Last year for Gates Grants at WVHS

This year’s junior class at West Valley High School is the last of its kind. They are the last students in the district who can qualify for college scholarships paid for by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The 10-year grant provided to the West Valley district began with the class of 2001 and has so far sent 277 high school graduates to college. The Achievers Scholarships, as they are called, provide up to $10,000 per student per year at a private college or $7,200 per year at a public college and $4,300 per year at a community college. The maximums are given after the student has applied for need grants and scholarships.

“We make sure all of the other scholarships that are available have been awarded,” said Ken Ormsby, who runs the scholarship program at the high school. “We are the last in.”

West Valley High School is one of only 16 high schools in the state to be recipient of the Gates grant. The program is overseen by the College Success Foundation, which also administers other scholarship programs.

The Achievers Scholarships are based on financial need. Students have to complete a “pretty exhaustive” written application that includes four essays. They then complete an interactive exercise and do an oral interview with Ormsby before they are accepted. About half the students who apply are accepted. Students who are accepted are then assigned a mentor to help them with the college application process.

“That’s been real helpful in the motivation and retention in the program,” Ormsby said.

The one thing the Achievers Scholarship doesn’t require is a certain grade-point average. Many students who struggle academically end up attending a community college for the first few years before transitioning to a four-year college, Ormsby said.

This year Ormsby has 22 seniors in the program and will start interviewing the final group of students soon. Senior Josh King, who Ormsby describes as a “bright kid,” is one of those enrolled. The 17-year-old has decided to attend Eastern Washington University to study computer engineering.

“I decided that in the seventh grade,” he said. “I like computers. There’s a lot more to take a part and put back together with a computer.”

King picked EWU because it’s close to home, but not too close, and has small class sizes.

King has been determined for years to attend college, despite a difficult personal life. He’s been in foster care since age 5 and lived at the Hutton Settlement beginning at age 8. He tried living with his mother briefly last year. “It wasn’t a good situation for me,” he said.

Now he “couch surfs,” staying with friends. He has a job at a local fast-food restaurant and pays his own bills. “I get three days off, so it all works out.”

He heard about the Achievers Scholarship when he was in middle school. Before that, he thought he would just have to take out a large amount of student loans to fulfill his dream. “This is just an easier way,” he said.

The school district has known that the scholarships would be going away after the class of 2010 and has taken steps to replace the Gates grant, at least in part. A nonprofit West Valley Education Foundation was formed in 2007 and volunteers have been getting organized and raising money. West Valley parent Jeff Postlewait serves on the foundation’s board of directors.

“We like being involved,” he said of his and his wife’s work on the board. He has children in the seventh and eighth grades and thinks the foundation is a “brilliant idea.” Joining the board was a natural extension of their volunteer time spent in their children’s schools.

Money has been trickling in. Some money has come in from will bequests and teachers and staff in the district can opt to have one-time or regular donations automatically withdrawn from their paycheck. “Some of the alumni have already donated to it,” Postlewait said.

The money will be used for college scholarships, but it can also be used to buy classroom equipment and other items. “We’ll have more flexibility,” he said.

Postlewait knows the foundation is a long-term project. “It’ll be many years before it rivals the grant from the Gates Foundation,” he said. “It’ll be a great asset to all of us.”

The foundation is planning its first fundraiser for Nov. 1. There will be wine-tasting and silent and live auctions beginning at 7 p.m. at Decades, 10502 E. Sprague Ave. So far there are about 60 items that will be up for bid, including a four-wheeler, a wave runner and box seats to a Shock football game. Students at the high school also have made several benches that will be painted by local artists. Tickets are $30 and are available by calling 340-7204.

Organizers are hopeful that the inaugural event will be a success. “The cause is great,” Postlewait said.