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1,027 Valley Students
Awarded Free
College Tuition
Paula L Porten
09/01/06
 Students across
Massachusetts who score in the top 25 percent on the MCAS
tests and place at the top of their class are eligible to
receive a John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, which pays
for four years of tuition at any state university or
community college.
Locally, 43 students from Amesbury earned this
year’s Adams Scholarship, 111 students from Andover,
111 from Chelmsford, 73 from Dracut, 34 from Georgetown,
17 from The Greater Lawrence Technical School, 105 from
Haverhill, 47 from Lawrence, 177 from Lowell, 103 from
Methuen, 87 from North Andover, 79 from Tewksbury, and 40
students from the Whittier Regional Vocational School in
Haverhill.
Students who were awarded the scholarship recently
received letters in the mail saying that they were the
recipients of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for
a full, four-year college tuition.
Methuen Mayor Billy Manzi said he was excited that so
many students from Methuen received the scholarship award
to pay for their college education. “I am very proud
of the students at Methuen High School. The fact that
they have done so well and produced such a high level of
achievement is a testament to their own hard work. But it
is also a testament to the educators in the Methuen
school system who are working very hard with our kids
every day,” Manzi said. Manzi is chairman of the
Methuen School Committee.
“As a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at
Amherst, I think Governor Romney’s John and Abigail
Adams Scholarship is a great program. I’m very happy
with the performance of our students and the values they
hold.”
Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini said he was also excited
about the number of his students eligible for the
four-year scholarships. “The key to success in
school is the kids - kids who are willing to work hard,
study a little harder and a littler longer, and tolerate
boredom. Studying can be boring. It is always tempting to
do something else,” he said. “But these
kids have what it takes: the ability to work hard and
keep at a task even when it is boring. They are a great
tribute to our city and they make us all very
proud,” Fiorentini concluded.
Governor Romney announced last week that 16,169 high
school students across the state have earned the coveted
John and Abigail Adams Scholarship this year.
Romney established the merit-based Adams Scholarship in
2004 to help families pay for college. The Adams
Scholarship is available to permanent, legal
Massachusetts residents who score in the
“Advanced” category in either the English or
math sections of the MCAS test and “Advanced”
or “Proficient” in the other subject area by
the end of their junior year. The students must also
place in the top 25 percent of their graduating class on
the MCAS scores.
To receive an Adams Scholarship, students must complete
their college studies in four years or less and maintain
a 3.0 grade point average. There are 27 public higher
education institutions in Massachusetts that accept the
Adams Scholarship, including 15 community colleges, eight
state colleges and four university campuses.
Locally, these include Northern Essex Community College,
North Shore Community College and UMass. Lowell.
There is no application process for the scholarship. The
Department of Education notifies eligible students by
mail when they are entitled to receive the Adams
Scholarship .
Upon learning that 87 students from North Andover are
eligible for the scholarship, School Committeeman Bill
Kelly said he was not surprised by the high number of
students .
“It was good news to hear about the number of Adams
Scholarship winners among our seniors, who represents
about 25 percent of the senior class. Better yet, it
reminds the community that despite all the bad news of
late (in the North Andover schools), good things are
happening and hard work is being done at our high school.
I expect to see the number of Adams winners increase in
the future, based on our district-wide goals and the
expectations that are in place to ensure our kids are
prepared to succeed as they enter college and the work
place.”
In 2005, more than 1300 students accepted the Adams
Scholarship. That number increased to over 1400 students
in 2006.
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The October, 2006
Edition of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2006, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 9,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
North Andover,
Methuen, Haverhill, Chelmsford, Georgetown, Groveland,
Boxford,
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury, Hampton & Salisbury
Beach, and Lowell.
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