District 116 wants more students in scholarship program
This story was updated to clarify Schuler Scholar Program criteria.
Round Lake Area Unit District 116 plans to boost the number of students participating in a privately funded college scholarship program.
District 116 board members Monday night received an annual report issued by the Schuler Scholar Program. Students in the program often are the first in their families to attend college and for whom higher education would be unlikely without financial assistance.
In the annual report, Schuler states it supports District 116's effort to increase the number of pupils in the program. Round Lake High has 76 students who are Schuler scholars from freshman through senior year. Boosting the number of scholars is a priority of Schuler and District 116, according to the report.
Eli Rollman, a Schuler Scholar director assigned to Round Lake High, said work is being done to refine the process to find students who are the right fit for the rigorous academic program.
Rollman told the school board that Round Lake High has increased its Advanced Placement offerings, which aligns with Schuler's high academic standards.
"I think we're really seeing improvements across the board in everything," Rollman said.
To qualify for the Schuler Scholar Program, students apply in eighth grade and are judged on a wide range of factors, Rollman said, including grades, test scores, essays, extracurricular involvement, teacher evaluations and interviews.
Rollman said Schuler says District 116 should place greater emphasis on having academic honesty among students by addressing the issue in a policy. The annual report states teachers and students must know cheating will result in severe consequences.
"This isn't just Round Lake," he said. "It's across the country."
Investor Jack Schuler, a former Abbott Laboratories executive, started the scholarship program in 2001.
Round Lake High became part of it Round Lake High's 10 Schuler graduates in the Class of 2015 are receiving a combined total annual financial aid package of $465,837 to attend colleges across the country, Rollman said. Schools they are attending include Stanford University and the University of Richmond.
Schuler has programs at 13 city and suburban schools. In addition to Round Lake High, the suburban representation includes Warren Township High School in Gurnee, Maine Township High School East in Park Ridge, Waukegan High School and Highland Park High School.