A message from Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr., Superintendent of Schools.
Dear ACPS Staff,
We all share a common goal — to help ensure that our students succeed. Today we are launching a new ACPS-wide effort to invest in our students and their futures in a different way.
For students who choose the college path, the road can be challenging when financing a college education is an issue. Here’s where you can make a difference in the life of a college-bound T.C. Williams High School student — while barely feeling the impact on your own wallet.
Join me in signing up to have a self-selected amount donated to the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria (SFA) through a bi-weekly payroll deduction. By choosing to invest a little bit in our students today, you could have a big impact in the life of a student tomorrow.
Show your school spirit — help launch a scholarship in honor of your school! Any school, building or department whose commitments total at least $3,000 in donations, will have a scholarship named in its honor.
Each year, the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria raises hundreds of thousands of dollars to help send 300 of our students to college. Since 1986, they have awarded $14.5 million in college scholarships to more than 4,600 Titan graduates with financial need. Many of these students might not otherwise have been able to afford to go to college. Some of them are AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) success stories and are the first in their families to go to college.
As a beneficiary of a scholarship when I graduated from T.C. in 1995, I know firsthand the difference a scholarship can make. It was an enormous help for me and my family and I felt immense pride as I stood on the stage to receive a scholarship from the SFA. To me, it meant that my community and my school believed in me.
For every 25 staff members who commit to $5 each pay period, the SFA will award a $3,000 scholarship to one of our kids. If 100 staff members do it, we’ll send four more kids to college next year.
What’s more, thanks to an anonymous matching grant from a generous donor, each dollar donated, up to $8,000, through November 1 via this payroll deduction program will be doubled. So now is the time to sign up!
More than 60 percent of families at T.C. Williams receive federal assistance for free or reduced-price meals. We know that scholarships from SFA often mean the difference between a student being able to afford college or not.
Please join me in making a difference. Make your commitment today.
These scholarships truly change lives, forever.
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
Superintendent of Schools