April 19, 2007 — The Virgin Islands Montessori School, St. Thomas announced this week that it will be offering, for the first time, merit scholarships to 7th-10th grade students for the 2007-2008 school year. Each scholarship will be for 50 percent of tuition and available to current and new students.
In a late afternoon interview Wednesday, Shournagh McWeeney, Montessori administrator, said. This wonderful opportunity for both the school and for students. We hope these scholarships will enable more students to attend our marvelous middle and upper Schools.
McWeeney went on to say, We will be offering these scholarships to approximately 10 students next year and if they maintain their grades they will continue to receive the scholarships. We hope to be able to add additional recipients each year. Our Board is committed to this program.
The scholarships will be for half of annual tuition which runs from $9,190 for 7th and 8th grade to just under $10,000 for 10th grade.
For parents interested in learning more about the school and these scholarships, there will be Middle & Upper School Information Night at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 19.
The program will include an overview of the curriculum, modeled using the International Baccalaureates Middle Years Program.
Montessori School is using the Independent Schools Entrance Exam (ISEE) from the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) as one of the eligibility requirements.
The test will be administered on the school campus on Saturday April 21 and May 5, with registration at 8 a.m. and testing from 9 a.m. to noon. Students must pre-register at the V.I. Montessori School in order to receive the test application and student study guide. The completed application and $75 fee must be submitted before taking the test.
In addition, new students will be required to submit various materials including parent and teacher character analysis, school transcripts and a 250-word essay. A campus visit and interview are also required.
The schools scholarship committee will determine the awarding of merit scholarships. That committee is comprised of the administrator, a middle/upper schoolteacher, an upper elementary teacher and one non-parent.
In addition to the merit scholarship program, the school offers financial aid for qualifying students and their families. It is tripling the level of its financial aid program to enable all new primary students (ages 2-5) as well as all current students to apply.
The school is using the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) of the National Association of Independent Schools to ensure that financial aid applications are treated professionally and objectively.
Parent Financial Statement (PFS) application forms are available on the schools Website (www.vimontessori.com) or at the school.
Our current enrollment is 184 students, but we are expecting between 200 and 210 for the coming year, says McWeeny. We are now accepting enrollments for the coming school year, and encourage all interested families to come to the Open House or to contact our school as soon as possible to receive the details for both financial aid and merit scholarships,
Virgin Islands Montessori School is located at 6936 Vessup Lane, St. Thomas and may reached at www.vimontessori.com or by calling 775-6360.
Montessori announces Merit Scholarship Program for 2007-2008
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