HEBRON – A budding teacher and writer each added $100 to their college funds Friday, courtesy of local merchants.
The 11-year-old girls, Heather Knights and Chelsea Gilbert, are in the sixth grade at the Hebron Station School.
Their names and up to 28 more were selected randomly for the $100 scholarships.
Maureen Howard, director of the Oxford Hills Community Education Exchange, said local merchants made donations to the Aspire Hire fund to encourage children to pursue secondary education.
Knights said she won a scholarship three years ago from her entry, “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up,” in a writing competition.
She knows what she wants to be – a science teacher.
“At first, I wanted to help the little ones in elementary school,” Knights said about teaching. “But now I want to help the older ones, high school kids.”
“I want to be an author. I enjoy writing,” Gilbert said. “I like to write realistic fiction. I write books at home. I have so many ideas in my head that I have to write them all down.
“I want to be a writer, not a journalist,” she said. “Remembering what somebody said gets too confusing.”
Howard said there were between 25 to 30 scholarships given out this year.
To be selected, students must march in the Aspire Hire parade held on the Saturday of the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Homecoming weekend. This past October the parade was rained out, so scholarship winners were chosen from those who signed up.
Howard said SAD 17 also opens the opportunity to march to home schooled children and children attending Christian schools.
Students do not receive cash, according to Howard. The $100 donated by a business is given to the Kiwanis Charitable Foundation, which holds it until a child is enrolled in a post secondary opportunity.
Howard said interest earned on the funds goes back into scholarships.
“It’s all about post secondary education and trying to make kids aware of it,” Howard said.
Both Hebron girls are aware.
“I have $500 or $600 saved up in my bank,” Knights said.
“I have $37.95,” Gilbert chipped in. “Just guessing! I haven’t looked in a while.”
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