Our Lady of Perpetual Help Students Earn 4-Year Knott Scholarships

May 16, 2017 Baltimore, MD - The Marion I. and Henry J. Knott Foundation announced that they have awarded fourteen 8th graders in the Archdiocese of Baltimore full, four-year scholarships for Catholic high school. Two of these students, Ben Sontag and Elizabeth Weir, are from Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Ellicott City. The Knott Scholarship Funds awards scholarships to academically talented Catholic students who wish to continue their education at a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese. To merit the award, students’ standardized test scores must be in the 94th percentile, and they must earn “A”s in all academic subjects on their report card. This fall, Ben will attend Calvert High School College, and Elizabeth will attend Notre Dame Preparatory School. Tuition at these high schools is $15,980, and $19,400 respectively.

OLPH School principal, Victor Pellechia shared his delight by saying, "It has been such a pleasure to watch Elizabeth and Ben grow academically over these past few years, and I am very proud of their achievement. I'm so grateful to Knott Scholarship Funds and the Knott family for rewarding their hard work, the dedication of their wonderful parents, and the inspiration of their teachers. I know we will see great things from each of them as alumni of OLPH School!"

For the Sontag family, this is familiar territory; their oldest son, Andrew, OLPH Class of 2015 also earned a 4-year, full tuition Knott Scholarship. Ben will join his brother this fall at Calvert Hall College High School. “We are very humbled by this incredible blessing.” shared his parents, Chris and Sue Sontag, adding, “We are extremely thankful to the Knott Foundation for offering our son this very generous scholarship so that he may continue his Catholic education at Calvert Hall. We are grateful to OLPH School for providing our child with such a quality education in a Christian community atmosphere. OLPH gave him the knowledge, moral strength and commitment to community service that made him eligible for the Knott Scholarship. We will forever believe that sending our children to Catholic school was the best choice we could have made for them.”

Ben shared his happiness about the news stating, “I am thrilled that all my hard work and effort resulted in being offered the Knott Scholarship. I am ready to move on to Calvert Hall and the next stage of my life but I will always think fondly of OLPH. The school helped me grow as a person, both educationally and in my Catholic faith. I also found long-lasting friendships at school that will be with me always.” Ben has been at OLPH School since kindergarten.

“I'm honored to be a Knott Scholar,” said 13-year old Elizabeth Weir, “and I'm thankful to my teachers and my parents for their loving guidance and support. I can't wait to see what Notre Dame Prep has in store for me!” Elizabeth’s mother, Patty, is OLPH School’s Director of the Marian Program, a program for students with learning differences. She and her husband Jim, stated, “We are so thrilled for Elizabeth! Her curious and creative spirit has flourished here at OLPH. We have watched her grow into an amazing young woman, and we couldn't be prouder.”

Sixteen of the nineteen 8th graders at OLPH will attend their first choice Catholic high school in the fall. The total amount of scholarship money offered to these students over a four-year period is $490,000.

The Marion I. & Henry J. Knott Foundation is a Catholic family foundation committed to honoring their founders’ legacy of generosity to strengthen the community. It was founded in 1977 and continues as a family-run philanthropic venture that serves to strengthen communities in central and western Maryland. It was Mr. and Mrs. Knott’s hope that receiving a strong Catholic education would help these scholars develop as the future leaders of the Archdiocese. They also hoped that the students who have received this gift of a Catholic education would in turn give back to the Church and the community by sharing their talents in whatever forms possible.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Catholic School is a 2016 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. OLPH School is one of only 50 private schools in the nation to receive this honor last year. The Blue Ribbon School Program honors public and private K-12 schools for their academic excellence and ability to help students achieve at very high levels. This Archdiocese of Baltimore school in Ellicott City was founded in 1879 and serves 210 students from preschool through grade 8.

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OLPH School is a Roman Catholic Pre-K4-grade 8 school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore with a current enrollment of 210 students. For more information, please contact Mr. Victor Pellechia at vpellechia@olphschool.org or 410-744-4251. Additional information at www.olphschool.org