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Wilmington Band Parents &
Friends Scholarship Application
The 2023 Band Scholarship is NOW OPEN!
All Applications had to be submitted by 6PM on Monday, April 17, 2023.
​Any applications received after that date & time will not be considered as eligible.

The Wilmington Band Parents & Friends are proud to offer a number of scholarships to graduating seniors each year. Based on the success of our fundraising activities, our goal is to award up to 14 scholarships annually.  Seniors must submit an application by the designated deadline to be considered for a scholarship. 
The deadline was April 17, 2023 at 6PM - the application is NOW OPEN.

Here's how the process works and please note that this process was put in place several year ago regarding the distribution of the funds -
  • Each WHS Senior Band Member who is continuing their education after graduation including vocational training and/or joining the military has the opportunity to enter an application for a scholarship below.
  • Two deserving band students will be chosen by the Band Director at his discretion to receive the Joanne Benton Memorial Scholarship.
  • Scholarship amounts are $500 each. $250 is awarded during the WHS Scholarship Night and the remaining $250 is awarded upon submission of the student's first semester transcript.
  • In addition to the WHS Band Parents' Scholarships, one scholarship applicant, who is chosen by the WHS Band Director, will be presented with the Elliot M. Kanter Memorial WHS Band Scholarship in the amount of $1,500. To be considered for this scholarship, the applicant must be continuing to participate in marching band at their college / university.
  • All applications must be submitted by April 17th at 6:00PM.
  • On or before April 24th, all applications are compiled and made anonymous. Each application is assigned a number and the responses to the questions below are made visible to the reviewers, but not the submitter's name. Reviewers will include active Band Parents and officers of the Wildcat Band Parents Association.
  • Applications are then posted anonymously and a pdf document is distributed to the Band Parent Officers (excluding the President and Marketing/Publicity Officer) along with other active band parents who attend the Monthly Meetings and/or fundraising activities so they can vote. 
  • Those individuals review the applications, choose their top 12 and submit their choices via an online questionnaire document within one week of receiving the applications.
  • All votes are tallied and the top 12 are then determined based on the number of votes for each application.
  • While all members of the WHS Wildcat Band are deserving, not all graduating WHS senior band members will be awarded a scholarship. The Wildcat Band Parents have designated a maximum total of 14 scholarships to be awarded annually. Two are chosen by the WHS Band Director and 12 are voted on based on applications being submitted via the online application below and by the deadline of April 17th, 2023 at 6PM.
  • The scholarship recipients' names are supplied to the Wilmington High School for inclusion in the Annual Scholarship Night Activities which have been held the Friday before graduation either in person or virtually based on the status of the pandemic.
  • The denomination of the Annual Scholarships is determined by the amount of the funds raised during the year after other needs of the band are covered such as expenses related to band camp, equipment purchases, etc. 
  • Recipients are then awarded 1/2 of the scholarship during the scholarship / awards ceremony and the remaining 1/2 is awarded after the recipient submits their transcript showing completion of their first semester.  Directions for submitting the transcript will be included in the letter provided at the WHS Annual Scholarship Night. 
  • Note: This scholarship is given to the recipient for the purpose that they are pursuing continuing education towards a degree program, a vocational school or military service.r.
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ELIGIBILITY: 
  • A student attending WHS and is a member of the Band/Color Guard for three (3) consecutive high school years including senior year.
  • Pursuing Higher Education or joining the military.
  • If you haven't decided on a school yet, that's fine! Please just list the ones you are considering. 
  • You must be a band member in good standing according to the school handbook criteria.
  • All required fields on this form must be completed to be considered for a scholarship from the Wilmington Wildcat Band Parents.  
  • Note: The Wildcat Band Parents do their best to award up to 14 scholarships at $500 each annually based on the success of fundraising and the number of candidates.
  • All applications will be acknowledged by the Wildcat Band Parents'. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours of submitting, please reach out to the band parents via email.
APPLICATION DEADLINE:  APRIL 17, 2023 @ 6PM! NO EXCEPTIONS!
(ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA THIS FORM ON THE BAND PARENTS' WEBSITE)​
    When answering the following two questions, please be as specific as possible. Your responses to these questions are reviewed by the Band Parents and utilized for consideration of a scholarship being awarded. The WHS Band Director is not involved in the scholarship awarding process with the exception of the Elliot Kanter & Joanne Benton Memorial Scholarships.

    ​Recommendation: Compile your response(s) in a separate Word document and paste it in the form when you are ready to submit.
    ​    Each student is restricted to ONE application.
    Resubmissions are NOT allowed.

    Please keep in mind that your responses will be reviewed by Actively Involved Band Parents as well as Officers of the Wildcat Band Parents Assn (excluding the President & Publicity Officer) so judging is fair & impartial. If there is anything you want kept personal and/or confidential from your experience with band, please do not include that in your responses below.