The Virtual High School Announces 2016 College Scholarship Winners

8/11/2016 10:39:00 AM

Boston — Aug. 11, 2016 — The Virtual High School (VHS, Inc.), a non-profit empowering schools with the industry's best online learning programs, today announced the winners of their ninth annual college scholarship program. One thousand dollars in scholarship funds were awarded to three VHS seniors in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts to use toward college expenses this fall.

 

Graduating senior Hope Lu, from Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, won the $500 first place scholarship award from the VHS 2016 scholarship program with her original video submission. Two other senior students –– Melissa Freed of Danvers High School and Madeleine Berthoud of Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School –– placed second and third, respectively, each winning $250 in scholarships for their original essay submissions.

 

The three winners of this year's scholarship program showcased their personal VHS experiences creatively and stood out to the judges. The scholarship review committee evaluated the submissions based on their content, quality, creativity and relevance.

 

"This scholarship program helps us celebrate the hard work and achievements of our students. We are pleased that our students feel better-prepared for college because of the courses they've taken with The Virtual High School," said Carol Ribeiro, President & CEO of VHS.  "We congratulate these students on a job well done."

 

First place winner Hope Lu detailed her experiences with her Perspectives in Health and AP Economics courses, and how these classes led her to the pursuit of a biotechnology lab internship and volunteer work at Jefferson Hospital. Lu is enrolled in the Life Sciences and Management program at the University of Pennsylvania. In second place, Melissa Freed described how the language skills learned in her AP Spanish experience with VHS will help her master French at McGill University in Montreal this fall. Madeleine Berthoud earned the third place scholarship for writing about how her course work in Portuguese I helped her on her mission trip to Brazil.

 

For the last 20 years, the VHS mission has been to provide middle and high school students with access to high-quality online and blended learning experiences while supporting educators with the professional development and services they need to provide effective education for every

 

student. Schools that partner with VHS have access to a wide range of core, elective, credit recovery and AP® courses that inspire, ignite and deepen learning. VHS helps students develop independent learning skills, prepare for college and careers, earn credit, and engage with their peers in global classrooms.

 

About The Virtual High School Inc.

The Virtual High School (VHS Inc.) is an online learning pioneer. Since 1996, the nonprofit organization has set the standard for quality online education. VHS provides courses taught in global online classrooms for secondary school students and online professional development for educators.  The organization also meets the unique educational needs of schools through custom course development and individualized course offerings. VHS design and delivery standards are the model used by the National Education Association in their recommended standards for online learning. The organization has won numerous awards, including the Stockholm Challenge Award for Global Excellence in Information Technology, and is a three-time winner of the United States Distance Learning Association's (USDLA) award for Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Best Practices. For more information, visit www.TheVirtualHighSchool.org or call (978) 897-1900.

 

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Source: The Virtual High School Announces 2016 College Scholarship Winners

Kempner: College scholarships … for killing monsters?

This may delight you. Or, maybe, make you question society.

With college tuition bills coming due, scholarships for students are kicking in, too. The awards show what kind of kids donors want to be aligned with.

You know: Students who get great grades or volunteer to help needy kids or throw a football like a missile. Or kill lots of stuff in video games.

Yeah, that, too.

Atlanta-based KontrolFreek, which makes popular "performance thumbstick" extenders and sweat-resistant grips for gamers (not kidding), recently awarded $3,000 college scholarships to three students nationally who are eSports competitors.

"It's something that parents should be proud of," said Ashish Mistry, KontrolFreek's CEO.

He plans another round of scholarships next year. Other companies are ponying up money, too.

This fall, the University of California at Irvine plans to offer $5,600 scholarships (covering about half of in-state tuition) for 10 top student gamers. It claims to be the first public university to offer scholarships for eSports team members who will represent the school in competitions with teams from other colleges.

"It is a chance to be the best at something that is going to be bigger than traditional sports," said Mark Deppe, the acting director of UCI's eSports program.

Rather than relying on tax dollars, the program aims to get all its funding from corporate sponsors and charges to students who use a new campus gaming room. Deppe predicts a boost for campus life and recruitment in general.

