Lilly Scholarship finalists announced by Community Foundation

Six Putnam County high school seniors have been named as finalists for the Putnam County Community Foundation's 2016 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.

The prestigious award goes to the most outstanding graduating high school senior in Putnam County. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholar will be awarded a full-tuition scholarship, including a $900 book stipend per year, for four years to any accredited school in Indiana.

The Putnam County finalists have an average unweighted GPA of 3.967 and SAT score of 2093.

The finalists are:

-- Bailey Berish of Greencastle High School, daughter of William and Sally Berish.

-- Colin Dombrowski of Greencastle High School, son of Chris and Jill Dombrowski.

-- Grady McHugh of South Putnam High School, son of Michael and Ronda McHugh.

-- Evan Monnett of Cloverdale High School, son of Russell and Kelly Monnett.

-- Allison White of Greencastle High School, daughter of Richard and Sue White.

-- Zachary Wilkerson of Greencastle High School, son of Scott and Beth Wilkerson.

These seniors were selected as finalists following an extensive review process by the Lilly Selection Committee from the Putnam County Community Foundation.

The committee is made up of eight voting members, two who reside in each of our four area school districts. The process included a blind review for the first three phases, followed by a dinner in which the selection committee met with nine semifinalists. It concluded with an individual interview with each of the six finalists.

The review process is based on scholastic abilities and intellectual pursuits, capacity to lead and motivate fellow students, social commitment and extracurricular involvement, and the ability to articulate career plans that demonstrate motivation and initiative.

The Community Foundation's nomination for the award has been submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana Inc. (ICI) for the selection of the recipient. ICI is a non-profit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree-granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state.

During the first 18 years of the LECS program more than 3,800 students in Indiana high schools have received Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships.

The Putnam County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1985 to help donors establish endowments, award grants and provide leadership, enriching the quality of life and strengthening community in Putnam County.

The Community Foundation has been entrusted with more than 279 funds and endowments for donors, supporting a variety of charitable purposes. To learn how to start your own endowment, visit www.pcfoundation.org or contact the office at 653-4978.