Student Scholarships
The Lake Washington PTSA Council awards a variety of student scholarships to graduating LWSD seniors pursuing two- or four-year postsecondary educations. The scholarship funds may be used to pay for anything billed by the university/college/vocational school, including tuition, room and board, and other fees. It also includes payment for books and computers, with a receipt. We are not able to reimburse for furniture.
Students may apply for multiple scholarships; however, a maximum of one scholarship will be awarded per student. The current student scholarship categories are as follows, with each award in the amount of $1,250:
- Merit scholarships for students planning on attending a four-year institution: These merit scholarships will be awarded to two students residing in each of the four LWSD learning communities (Eastlake, Juanita, Lake Washington, Redmond). Tesla STEM, ICS, Emerson and Cambridge students will be considered in the learning community in which they reside.
- LWEA Teeley scholarship for a student entering the field of education — funded by the Lake Washington Education Association in the name of former LWEA President Kevin Teeley
- Perseverance scholarship for a student who has overcome hardship: This scholarship will be awarded to a student who is a well-rounded community member and can show excellence in their life and academics in the face of hardship or a challenging life circumstance. This is for a student planning on attending either a two- or four-year institution.
- Turnaround scholarship for a student who has demonstrably turned their academic career around: This scholarship will be awarded to a student who did not perform at their best in the early years of their high school career but “turned around” their situation and can demonstrate a significant improvement in their academic achievement over the course of their high school career. This is for students planning on attending either a two- or four-year institution.
- Two-Year, Technical or Vocational School scholarship for a student planning on attending a two-year, vocational or technical college
- At-Large scholarship: The scholarship committee may choose to award an additional “At-Large” Scholarship from the entire pool of applicants.
Certificated Staff Scholarships
We also award scholarships for certificated LWSD staff members, to be applied toward continuing education at an institute of higher learning or through LWSD professional development opportunities.
One of LWPTSA Council’s goals is to assist in securing the best possible education for all our students. We believe that assisting staff members with their continuing education will contribute to the classroom learning environment and foster a team atmosphere between the staff and our school community. It is our hope that these scholarships, intended as support for our dedicated staff, contribute toward achieving that goal.
We currently award the following staff scholarships, for $500 each:
- Professional development scholarships
- LWEA Mawhinney scholarship for an educator in the field of special education — funded by the Lake Washington Education Association in the name of long-time LWEA leader Harold Mawhinney (new for 2025)