West Orange Scholarship Fund Hits Record Amounts

Sixty one of the 457 graduating seniors of West Orange High School class of 2010 has received about $30,000 in scholarships.

The West Orange Scholarship Fund (WOSF), made up of 30 or so community volunteer trustees, worked in conjunction with the West Orange Council of Parent Teacher Associations in order to raise the funds needed to give the students the scholarships.

But why is this year so special?

"This year, we gave out a record money amount of scholarships, which makes our volunteer board of trustees quite proud, particularly considering the very difficult financial times we find ourselves in," said Jim Quinn, president of the West Orange Scholarship Committee.

Any student is eligible to receive a scholarship. Guidance counselors at West Orange High School continuously push to encourage students to apply, obtaining as much money for education as they can, said Quinn.

"We at the WOSF are blessed in that Linda Rizzolo, who works in the guidance department, goes the extra mile to get the word out to potential applicants," said Quinn. "WOSF Award Committee evaluates all applications looking for a combination of factors including academic achievement, financial need and character of applicants."

Although there were other numerous scholarships given out by other individuals, the WOSF funds the largest amounts.

Mark DeSacia, a 2010 graduate who's attending University of Maryland, received the Louis Spitz Lehman scholarship.

"I wasn't aware of how much money the scholarship fund gave out so I was also really proud of being from West Orange and happy for all of my classmates," he said. "The scholarships from the West Orange Scholarship Fund will definitely provide some economic relief and make expenses easier to manage for me, like all recipients."

Among the many different scholarships awarded, a new one was presented in the name of a retired teacher and administrator, Anne Marie Caste. In addition, two gifts were funded by the Jerry Tarnoff Scholarship Fund, as well as another six scholarships funded by the Parents Advocating for Special Services in Education.

The WOSF are dedicated to making sure students are aided in any way possible in order for them to pursue their education further. To Quinn, every little bit helps.

"WOSF makes it just a little bit easier for our awardees to afford college as well as acknowledging the academic success of our high school seniors," he said. "Our board of trustees is proud to support them for demonstrating outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service and contribution to school and community."

Since its inception in 1923, the WOSF has aided students in times of war, recession and depression. Since 1925, the WOSF has assisted students with more than $800,000.

"For next year, we are hoping to continue to increase the dollar amount of scholarships we issue, which is increasingly difficult due the historically low interest rates we are earning on our endowment," said Quinn. "We are working on a dinner in September to honor one of West Orange's great leaders to increase the endowment."