trustee Scholars, for a 50% tuition scholarship; and up to six students will be Head School Scholars, for 25%.
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Award winners will be able to maintain their scholarship through their graduation from EDS by remaining in good standing academically and behaviorally.
“We want to attract future leaders,” Perkinson said, stressing the school’s emphasis on building community by developing leadership in middle school students via its variety of learning programs. “We’re trying to draw in students that have the potential to be great leaders, and then work on strengthening those skills and further preparing for those leadership roles.”
The deadline to apply for the Future Leadership Scholarship Competition is March 15 (changed from the previous deadline of March 8; as the competition day was changed from March 18).
For more information, visit https://www.edsaugusta.com/admissions/futureleaders/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