"All the same perks that come from having the best football team or the best basketball team, we are going to see that with eSports," he said.

He told me he thinks there will be dozens or hundreds of such college-backed programs in the next few years.

Sports heresy?

All of this might seem like sports heresy.

I mentioned the idea to a college student I know who just completed a stint as a camp counselor. He's only mildly into gaming but he told me how lots of the camp's pre-teens chattered about becoming pro gamers. Fewer, he said, mentioned dreams of traditional athletic stardom.

Neither path is very likely, of course. (There are aberrations. Like the 24-year-old from Cartersville who was on a team that won $1.3 million in an eSports tournament last year.)

I suspect parents are more amenable to the classic muscle sports.

Maybe real, grown-up money will change that.

Half of American adults play videogames, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. ESports pulls in millions of regular online viewers and fills arenas with people watching other people play video games. It has expanded into national prime-time TV on TBS (which plans another round of its Atlanta-based ELEAGUE competition in October). Big consumer brands like Coke and Arby's are focused on the lucrative trend, even as Arby's CEO Paul Brown admits, "it's a community that I don't understand."

ESports also generates stunningly big pots of money for its stars. The prize pool for the latest international Dota 2 championship this year: over $20 million. (No, that's not a typo.)

ESports complications

Complications, though, come when serious eSports veer onto university campuses.

Colleges, conferences and TV networks that rule sports like football and basketball have limited options to do the same with battles over digital monsters and mythical creatures. Publishers own the rights to eSports games. More importantly, eSports fans are a feisty bunch. They resist the idea of commercial overlords, even as they embrace the ability of players to make money.

ESports may roll over traditional restrictions on pay-for-play in college athletics. Elite gamers often compete in private tournaments with cash or equipment prizes. They make advertising dollars from people who watch them play or give tips online. While the payout probably is small for many of them, the financial potential is growing.

UCI's Deppe told me "Right now, we are comfortable with students earning money" in outside eSports activities.

But if eSports becomes a big business for colleges, could it help loosen the financial shackles on football and basketball players who have seen limited financial benefits even as they have been used as cash-dispensing machines for big-time university athletic programs?

At the moment, eSports supporters are focused on more modest goals: Getting funding for travel to competitions, hiring part-time coaches, enjoying early registration for classes in order to work around daily team practices.

Excused absences sought

Albert Lee, president of Georgia Tech's eSports, told me the top goal for the student organization's very best players is to get automatic excused absences from exams when they travel to competitions.

"They are good students. We don't want them to have to jeopardize their academic standing," he said.

A Tech team won a national tournament for the game Counter-Strike. Another made it to the semi-finals in a big League of Legends competition. Lee said he's heard from international students who told him they first learned about Tech through its eSports success.

With that kind of marketing value, he wants the university to offer scholarships for top players. He's also talking to potential corporate sponsors.

KontrolFreek, the company that recently gave out scholarships of its own, is among those in the discussions, said Mistry, the CEO. He predicts more companies will do the same.

"ESports," he said, "isn't a question any more."

Source: Kempner: College scholarships … for killing monsters?

Canadian-born Hong Kong Gymnastics Girl Wins Stanford Scholarship

Aleeza Yu, a Canadian-born Hong Kong girl from Canada's Ontario State High School has been awarded a full scholarship as a four-year honor roll student to study at the prestigious Stanford University in the US.  

It was not easy to fight for a full scholarship offered by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which included over 20 sports categories form 1,100 high schools and is open to athletes of all races around the world. Stanford University has an admission rate of only 4.7 percent this year. 

Aleeza admitted that it was gymnastics that has given her a good opportunity. 

A born gymnast

Aleeza Yu on Balance Beam. (Courtesy of Aleeza Yu)

Aleeza told her mother Sheree Yu that she wanted to learn gymnastics when she was 5 years old.  Sheree, an immigrant from Hong Kong first disagreed thinking that it would be very tedious for her daughter. 

But "there seems to be a voice inside calling for me to do it", said Aleeza. At age 7, her relaxed and adept performance on the balancing beam surprised the coach during the aptitude test. She told the staff at a gymnasium in Newmarket, "I want to participate in the Olympics". 

