Four Putnam County high school seniors have been named as finalists for the 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. This prestigious award goes to an 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 finalists are Grace Elmore of North Putnam High School, daughter of Bryan and Julie Ann Elmore; Paige Kaiser of Greencastle High School, daughter of Rock and Mary Beth Kaiser; Evan Steffy of South Putnam High School, son of Jamie and Debbie Steffy; and Grace Timm of North Putnam High School, daughter of Mark Timm and Angela Timm.
These seniors were selected as finalists following an extensive review process by the Lilly Selection Committee. 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 two phases, followed by a socially-distanced reception in which the selection committee met with eight semi-finalists. It concluded with an individual interview with each of the four 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. Announcement of the recipient will be made in mid-December.
The nomination for the award will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for approval of the recipient. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree-granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state.