Chief Points Special Edition

Scholarship Highlights!

Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarship Program

DEADLINE: June 5, 2026

Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarship Program - This scholarship is designed for individuals who have faced and overcome significant adversity and are working toward a career or technical education certificate or degree. This need-based award recognizes those who demonstrate integrity, perseverance, and a strong commitment to building a successful future through career-focused training.

To apply for a scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Have completed high school (or equivalency) by July 1
Plan to attend a not-for-profit community college or trade/vocational school
Enroll in an associate’s degree, certificate, or diploma program by September that will lead to employment
May not be enrolled in pre-requisite courses
Demonstrate financial need (applicants must show household income of $100,000 or less)
Be under the age of 35
Be a United States citizen

Kirtland Foundation Scholarship

DEADLINE: May 15, 2026

Kirtland Foundation Scholarship - This scholarship is for students within Lackawanna County.

The David L. Kirtland and MariJo M. Kirtland Foundation was founded in 1991 exclusively for projects in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The foundation now works tirelessly to provide scholarship grants to students, and also grants for cultural organizations and other charitable organizations.

Applicants must be high school seniors, current college students, graduate students, or professional students. Applicants may attend any accredited, public or private, two-year or four year college, university, technical college, graduate school, or trade school (trade school example: automotive, beauty, carpentry, culinary, electrical, plumbing, etc.).
Applicants must have resided within the boundary limits of Lackawanna County for at least one year prior to graduating high school and/or completing an application for the Kirtland Foundation Scholarship.
High school senior applicants must maintain grades that fall within the top 20% of their class.
College applicants must maintain grades that qualify them for the Dean's List at their college.
Family income for qualifying students cannot exceed amounts set forth as follows: Current adjusted gross income limitations are $77,535 for one dependent, $82,183 for two dependents, and $86,750 for three or more dependents.

Harford Agricultural Society Scholarship

DEADLINE: August 31, 2026

Harford Agricultural Society Scholarship - This scholarship is offered by The Harford Fair for students who are admitted to college and show involvement in the Harford Fair for the past two years. Deadline: August 31, 2026

Century Club Scholarship

DEADLINE: June 1, 2026

Century Club Scholarship - Students must be accepted to a Nursing program in a Pennsylvania College or University. $1000.00 Deadline: June 1, 2026

Parent Pathways Initiative Grant

Parent Pathways Initiative Grant The Pennsylvania Department of Education Office of Postsecondary and Higher Education launched the 2026-2027 Parent Pathways grant opportunity. The grant, earmarked to support parenting students through scholarships and programming for eligible postsecondary institutions, is made possible by Governor Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Legislature $1.61 million in the 2025-2026 budget. The grant period for this grant is June 1, 2026-June 30, 2027.

The Grow PA Scholarship Grant Application

The Grow PA Scholarship Grant Application - Grow PA Scholarship Grants are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, determined by the date a complete application is received.

To qualify, students must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and are encouraged to complete the FAFSA before applying for a Grow PA Grant. The Grow PA Scholarship Grant provides up to $5,000 per year for students enrolled in eligible programs of study for a maximum of four academic years. Recipients must complete their program requirements and live and work in Pennsylvania for 12 months for each year they receive funding. Failure to meet these obligations will convert the scholarship grant to a loan that must be repaid.

Borrowing and Filling the Gap

PHEAA Sessions

PHEAA is offering virtual sessions on the topics of borrowing for college and filling the gap between aid and final price of college. These sessions are highly recommended as you start to explore your financial future! Parents are recommended to attend with their student.

Borrowing for Higher Education

You’ve identified the schools you want to attend, filed your FAFSA and State Grant Form, searched for scholarships, and reviewed your college costs. Now that you’ve calculated your funding gap, you may be realizing that education loans are a necessary part of the process. But what should you do next?

Join PHEAA’s team of Account Executives for a webinar exploring the loan options available to students and families. They will break down the various federal and private loan programs, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each type, and help you understand how to make informed borrowing decisions. The PHEAA loan team will also be available to answer your questions as you decide which options are right for you and your family.

