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Students get lowdown on help with college

By CHRIS ROBINETTE
Traveler Correspondent

Students and parents at Arkansas City High School got a free education on financial aid Tuesday night at the high school. The event was organized by Dean of Student Services Angela Harding and was sponsored by Bank of America. There were over 100 parents and students who attended the event.

Information on scholarship ranging from $500-$20,000 were available from the following Ark City clubs and businesses: ACE Fund offering five scholarships, Kansas Association of Retired Personnel, Kiwanis Club, The Coy H. Squyres Scholarship Foundation, Legacy Foundation, Rotary Club, Union State Bank, McDonald's Computer Service, Cowley College and various individuals.

The evening began with a financial aid presentation, Making It Count by Scott Cooksey of Monster.com, geared toward high school and college students.

Cooksey presented the audience with information on loans, scholarships and other strategies for saving money. He noted that it was one of the best events he's seen since giving presentations for Monster.

ACHS Principal Marci Shearon is proud of the event.

"We always try to find creative ways to get information out to parents," Shearon said. "Angela Harding did much of the work to contact the local groups and organizations to pull the event together."

"She (Harding) worked very hard," said Shearon.

Much of the credit also goes to the businesses and groups that showed up to support the event and talk to parents about their scholarships. Groups like the Kiwanis, Rotary and McDonald's Computer Service all offered scholarships of some type.

Some of the scholarships have quite a history.

The Estelle Hamilton Gottlob scholarship is in its sixth year. Named after an English teacher who taught for over 30 years at ACHS, the scholarship lives on in her children. Janet Gottlob, who was representing the scholarship, said the Gottlob scholarship along with others "provide a service," referring to the students.

According to Gottlob, the $2,500 scholarship is continued in the spirit of caring for students; something that Estelle Gottlob is remembered for.

"Scholarships are about people who care," said Gottlob.

Both Shearon and Cooksey were impressed with the amount of community involvement in the event.

"We have a very giving community, said Shearon, "The fact that our community gives so much is a true testament to what we think of our kids."

The event was well received by parents and students alike, who listened intently throughout the presentation. No scholarship table was left unvisited.

"Having all of these scholarship sources in one spot is helpful," said parent Craig Sutton, who's son, Ian, is a senior at ACHS.

Above: Chelsea Befort along with Judith Shimanek and her daughter, Karissa Shimanek, gather information from one of several booths at the Scholarship Expo held at the Arkansas City High School Tuesday.