Friends and family will gather to watch students in the Seaside High School Class of 2017 receive scholarship awards in the tens of thousands of dollars at the Seaside High School Awards Night on Tuesday, June 6 at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria. Scholarships from community organizations, colleges, universities, private individuals, and Seaside Scholarships will be presented.

The non-profit Seaside Scholarships, organized six years ago, is responsible for managing and awarding numerous memorial scholarships, Achievement Awards, and Investment Grants in varying amounts to worthy seniors.

A common application, developed by Seaside Scholarships to make applying for scholarships more efficient, is accessed on-line in the winter through the Seaside HS counseling office. Interviews by Seaside Scholarships Board members are conducted with each applicant who meets the spring deadline.

Each of the managed monetary awards has criteria determined by the donor or donor’s loved ones and used to match recipients with scholarships. The newest of the scholarships awarded by Seaside Scholarships include Coastal Family Health, Sou’wester Garden Club, the Jason Gooding Memorial Scholarship, and the Wendy Richardson Memorial Scholarship.

In addition to the memorials, general scholarship funds raised specifically by Seaside Scholarships are distributed to seniors including the valedictorians, salutatorian, and students worthy of recognition. Last year these included the Centennial Scholarships.

With the mission, “Opening doors for education,” Seaside Scholarships continues its on-going effort to raise funds in order to award scholarships to Seaside School District students with financial need, as well as academic excellence.

Hoping to continue to grow a substantial endowment to provide funds for future graduating seniors, the organization gladly accepts contributions year round. All tax deductible donations or bequests may be sent in care of Seaside Scholarships, P.O. Box 332, Seaside, OR 97138. Visit the website at www.seasidescholarships.com for further information or contact Board President, Celine McEwan, at info@seasidescholarships.com.