Scholarship Recipients Recognized at Graduation

By: Gregg Morton, Principal

Dear Parents,

In the past, it has been the practice of School District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties to denote recipients of the Palmetto Fellows, SC HOPE, and LIFE scholarships in our graduation programs. We will change this practice beginning with the graduating class of 2011 to denote only the conditional Palmetto Fellows recipients. This change is based on recommendations from the Commission on Higher Education (CHE). Please read the following quote from an email sent to all South Carolina guidance counselors from the CHE.

As seniors are moving closer towards graduation, high schools should take caution in announcing or publicizing its students earning state scholarships, such as the SC HOPE, LIFE, and the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, in their schools, districts, or communities. Please be advised that if the students at your school have not been notified by either the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) or the appropriate official at the eligible SC college or university, it is unwise to recognize them as such.

Colleges cannot render official notification of SC HOPE and LIFE scholarships until final transcripts are received from the high school. These transcripts cannot be completed, reviewed, and submitted by the high schools until all grades for the senior are entered, confirmed, and final GPAs calculated. The timeline for this process does not allow high schools to receive official notification of SC HOPE and LIFE scholarships from the CHE or colleges for timely inclusion in the graduation program.

Notifications of conditional Palmetto Fellows Scholarships are received earlier due to a different notification process. Those students will be denoted as conditional Palmetto Fellows Scholarship recipients in the graduation program along with the stipulations required for final award.

We appreciate you understanding the tenuous position we hold as a district when announcing scholarships. We have attempted to announce every appropriate accolade our students have earned and give them the attention they rightly deserve.