Rethinking scholarship schedule
Area high school students were awarded literally millions of dollars in scholarship funds in the past month by local philanthropists, civic groups and trust funds.
That is a testament to both the generosity of the local community and the hard work and determination of our young scholars.
But allow us to remark upon a peculiar kink in the process that makes these scholarships sometimes less valuable than they would otherwise be.
Most schools award scholarships to their graduating seniors sometime late in the spring semester, typically near the end of May. Being honored, especially with cash awards, is a thrill at any time of the year, but for many students hearing the good news in May is tempered by the knowledge that the scholarship thus earned may be wasted.
That’s because National Decision Day for the vast majority of colleges is May 1. By agreement, students have to send their commitment to attend, usually including a non-refundable deposit, to the college where they will enroll in the fall.
Because of the immense cost of attending college, especially private universities, hopeful students are counting every penny as they determine whether they can attend their dream school or not.
Scholarships are a huge part of that equation, so putting off telling a student that he or she has earned thousands of dollars in scholarships until late May could force the student unnecessarily to enroll in a second-choice college that is more affordable.
Probably, the timing of these scholarship announcements is based on a tradition that made sense in its day, but with the highly competitive nature of higher education today — and the soaring cost — it behooves high schools to consider changing the system so that students will get the big news BEFORE they need to make their big decision.
Lodge marks milestone
Saturday marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of Glacier National Park’s Lake McDonald Lodge, a milestone to recognize one of our region’s most iconic structures.
Starting with construction of the lodge’s precursor, the Snyder Hotel, development at the head of Lake McDonald stretches back to the region’s earliest settlement history, even before the Great Northern Railway got underway with construction of its grand lodges and before the park itself was established in 1910. And for 16 years after 1914, the Lake McDonald Lodge complex was very much a private operation on private land, giving it a flavor that carries to the present.
Hats off to park staff, the Glacier National Park Conservancy and Xanterra Parks and Resorts for pulling together a celebration packed with attractions this Saturday to bring attention to the lodge, which is now a historic government property that will require care and upkeep well into the future.
Full program details for the Lake McDonald Lodge centennial can be found at http://glacierconservancy.org/newsblog/lakemcdonaldcentennial.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.