Scholarship deadlines near for local students
By Lauren Westmoreland
It’s the time of year for students to start thinking about the variety of scholarship opportunities made available by local businesses and organizations.
Plumas Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative (PSREC) and its telecommunications subsidiary, Plumas Sierra Telecommunications (PST), are offering two $1,000 scholarships in a program designed to enhance the education and resulting careers of deserving rural students.
All interested students are encouraged to apply by Monday, April 26, with scholarships open to high school seniors and older students, with no upper age limit.
To qualify, the student’s primary residence in Plumas, Lassen, Sierra, or Washoe counties must be supplied with either electric power through PSREC or internet service through PST.
Applications are available online at https://www.psrec.coop/community/scholarships/ or can be obtained by calling the PSREC Member Services Department at 832-4261 or 1-800-555-2207.
The Rotary District 5190 will also be creating financial opportunities for students with two upcoming contests.
The first is the speech contest, with freshmen through senior students eligible for cash prizes. The theme for the 2020-2021 speech contest is “Turning challenges into opportunities as we create transformative change.”
Speech contests are being held at the Club, Area, and District levels in the spring of 2021. The Rotary Club of Portola will be hosting its contest on Tuesday, March 16, at noon, and contestants must register by Thursday, March 11, to be eligible. Club winners go on to compete Tuesday, April 13. Club awards are $100 for first place, $75 for second, and $50 for third.
The winner of each Area will then go on to compete against other Area winners at the Rotary District level to be held virtually on Saturday, April 24, 2021. For more information, visit Mrs. Dutton in the Portola Junior/Senior High School library by March 11.
Rotary District 5190 is also hosting the annual youth instrumental music contest on Tuesday, March 16 at noon, which is held to determine the solo musician who best demonstrates his or her musical talent and love for music.
Entrants must be a high school student grades nine through twelve in a school located in District 5190 or a home-schooled/non-traditionally schooled student 14-18 years of age in the area.
Entrants must be sponsored by a District 5190 Rotary Club, and performance time will be three minutes minimum to eight minutes maximum, with strict penalties for over or under time.
Winners of the local Club contest also go on to compete at the Area and then District levels, with prize money awarded at each level of completion.
Club awards are $100 for first place, $75 for second, and $50 for third. District level competitors will strive for prizes of $1,000, $750, and $500, respectively, on Saturday, May, 1 at Harrah’s Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Entry forms are due by Thursday, March 11, at the Portola Junior/Senior High School Library. For more information, contact Portola High School at 832-4284.
