Any way you look at it, St Michaels University School's The Best School Year Ever scholarship contest is one of the richest award programs out there. Now in its fifth year, the contest started strong and has gotten even better each year. The 2018 contest proves the rule. In addition to the grand prize, five finalists and fourteen runners up will also receive significant awards.
The contest is open to students in Canada (excl. Quebec) and the United States, and it was created to reach out to students who may not have otherwise considered boarding. The results, throughout, have been impressive. “The Best School Year Ever boarding scholarship contest has introduced us to hundreds of incredible young people over the last few years,” says Interim Head of School Andy Rodford. “Their video entries have delighted, impressed and reminded us again and again of the power of the potential in our youth.”
How to enter
Indeed, the video entries are one of the things that make the contest particularly distinct. All candidates are asked to complete a 2-3 minute video in which they introduce themselves, their dreams, their thoughts on what would make the best school year ever, and what they feel they could bring to SMUS student body. Videos are uploaded to YouTube and submitted along with a completed contest application form.
And the winners are …
The grand prize is a full-year scholarship to St. Michaels University School in Victoria, British Columbia, one of Canada’s top-ranked boarding schools. The award covers all boarding expenses for the entire school year, including tuition, accommodation, meals, and a full program of social and academic support. The contest is open to all grade 9 to 12 students, no matter what grade they plan to enter.
The Grand Prize:
Full boarding tuition for the 2018-2019 school year, worth $55,000.
5 Finalist Prizes:
Each finalist will win a boarding scholarship worth $35,000.
14 Runner-Up Prizes:
Each runner-up will win a boarding scholarship worth $15,000.
Plus, the six finalists win an all-expense paid trip with their parents or guardians to Victoria, British Columbia.
You’ve got to be in it to win it …
The value of the awards is significant monetarily—there are few award programs that are as comprehensive—though the value exceeds even that. St. Michaels is one of the best schools in Canada, and provides a truly world-class high school experience. Moreover, it sits within an extended academic environment like none other. Vancouver Island is home to some of the top boarding schools in Canada, which between them comprise the largest concentration of boarding students in Canada.
St. Michaels is non-denominational, co-ed, offers a full K to 12 program in addition to the senior boarding program. Students are encouraged to engage with the entire spectrum of curricular and extracurricular programs. The motto of one of the two founding schools is retained today: “nothing is great unless it is good.” That’s telling. Character development and student support are considered to be as important as challenge and excellence.
