SIDNEY — Four 2020 Shelby County graduating seniors will have the opportunity to obtain a $1,000 scholarship from The Rotary Club of Sidney.

Up for grabs are three traditional path and one workforce development program scholarships. Awards will be made only to accredited programs. The deadline to submit an application is March 8, 2020.

“We are again offering scholarships to students entering college next year or a joint vocational school,” Will Balling, Rotary Scholarship chairman/Sidney Police chief said. “A few years ago we opened it up to also joint vocational (students). People entering the workplace, we saw not only have a path through college, but there is a need for, especially in Shelby County, a need for people who can wield, work in manufacturing — different types careers through trade schools — so we want to assist them.”

Sidney Rotary Scholarship opportunity is available to all Shelby County students with at least a 2.5 GPA. The scholarship committee will consider financial need, involvement in the community and at school, leadership, academics, and “service above self,” which Balling pointed out is a pillar of Rotary.

Applicants must submit the scholarship application, their transcript, a letter of recommendation from a teacher, and a one-page essay that gives examples of how the student’s life has demonstrated Rotary’s core pillar of “service above self.” The four winners will be selected from scholarship finalists after they are interviewed by a three-member-panel of the Rotary Scholarship Committee.

“We do look at their leadership ability, what they have done with their leadership, and what they have done in their community and at school. We look at financial need. We look at the understanding of what Rotary is and what Rotary does. And we also do look at grades, but grades are not the sole (factor),” Balling said. “We rate the grades, but we have found that grades and SAT doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing, so we try to look at a little bit of that, but we want to bring back these best and brightest kids, no matter what field they are, back to Shelby County. And we want to help them to succeed.”

“We will welcome any student (to apply) from the city Sidney or any school inside of Shelby County, or if a kid is going to Upper Valley Career Center from Shelby County. — Or, if they took the Edison post secondary route,” Balling said.

For more information and to obtain a scholarship application, go to http://www.sidneyrotaryclub.org/ or contact Balling at [email protected]