IGNITE Spring 2017 | Page 10

BRIDGING THE GAP Article photos provided by CatholicPhilly.com N ew teachers. New textbooks. And, of course, new tuition fees. Transitioning to high school can be challenging — for both students and parents. That’s one reason why Our Lady of Port Richmond Regional Catholic School is helping to ease that burden. The school’s Matching Starter Scholarship Program awards 10 students with high school tuition aid that is then matched by the Catholic school each student chooses to attend. In the program’s first year, eight graduating Our Lady of Port Richmond students have accepted the scholarship for a cumulative total of $58,000 in tuition aid. “We wanted to acknowledge the hard work that families have done to consistently raise funds for the school,” says Richard Schellinger, Our Lady of Port Richmond’s business manager. “This program is our way of expressing our gratitude for their generosity.” The scholarship awards 10 graduating Our Lady of Port Richmond students with $2,000 each, to be used towards their freshman years’ tuitions. That amount is then being matched by partner AOPS high schools 10 — in some cases, for all four years’ worth of tuition, plus additional awards. Parents say the financial support goes a long way. Albert Brown, whose son James was one of this year’s recipients, says the program makes Catholic high school education more accessible. “This scholarship is huge for us,” Brown says. “If it weren’t for programs like this, I don’t know how I would be able to pay the full tuition.” But the scholarship provides more than money. Organizers say the program is also growing relationships between Catholic primary and secondary schools, as well as encouraging students and families to continue seeking Catholic values in their high school search.