Gulf County Scholarship Program

Overview

The Gulf County Scholarship Program provides incentives for students to take advantage of advanced educational endeavors. Thanks to the program, every student who graduates from a Gulf County public high school has an opportunity to pursue further education at a vocational/technical school, college, or university.

This program is available to all students in the Gulf County Public Schools. A student in seventh grade can begin earning points to be converted to scholarship dollars when he or she graduates. Points are earned for attendance, academic achievement, completing specified standardized tests and parent participation in approved workshops. Students need to obtain a Point Summary Sheet, have parents complete the form, and return it to their school guidance office by June 15th of each year.

Funds from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund were used to establish this program. It is endorsed by the Gulf County School Board and supported financially by the St. Joe Community Foundation, the Estate of Helen Hambrick, and area individuals and businesses. Since 1987, the Gulf County Scholarship Program has awarded more than $355,000 to over 900 Gulf County graduates attending post-secondary institutions. The program has been the subject of articles in USA Today, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, the Panama City News Herald, and The Star of Port St. Joe. As a result of the success of this program, Gulf County serves as a model for numerous communities throughout the nation. You are invited to join in supporting the youth of Gulf County. Your tax deductible contribution may be made to the Gulf County Scholarship Trust, P.O. Box 1094, Port St. Joe, Florida 32457.

Criteria

ATTENDANCE

Grades 7 -12 participate in this category.
Information is on the report card.

No absences5 points
1 or 2 absences4 points
3 or 4 absences3 points

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Grades 9 -12 participate in this category.

Grade “A”2 points/semester
Grade “B”1 point/semester

STANDARDIZED TESTS

Grades 10 -12 participate in this category.

PSAT (one time a year)Grade 10: 4 points Grade 11: 4 points
ACT (up to twice a year, Grades 11-12)Grade 11: 4 pointsGrade 12: 2 points
SAT (up to twice a year, Grades 11-12)Grade 11: 4 pointsGrade 12: 2 points

PARENTAL PARTICIPATION IN WORKSHOPS

Grades 7-12 participate in this category. A student may earn 5 points in grades 7 and 8 and 10 points in grades 9 -12. A student may earn a maximum of 50 points in this category.

Workshop on Preparing for College5 points
Workshop on College Selection5 points
Workshop on Financial Aid5 points
Other Workshops approved by Task Force5 points

CONVERTING POINTS TO SCHOLARSHIP DOLLARS

The value of total points earned is factored by the type and/or level of school or college to which the student matriculates. The deadline for consideration must be the school’s acceptance before May 1st of the graduation year.

To obtain further information, please call:
Micah Peak at PSJHS (850) 229-8813
Karen Turner at WHS (850) 639-2228

Testimonials

Six years ago I watched my brother walk across the stage, get his diploma, and say good-bye to the world of high school. Although he is a very talented and intelligent man, he could have earned so many more scholarships than he did, money from the Gulf County Scholarship Program being one of them. This inspired me to keep up with up my points early in high school. The system is so simple yet so rewarding! Five years later, when it was my turn to walk across the stage, I left with lots of scholarships to prepare me for the journey called college. One of the more significant scholarships I received came from the Gulf County Scholarship program.

Unlike most of the scholarships I received, the Gulf County Scholarship Program rewarded me with cash, instead of a check being sent directly to my university. This was a huge convenience when it came time to get ready to start school. There are so many incurred expenses the first few weeks of college that I was completely unaware of! It was such a blessing to have extra money to use during this time while the rest of my financial aid was being processed. The Gulf County Scholarship Program is a wonderful way to help college students get on their feet those first weeks of school. It was such a benefit to me when I came to college!

Freshman at University of Florida, Anna Salzer