To help fulfill her daughter's dream, Sheree enrolled her in the best gymnastics club tens of kilometres away from home at Oshawa where Aleeza's father ran a physical therapy clinic. 

Aleeza's gift was quickly recognized by the local education department who helped find a school that welcomed gifted students.

At 9, Aleeza joined the Ontario provincial team, won first prize in the all-around East Coast competition in Canada and was a member of the Ontario champion team. 

At 11, Aleeza entered the national level and competed in international games in subsequent years worldwide. In April 2014, she was in the Canadian senior national team which won a team silver medal at the Pacific Rim competition and added an individual bronze on the floor exercise.

"Aleeza is a beautiful gymnast and well-rounded scholar-athlete," said Stanford head coach Kristen Smyth on Stanford website, "She is wonderfully artistic, extremely consistent, and has gorgeous lines. She is also a bright student and we are thrilled that she will be joining SWG next year."

Racing against time

Aleeza Yu on Floor Exercise. (Courtesy of Aleeza Yu)

Aleeza began her packed daily schedule from 6:30 am to 10 pm since grade 3, with one lesson off in the afternoon for her gymnastics training, which ended between 7 and 9 pm. At weekends, she had Chinese dance and piano lessons and has passed her grade 8 piano examination.

Over the past decade, while training to be a top national gymnast. Aleeza did not neglect her studies, scoring 90 marks or above in all subjects at high school. She caught up the missing lessons mostly through personal online study.

Other than music and dance, Aleeza is also fond of reading, watching movies, cycling and is interested in discussing with her peers, current affairs and happenings in the celebrity circles. 

Aiming for Stanford

Realizing that the average career lifespan of a gymnast is around 20 years, and many retire after graduating from college, one needs to give serious consideration to a college education.

Both the school curriculum and gymnastics training became more demanding in grade 11, especially when the international competitions Aleeza took part in had higher technique requirements while preparing for college applications called for very good results. 

Aleeza had to choose between her favorite gymnastics which she knew very well was not a lifetime career and the mounting study pressure.

Though ranked in the top 5 in Canada gymnastics, it would normally be insufficient to get her a scholarship to Stanford University.

"I chose Stanford because I knew that Stanford would not only provide me with the chance to pursue my academic and athletic goals, but also challenge me to open up to more opportunities beyond what I could ever imagine," said Aleeza on the Stanford website.

She chose to study a linguistics degree in speech therapy, hoping that she can help those with speech barriers.

Physical and mental strength

While school work was not tedious to Aleeza, she found it less arduous than the tough gymnastics training which is paired with hardship, anxiety and injuries picked up in competition. 

Aleeza has had numerous injuries including ligament sprains and fractures. "These are serious tests for the body and mind. For instance, when you return to compete after a recovery, you have to redo the stunts that caused your injury, and that is a big test", she added, "I have to train as usual, injured or not. I normally train 6 hours every day. If I'm injured, I can only train for 4 hours a day, training with an injury can be quite painful, one has to be strong".

Born into a family of Falun Dafa cultivation – a superior Buddha school based on the tenets of Zhen Shan Ren (Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance), Sheree, her mother, found Aleeza more mature than the average child, taking care of herself alone on a trip to Japan with her coach for competition in grade 9.

"I like to be independent…I look at challenges from a different point of view, when I encounter difficulties or interpersonal conflicts, I look at them from a positive perspective, this can help me get over things quickly" said Aleeza. 

Handling accomplishments and accidents

"I try to deal with everything calmly no matter what happens. I try not to brag about my achievements, because the awards are the natural outcome of my efforts, I don't need to pursue them with too much intention."

Aleeza fell off the balance beam in a competition 2 years ago, while friends worried for her, she was unaffected during the following floor exercise.

 "I only thought about how to do my best in the rest of the competition. I didn't look back, but simply looked forward" said Aleeza.

Witnessing the entire thing, Sheree said, "So many years of hard work are judged in a short period of time, less than a minute and 20 seconds. There was only 10 minutes between the balance beam and floor exercise. It is very hard even for adults to remain calm."

