RUMFORD – Apply to college. Write admission essays. Submit scholarship applications. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. All are tasks on “to do” lists for graduating seniors. Seniors at Mountain Valley High are no different but they have an edge.

To encourage seniors to file their FAFSA, two incentives were offered by UMF Partnerships for Success with their grants from Finance Authority of Maine and MELMAC Education Foundation. First, students who applied for their personal identification number were entered to win a $50 gas card. Second, the homeroom with the highest percentage of completed FAFSAs would receive a free breakfast.

At a school-wide assembly, vice principal Chris Decker announced, “For the homeroom award, there was a tie. Seniors in Mrs. Russell’s homeroom and in Mrs. Rousseau’s homeroom will have breakfast at Dick’s.”

Then Decker pulled out an envelope filled with names. He drew one name from the envelope. “The $50 gas card goes to … Mercedes Gurney.”

It is not too late to file the FAFSA. Students and their parents can log onto FAFSA.edu.gov to complete the application free of charge.

Jennifer Hutchinson, senior associate director of UMF Financial Aid, and Dori Fellman, director of Partnerships for Success, are available to help students and parents fill out the FAFSA. Email [email protected] to set up an appointment. FAFSA assistance is free regardless the school the student plans to attend. Students can meet with Fellman or Noelle James at MVHS on most Tuesdays.