2025 College Scholarships

Made possible by an endowment from the Ed and Birdie Dawley Educational Trust

Purpose: Need-based and merit-based college scholarship

Amount: $4,000 for one graduating senior

Selection Process: Determined by the Scholarship Committee, led by the Kinder HSPVA counselors, based on their knowledge of a deserving senior who needs the scholarship in order to attend college. Student should have a proven track record of leadership and dedication to excellence. Student should demonstrate a financial need. Selection is not specifically based on artistic or academic merit.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an HSPVA Friends General Application Form.

Made possible by gifts made in memory of 1997 Dance Department graduate Amanda May

Purpose: College scholarship for an outstanding senior planning to pursue a degree in musical theatre at an accredited college, university, or conservatory

Amount: $1,000 for one graduating senior

Selection Process: Completed applications will be reviewed by applicants’ art area chairs who will then recommend finalists to HSPVA Friends based on the following attributes:

• A positive and supportive attitude in dealing with faculty and peers;
• Outstanding talent in musical theatre; and
• Professionalism on the job and in the department (accepts constructive criticism, demonstrates responsibility, strong work ethic, etc.).

Kinder HSPVA faculty will choose the scholarship recipient based on the above criteria.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an HSPVA Friends General Application Form.

Made possible by an endowment from the William F. Carleton Trust for Dance, in honor of Mary Martha Lappe. Mrs. Lappe is a founder of the school, the first Chair of the Dance Department, and the founder of HSPVA Friends.

Purpose: College scholarship for an outstanding dance senior planning to pursue a degree in dance at an accredited college, university, or conservatory

Amount: $1,000 for one or more graduating dance seniors

Selection Process: Determined by the Kinder HSPVA Dance Faculty based on the following criteria: attendance over four years; ability to receive and apply constructive feedback; grades in dance classes; progress made in dance; self-discipline and commitment to the art form; and strength of the university/conservatory program in consideration.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an HSPVA Friends General Application Form.

Made possible by donations made in honor of Robert Ostrum

Purpose: Merit- and need-based college scholarship for an outstanding jazz senior planning to pursue a degree in jazz at an accredited college, university, or conservatory

Amount: $1,000 for one graduating jazz senior

Selection Process: Determined by the Kinder HSPVA Instrumental Music faculty, based on the student’s passion for jazz, leadership qualities, contributions to the department, and financial need.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an HSPVA Friends General Application Form.

Made possible by many donors’ gifts in memory of singer and musician Nicole Hurst (Vocal ’00)

Purpose: Merit-based college scholarship for graduating seniors who plan to study popular/contemporary music performance (vocal or instrumental), music therapy, music education, or music business at an accredited college, university, or conservatory

Amount: $1,500 for up to two graduating seniors

Selection Process: Determined by the Kinder HSPVA Music faculty, based on the merit of the students’ application materials. Applications will be shared with members of the Hurst family.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an HSPVA Friends General Application Form.

Made possible by Melinda and Howard Speight, in memory of Rachel Speight, a 2002 Vocal Music Department graduate

Purpose: College scholarship for an outstanding music senior. Applicants are not required to major in music in college.

Amount: $2,000 for one graduating music senior

Selection Process: Determined by the Kinder HSPVA Music Faculty with input from the Speight family, based on the merit of the students’ application materials. The Scholarship Committee may review applicants’ transcripts.

Application Requirements:

• The HSPVA Friends General Application Form
• A Teacher Recommendation in response to the following prompt: What makes this student stand out from your average student? We are looking for a student who demonstrates some of the following characteristics: creative, has diverse interests, has an unusually keen sense of humor, has made a significant contribution to the school, takes risks, challenges himself/herself, self-motivated, nonconformist, passionate, unsung hero, a “carpe diem” attitude, overcomes fears, vivacious, intense. (Teachers should email their recommendations directly to HSPVA Friends at phightower@hspvafriends.org.)
• An essay in response to one or more of the topics below. Creativity and a sense of humor are encouraged. Let your true personality shine through! The essay should be about 250 words long, but content is more important than length.
  • How have you distinguished yourself from your peers?
  • Discuss a time when you wanted to accomplish something and did it – maybe even against all odds.
  • In what ways have you pursued a diversity of interests?
  • What would people be surprised to know about you?
  • What have you done to make your school a better place?
  • Discuss a quotation or poem that inspires you.
  • Discuss a time when your sense of humor made a difference in a situation.
  • Discuss a time when you had to make a personal sacrifice.
  • Discuss a time when you had to go against popular opinion.
  • Discuss some times that you have challenged yourself, whether the outcome was good or bad.
  • Which of these phrases could be used to describe you? – takes risks, ambitious, nonconformist, passionate, unsung hero, a “carpe diem” attitude, overcomes fears, vivacious, intense

Made possible by long-time Theatre Department Chair Bob Singleton

Purpose: College scholarship for an outstanding senior planning to pursue a career in theatre education

Amount: $1,000 for one graduating senior

Selection Process: Determined by the Kinder HSPVA Theatre faculty based on the merit of the student’s application.

Application Requirements: Students must submit an HSPVA Friends General Application Form.

Donated anonymously in honor of internationally acclaimed sculptor Mark di Suvero

Purpose: College scholarship for an outstanding visual arts senior for continued education in the field of sculpture at an accredited college, university or art school

Amount: $1,000 for one graduating visual arts senior

Selection Process: Determined by the Kinder HSPVA Visual Arts Faculty based on the merit of the students’ application and their accomplishments in the discipline of sculpture

Application Requirements: Students must submit an HSPVA Friends General Application Form.