Aleeza participated in the national tournament in Ottawa in 2014 for the July Commonwealth Games in the UK, even though she had a foot injury.

Unfortunately, she added a new injury during the competition, "The first day I ranked 2nd in the all-around but was injured again during the vault session" said Aleeza. 

Why participate with an injury?

"I understand that I need to cooperate with the team, respect my coach's decision and try my best." she stated.

Source: Canadian-born Hong Kong Gymnastics Girl Wins Stanford Scholarship

Strong debut puts Tech kicker Hatfield on radar

Clayton Hatfield's presence among all the blue-chip recruits at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl did little to stir up recruiting interest in the kicker from Boerne Champion.

So much the better for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders got him to walk on two years ago and reaped the benefits last season when Hatfield made 14 of 16 field goals as a redshirt freshman.

He wound up with a scholarship to boot.

"I couldn't ask for anything better," Hatfield said this week. "It was more than I expected, for sure. Going into the season, with the competition and (Michael) Barden starting off first, I had no idea what to expect.

"It ended up more than what I could ask for, ending at UT getting a scholarship and game ball. It was just an unbelievable season. Hopefully, better things to come."

Hatfield took over at the start of Big 12 play for Barden, who's now settled in as the Tech punter. Twelve of Hatfield's 14 made field goals came in the last seven games.

He wound up first in the Big 12 and seventh in the FBS for accuracy, and after Hatfield made 51- and 38-yarders in a 48-45 victory at Texas, Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury picked a dramatic moment to put him on scholarship — before a roomful of jubilant teammates in a post-game celebration.

"I was not expecting it at all," Hatfield said, "and when he called my name, it was just unbelievable. Afterwards, I started crying on the phone with my dad because this is what I dreamed for. As a kicker, it's hard to get scholarships and stuff like that, and it's a dream come true."

Two elements have changed since last season. David Brenner, who did deep snaps and short snaps the last three years, graduated. Junior Kyle Heffron and senior Tyler Scalzi are the leading candidates for that duty.

Special teams coach Darrin Chiaverini left for a job at his alma mater, Colorado, and Kingsbury hired veteran special teams coach Joe Robinson from South Carolina to replace him.

Robinson said he took a look at Hatfield's numbers and decided to take a hands-off approach.

"I think one of my charges is not to mess Hatfield up," Robinson said. "He's got a pretty good percentage coming in — as strong a percentage as anybody in the country. Great confidence. He's very smart. He understands his craft. I hope he can continue exactly what he did. We're confident in him."

The media who cover the Big 12 feel much the same. They made Hatfield the preseason all-Big 12 kicker.

Hatfield originally planned to attend Texas — his family members went to school there, and it's 85 miles from where he grew up. Texas State offered Hatfield a scholarship, the summer before Hatfield's senior year and with a one-week deadline to make a decision.

Hatfield balked at that, and eventually clicked with Tech.

"It was the coaching staff — coach Kingsbury and how everyone greeted me when I came to town," he said. "I had no idea they even knew who I was. I was going to come up here for a one-day camp and compete. I thought that would be a chance to introduce myself, but they already knew about me."

Hatfield made four field goals his sophomore year in high school, then eight each of his last two seasons. After a redshirt year, he fell into a groove the second half of last season. He made three field goals against Kansas and two apiece against Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas, all in a six-game span.

"Each game, one after another, it just kept getting better and better and better," he said. "I felt like I progressed each game, each week, as a kicker. Hopefully I can do the same this year.

"I feel like this summer I've gotten a lot better and this fall camp, hopefully it all comes together with the holder and snapper."

don.williams@lubbockonline.com

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Source: Strong debut puts Tech kicker Hatfield on radar

Jordan’s Yarmouk University to offer 250 scholarship to Syrians

The nine-month diploma offers training in several fields to enable Syrians to integrate into the local job market. (Creative commons)

Some 250 Syrian refugees will be able to pursue vocational training at Jordan's Yarmouk University thanks to a new scholarship programme, university officials announced on Monday.

