School may have just started, but it is already time for high school seniors to apply for college scholarships. The Lake Oconee Elks Lodge No. 2849 has announced that the Elks National Foundation has kicked off the start of the 2020 Most Valuable Student (MVS) scholarship contest. The Most Valuable Student scholarship is available to high school seniors who are United States citizens. Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks. Males and females compete separately and are judged on scholarship, leadership and financial need.

The application is completed online and must be submitted by midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. The Elks National Foundation awards a total of 500 four-year scholarships. National awards range from $1,000 per year to $12,500 per year.

This year, the Elks National Foundation is investing $4.1 million in college scholarships for our nation’s future teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, engineers, innovators, and more. They have invested wisely. MVS scholars—all of whom demonstrate scholarship, leadership and financial need—are graduating from college at a rate of 90 percent, nearly 40 percent higher than the national average.

In addition, the Lake Oconee Elks Lodge No. 2849 also awards a total of six $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors, (3 male and 3 female) from the local communities that they serve. The winners are based on the Elk MVS scholarship applications that are completed by high school seniors from the following schools: Greene County High School, Morgan County High School, Nathanael Greene Academy, John Hancock Academy and Lake Oconee Academy

Dick Manwaring, Lake Oconee Elks Scholarship Committee Chair noted, “Most students today face financial challenges, as they prepare to enter college. So, I would encourage all students to apply.”

Applications for the 2020 contest are available on the Elks National Foundation’s website. For complete Most Valuable Student scholarship contest details, including the application link, visit elks.org/scholars or enf.elks.org/MVS. You may also contact your high school guidance counselor for further details.