When: June 23, 2026 6:30-7:15 pm

Register today at pheaa.org/virtual

Deep Dive into Covering the Gap

It’s crunch time. The semester bill has arrived—and the deadline to pay is approaching quickly. The bill’s format may look different from the financial aid offer you received earlier, and you may be wondering what costs aren’t included on that bill. What happened to your Federal Work Study award? Are there additional expenses you should be planning for? Will you need to borrow—and if so, how much and through which loan programs?

Join members from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) for a webinar that will walk you through these questions and more. Together, we’ll take a deep dive into Covering the Gap helping you understand remaining costs, explore available loan options, and make informed decisions about how to finance your semester.

When: May 19, 2026 6-7:15 pm or June 11, 2026 noon-12:45pm

Register today at pheaa.org/virtual

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Lambda Eta Sigma

**LAST CALL** This form will close by Friday, May 15th at 3pm.

Please review this information on the Lambda Eta Sigma Award. If you feel that you should be considered for this honor, please answer the questions in the form below. The counseling department and administration will review all material, and determine who qualifies.

Students can aspire to become a Lakeland Lambda Eta Sigma graduate. To become a Lambda Eta Sigma graduate, students must meet/exceed the following criteria:

SCHOLARSHIP: Earn 28 credits from grades 9-12
TRUSTWORTHY: Maintain a 95% attendance rate from grades 9-12
RESPECTFUL: Receive zero (0) office discipline referrals from grades 9-12
INVOLVED: Complete 60 hours of community service from grades 9-12 (20 of the hours must not be associated with student club activities); Participate in 6 extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, organizations, etc.) for at least 2 years each
BRAVE: Complete 3 capstone courses (listed below)
EXCELLENT: Maintain at least one leadership position on an extracurricular activity, for one year.

Requirements for Transfer Students
Transfer students will be responsible to present evidence of meeting the above criteria, certified from their previous school(s), to be eligible for the award. A district form is available, allowing a transfer student to be potentially eligible for the award.

Current Lakeland High School Capstone Courses
MATH: AP Calculus, AP Stats, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Comp Sci A
SCIENCE: AP Chemistry, AP Bio, Honors Physics, Biomedical Innovations (PLTW)
ENGLISH: AP Language and Composition, AP Literature and Composition
SOCIAL STUDIES: AP Government and Politics
FINE ARTS: Music Theory II, Honors French IV, Honors Spanish IV, Honors Art Studio
PRACTICAL ARTS: Engineering Design & Development (PLTW), Advanced Woodworking

CAREER TECHNOLOGY CENTER - Due to the nature of the schedule for students who attend the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County (CTC), CTC students will have met the “capstone course” requirement by meeting/exceeding the following:

Completers of their 3 year programming

Any two (2) of the following criteria:

Member of the National Technical Honor Society
Earned an industry certification
Medalist at SkillsUSA competition

Lambda Eta Sigma

click here to apply

Senior Class Night Survey

**LAST CALL** This was also emailed to you on May 5th. In order to prepare for class night, this needs to be completed by May 22, 2026. The form will close at 3pm on 5/22/26.

In the event that you do not complete this required form, your class night slide will only feature your name as a graduate.

To the Class of 2026,

As we approach graduation you have started to receive communications about end of the year activities and one of those activities is Class Night.

In order to plan for class night I need some information from all of you!

This survey is vital to the success of class night and most importantly in our celebration of you!!!

Please take 10-15 minutes to complete this survey so that we have the most up to date information about your post graduation plans!!!

Survey link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelyV_NBppiBuYZKpL5VEs5-jbHjhKbhFtXM6Vh6f-tn2cqIw/viewform?usp=header

College Bound Students: Please note that we require proof of acceptance in order to indicate this in Infinite Campus. If you have not already submitted these letters to the counseling office, please do so as soon as possible.

Also note that in order to send your final transcripts to this institution, you will need to make a final transcript request on SCOIR. Here is a link to learn how to do that! https://scoir.helpdocs.io/article/0m91nps3qb-updating-outcomes

Military Bound students: Please make sure that your recruiter sends us evidence of your enlistment or intent to enlist. They can send that right to my email at ddequevedo@lakelandsd.org

I'm looking forward to your celebration next month!!!

Senior Class Night Survey

Click here to complete the survey!