The university's Queen Rania Centre for Jordanian Studies and Community Service, in cooperation with UNESCO, opened applications on Monday for 250 scholarships for vocational diplomas to "provide displaced Syrians with better opportunities", said Haitham Bani Salameh, president of the centre.

"This programme is a result of a study of the job market in the northern region, to evaluate the demand for certain professions," he told The Jordan Times.

The nine-month diploma offers training in several fields, he said, to enable Syrians to integrate into the local job market.

"They are already good at different occupations. We aim to develop their skills in the fields they choose," Bani Salameh added.

The only requirements are basic knowledge of English, Arabic and maths, he said. "No school or university diplomas are required, it is a vocational training programme," he noted.

The centre is offering training in space and infrastructure management, nutrition, hotel and restaurant management, hospital and health services and medical tourism.

A social worker will be available throughout the training to offer psychological rehabilitation, he added.

"We want them to develop their skills to benefit the local community and their hometown when they return," Bani Salameh said.

According to the university official, the programme focuses on two aims. "First, Syrian students interact with other students at the university, which will help them cooperate with Jordanians, and secondly, it will help in the long-term for the 'post-war' period," he explained.

The programme will "promote mutual understanding", and help reduce violence and unemployment rates in the community, Bani Salameh added.

"It can also open many doors for them, like job opportunities in foreign and Gulf countries."

Candidates can submit their applications at the centre, located at Yarmouk University in Irbid or online via www.qrc.yu.edu.jo, Bani Salameh said.

Applicants must be aged between 17 and 30, and should attach their refugee ID card to their applications, he added.

Source: Jordan's Yarmouk University to offer 250 scholarship to Syrians

Ramsey back on scholarship

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas sophomore Randy Ramsey tweeted that he'd earned his scholarship back Monday night. A University of Arkansas spokesperson confirmed the tweet.

The 6-foot-4, 228-pound linebacker turned defensive end was suspended during the spring of 2015 following a promising freshman year and was forced to sit out last season for academic reasons. He left the program for the fall semester, but returned in the spring, paying his own way and earning his way back into the good graces of the coaching staff.

"I don't know if I've ever in my coaching career had a guy leave the program for a semester and come back and do as well as he's done," coach Bret Bielema said in April. "He's on task, on point."

Apparently on task enough to earn his scholarship back.

Ramsey is expected to contribute at either end or linebacker this year. As a true freshman, he tallied eight tackles and earned one start.

Source: Ramsey back on scholarship

AES Creates Larry Estrin AESEF Scholarship Fund

Scholarship will be handed out annually to grad students, with preference given to those who have shown a "dedicated commitment to audio engineering" August 8, 2016

NEW YORK—Long-time broadcast professional Larry Estrin is having his legacy remembered by the Audio Engineering Society Educational Fund, as the organization announced the creation of the Larry Estrin AESEF Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will be handed out annually to graduate students, with preference given to those who have shown a "dedicated commitment to audio engineering," per AESEF's announcement.

Estrin was a pro audio industry innovator who contributed to wireless RF technology, broadcast production and live sound. Some of his career achievements included developing the first remote audio mobile unit designed for TV production; establishing standards for dual/redundant/diverse path physical backbone wired and wireless communications; initiating the use of rolling audio speaker carts during production of the Super Bowl; and coordinating the first stereo broadcasts of the Academy Awards and Grammy Awards. He also went on to found Best Audio production firm.

Estrin passed away in September of 2015.

"Larry was truly an industry giant whose contributions remain remarkably influential and helped shape the broadcast and live production industries as we know them today," said Don Puluse, president of the AESEF in the organization's press release. "This scholarship will encourage even further creative thinking and innovation from today's students as they pursue their educational paths to become tomorrow's industry leaders."

The Larry Estrin AESEF Scholarship Fund will offer $5,000 annually. Applicants must be graduate students who are also AES members; preference will be given to those who focus on audio engineering in the broadcast industry or related field with advanced studies in RF technology or communications and broadcast production.

For more information, please visit aes.org/education/foundation/. 

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Source: AES Creates Larry Estrin AESEF Scholarship Fund