By JON WILSON, Consulting Editor, TB Reporter

Nearly $2.2-million is available as an incentive for scholastic and behavioral excellence. 

ST. PETERSBURG — The Pinellas Education Foundation will join the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County Schools to present 155 St. Petersburg public school students with the opportunity to receive a Take Stock in Children Scholarship (TSIC) once they graduate from high school. The annual St. Pete’s Promise Awards Celebration at St. Petersburg’s historic Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N., begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (March 30).

The total value of these scholarships is nearly $2.2 million. These 155 students join the 125 North county scholars who were inducted into the program March 1. There will be one more student signing on May 26 at Pinellas Park High School. There are approximately 4,000 scholars currently in the Foundation’s TSIC program.

Students attending this event will sign a scholarship contract stating they will earn a C or better in each class they take, attend school regularly, have good behavior in and outside of school, meet with a TSIC mentor and remain crime and drug free among other items. The major sponsors of these scholarships include the employees of the City of St. Petersburg, the Beth Dillinger Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of St. Petersburg, Bill Edwards, the Rays Baseball Foundation and the Helios Education Foundation.

Normally reserved for middle and high school students, in December, the Pinellas Education Foundation made the unusual move of offering a total of 25 scholarships to Campbell Park, Fairmont Park, Lakewood, Maximo and Melrose Elementary Schools – St. Petersburg’s five Scale Up schools. Included in the 155 scholars, 16 of those elementary students will be attending the event to receive their scholarship opportunity.

In addition to the students being honored, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman will pay tribute to St. Petersburg-area public schools that achieved an “A” grade during the 2014-2015 school year, as well as those schools which improved their school grade, improved math scores, and improved reading scores. This recognition is part of the St. Pete’s Promise Program, which is a partnership between the City of St. Petersburg and the Pinellas Education Foundation.

St. Petersburg | Education | Scholarships | TB Reporter

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