Lake County Gazette

The Granite City Community Unit School District 9 has released its Warrior Scholarship Bulletin for September 2025, providing guidance and resources for seniors preparing to apply for college and scholarships.

The bulletin outlines the initial steps in the college application process. Students are advised to complete their college applications online, request that ACT or SAT send official scores to their chosen schools, and sign up at www.parchment.com to have official transcripts sent.

Students are reminded that applying and being accepted to a college or university may be necessary before working on scholarship opportunities with those institutions. Application deadlines can be as early as November 1. A FAFSA Completion Workshop will be held in October 2025 at the high school’s Media Center, with sign-ups forthcoming.

A list of recommended scholarship websites is provided, including www.studentscholarships.org, www.finaid.org, www.studentaid.gov, www.grants.gov, https://www.isac.org/e-library/applying-for-financial-aid/scholarship-searches.html, http://act.org, www.goingmerry.com, www.scholarships.com, and http://www.fastweb.com/.

The bulletin also offers ten tips for securing scholarships. Among these are searching persistently, staying organized, checking eligibility requirements carefully, using concrete examples in essays, watching deadlines closely, applying early and often, and proofreading applications thoroughly. The bulletin cautions students against scams: "If you must pay money to get money, it might be a scam."

Examples of potential scholarship scams include promises of guaranteed awards or requests for credit card information.

Several specific scholarships with upcoming deadlines are highlighted:

- The Acorn Equality Fund provides scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 for LGBT individuals and allies residing in downstate Illinois. Applications are due by September 26.

- The Coca-Cola Scholars Program offers achievement-based scholarships to graduating seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0; the deadline is September 30.

- McKendree University offers several merit-based scholarships valued between $10,000 and $17,000 per year based on GPA criteria. Leadership Awards range from $2,000 to $5,000.

- Army ROTC Scholarships provide up to full tuition coverage for eligible students who join ROTC programs.

- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) offers multiple scholarships such as Cougar Pride ($16,000 over four years), Johnetta Haley ($8,000 over four years), Meridian Scholarships (for students with an ACT of 27 or higher), SIUE Grant (for students meeting federal poverty guidelines), and AIM High Grant ($2,500 per year).

- AES Scholarship Program awards $500 based on essay submissions; deadline is October 8.

- The McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship Program supports Hispanic students nationwide; applications open October 1.

- Heisman High School Scholarship recognizes student-athletes demonstrating leadership; details available online.

- Voice of Democracy Program by VFW awards a share of $2.1 million through essay competitions; entries due October 31 at Granite City Post 1300.

Other notable opportunities include:

- Elks National Foundation Scholarship: Over $3 million awarded annually; deadline November 12.

- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation College Scholarship: For high-achieving seniors with financial need; deadline November 12.

- Ron Brown Scholar Program: Supports African-American seniors making societal contributions.

- DAR Good Citizens Award: Open November through January for seniors demonstrating citizenship qualities.

Additional programs include Southeast Missouri State University’s Enhanced Scholarship Program (deadline March 1), UMSL Opportunity Scholars Program (deadline December 1), Cooper Dome Scholarship ($500-$5,000), President’s Scholarship ($8,000 renewable), among others.

Granite City Community Unit School District 9 represents Madison County schools including Coolidge Junior High School and Granite City High School. According to the Illinois State Board of Education (source), the district employs approximately 320 teachers earning an average salary of nearly $68,000 annually before pension contributions. About three-fourths of teachers are women. The district serves a diverse student population that is about two-thirds White with significant Black and Hispanic representation (source). In fiscal year 2020 it spent roughly $17,739 per student (source).

The bulletin encourages all eligible students to take advantage of these resources as they prepare for post-secondary education opportunities.