The deadline for North Allegheny graduating seniors to apply for one of eight scholarships offered through the North Allegheny Foundation is April 3.
Students bound for post-secondary education — college, university or technical school — who are looking for extra financial support can pursue a scholarship of up to $2,000, according to the foundation’s website at northallegheny.org/our-district/na-foundation.
Scholarships are just one of the ways the North Allegheny Foundation supports students and staff.
“While scholarships are an important way to celebrate student achievement, they are really secondary to NAF’s core grant programs, which have distributed over $1 million since inception to fund innovative projects, STEAM initiatives and resources for teachers and classrooms across the district — totaling more than $175,000 in grants last school year alone. This broader focus on grants ensures a lasting impact on the entire educational community,” said Joe Beierle, chair of the North Allegheny Foundation.
North Allegheny offers several scholarships, including Excellence for Academics, Excellence for Arts, Excellence for Leadership and Excellence in Service. An Extra Effort scholarship is reserved for students who have experienced personal challenges but can demonstrate improved academic performance or show they have maintained an adequate level of achievement.
Applicants should closely follow the scholarship requirements and be true to themselves, said NA Foundation grants chair Tiffany Thirkell.
“The advice I would give students when applying is to have all the components completed, including transcripts and letters of recommendations if asked for in the application. When writing their essays, to really speak from their hearts and to be as authentic as possible,” she said.
Additionally, the foundation offers third-party scholarships.
The William Rothenback Scholarship of $1,000 will be awarded to a senior with a 3.5 GPA who is attending a university within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Special consideration will be given to a student with a declared major in psychology and/or who will be attending Edinboro University.
The David J. Givens Memorial for Excellence in Student Athletics for $2,000 is named for a physical science teacher who taught at North Allegheny from 1967 to 2002.
This recipient will embody the same “Tiger Spirit” of Givens and demonstrate excellence in their chosen sport and academics.
For more than 50 years, Givens volunteered for North Allegheny athletics. He also served as an athletic faculty manager at the intermediate high school. He co-founded and coached NA hockey teams.
Givens was frequently a public address announcer at the school and at sporting events, among other things, according to the foundation’s scholarship information webpage.
The Nathan B. Trapuzzano Scholarship is geared toward students studying Latin, math or orchestra. The scholarship is in memory of Nathan Trapuzzano, who graduated from North Allegheny in 2007, with highest honors.
Growing up in Marshall, Trapuzzano participated in wrestling, football, baseball, ice and street hockey and held a black belt in tae kwon do. He played the piano, was a violinist in the school orchestra and was a member of the Latin Club, according to the foundation.
Trapuzzano attended Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., and studied actuarial science, graduating summa cum laude in 2011, with majors in Latin and Greek, minors in classical studies and mathematics.
He also was passionate about his Catholic religion, according to the application description.
Although he had no formal education in computer programming, he relinquished a fellowship in computer programming at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and took a job as a self-taught computer programmer with Ivy Technical College.
While living in Indianapolis with his wife, whom he married in 2013, Trapuzzano was shot during a mugging on April 1, 2014, according to thenathanfoundation.org. He and his wife were expecting their first child.
For the scholarship, one of the provisions includes detailing which string instrument a student plays and whether they are in the North Allegheny Strolling Strings student group. Also, they should include any Latin courses and the respective level completed. Math levels, community service and church activities also are requested.
The majority of scholarship funding for the North Allegheny Foundation comes directly from the foundation’s fundraising events, such as the annual NA Foundation Golf Classic in August and the Trick or Trot in October.
The money raised by the fundraisers showcases how community participation translates into real opportunities for North Allegheny students, Thirkell said.
Donations to help the mission of the foundation can be made at northallegheny.org/nafoundation.
Students with questions can email nafscholarships@gmail.com.
