Now is the time for juniors to begin their college and scholarship searches to be ready for their senior year. To aid in that process, all juniors will have the opportunity to hear the highly acclaimed presentation, Making Your College Search Count. The one- hour presentation will be delivered free to students and parents at 8:10 a.m. on Monday, January 29, 2007, at Lincoln County High School in the theater.

Making Your College Search Count will be presented to more than 500,000 high school juniors nationwide during the 2007 spring semester. These free presentations have reached over 14 million students since 1999. Guidance counselors on average rated the value of the ideas presented a 9.5 on a 10-point scale. Key content to supplement the Making Your College Search Count presentation can be found online at http://www.makingitcount.com. The website offers a wide variety of tools and resources for current and future high school students.

Seniors had another opportunity this week to learn more about financial aid. Jason Seay, Outreach Specialist for the Tennessee Assistance Corporation ( TSAC), visited all the English 12 and economics classes and did a presentation for seniors who do not have English 12 or economics classes this semester. His presentation included financial aid available through TSAC that includes grants, lottery scholarships, and other scholarships such as the Robert C. Byrd and Ned McWherter. Again, students were reminded that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be filed to be eligible for federal and state grants and loans and for the lottery scholarships. Mr. Seay gave students tips on filling out the FAFSA and deadlines. He emphasized the importance of checking on financial aid available at the colleges, universities, and technical schools, as well as through national and local scholarships. He ended his presentation with a warning to students to read everything they receive from their colleges and to return any forms requested because students have failed to get financial aid for which they qualified because they did not send back their acceptance form.

New scholarships that have been announced for seniors include the following:

The State of Tennessee through TSAC offers two merit scholarships. The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship is for seniors who have achieved at least a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale and a documented ACT composite score of 24 or 1090 on the SAT. All information on the application must be completed and received at TSAC by the March 1 deadline. The Ned McWherter Scholarship requires a senior to have a 3.5 unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale and at least 29 on the ACT or 1280 on the SAT. Application and an official high school transcript must be received at TSAC by the February 15 deadline to be considered for the scholarship. Applications for both scholarships are in guidance or may be obtained from the TSAC website at www.CollegePaysTn.com.

Two local scholarships announced this week are the Carriage House Players Scholarship and the Lincoln County Livestock Association Scholarship.

Applicants for the Carriage House Players Scholarship must have participated in a Carriage House Players’ production.

The Lincoln County Livestock Association requires the student to major in agriculture and to have a parent, grandparent, or guardian who is a member of the Lincoln County Livestock Association.

Both scholarships are in guidance and have a deadline of March 30, 2007.