By choosing to be a Rho Kappa Scholar, you've demonstrated your keen curiosity, dedication to your studies, and appreciation for humanistic inquiry. You seek to better yourself and sharpen your mind, to grow as a person as well as a student-scholar. But every year thousands of devoted students just like you miss out on so many wonderful opportunities simply because they don't know that free local, state, national, even international humanities programs for interested high school students exist! |
Here at James Klotter Chapter, we're committed to helping our Scholars get exactly where they want to go; a vital step in that process is ensuring students know just what free or low-cost arts, humanities, and social science programs are out there that might match their interests. That's why we're happy to present the first annual Growing as a Scholar blog post, which will highlight a few of the upcoming year's opportunities to get involved in a group, perform research, attend a summer institute, and more! All of the initiatives that we feature here are also listed in the Digital Humanities Center's periodically updated Scholarships & Programs Index alongside a multitude of similar programs.
So, without further ado, here are a few of our favorite 2017 opportunities to grow as a scholar:
So there you have it! Seven of the best opportunities to grow as a scholar in 2017. Don't forget to search the Scholarships & Program Index for even more.
So, without further ado, here are a few of our favorite 2017 opportunities to grow as a scholar:
- The Gilder-Lehrman Student Essay Contests. If you've checked out our About page, you might've noticed that BCHS is an Affiliate School of the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History. That means that both our students and teachers get access to a slew of exclusive resources and seminars, two of the most important of which are the annual Age of Revolution and Civil War national essay contests. In addition to developing your research and writing skills, these contests offer winners several prizes. The first place Civil War paper will receive a $1,000 reward to the student as well as a $500 award to the school and publication of the essay online. Second and third place papers are also published, and students receive smaller financial rewards. Ten honorably mentioned students will be given $100 each. Finally, the top essay writer from each school receives a GL publication. The top ten Age of Revolution essay writers earn $1,000 each and $500 will be donated to each of the schools.
- Kentucky Historical Society Volunteer Programs. Kentucky boasts a great state historical society which operates top notch public history and research facilities like the Old State Capitol and Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, all in the heart of our state capital: Frankfort. KHS is always glad to take on and train dedicated, dependable students as volunteers in a variety of capacities. Whether you want to guide visitors on tours of historic sites, help out with young kid history stations, work in the Clark Center's museum, or digitize documents upstairs in the Schmidt Research Library, KHS has got you covered. Some programs, like giving tours of the Old State Capitol, are restricted to students of ages 18 and up. Otherwise, most ways to get involved are open to everyone, including serving as a counselor at their summer ArtyFact Camp for smaller children. The KHS digitization office in their research library is the best way to get real, hands-on experience in the digital humanities in high school by digitizing authentic historic manuscripts for publication. Generally, we suggest that BCHS students stick to volunteering at KHS during the summer or sometimes on weekends, as it is a 2+ hour drive from Ashland to Frankfort.
- The Lincoln Forum Student Scholarship. Are you a fan of 19th century American history? Then applying to be a 2017 Lincoln Forum Student Scholar should be at top of your academic high school bucket list. Three students from across the nation are selected annually for full scholarships that include paid travel expenses, registration fees, meals, and lodging at the Wyndham Gettysburg to attend (and be recognized at) the Lincoln Forum Symposium in November. (If you're under 18, a parent will receive the same perks as your guest). There you'll have the extraordinary opportunity to mingle with nationally renowned historians while attending lectures, panels, and discussions by leading scholars on the latest research in Civil War era history. While there, you can also enjoy the famed nearby Gettysburg National Military Park. BCHS has already had one Lincoln Forum Student Scholar (whose experiences you can read about here); you could be next! And hey, why not bring along your favorite teacher? The Forum also offers Teacher Scholarships. Applications are due in July.
- The New Latin Educators Scholarship. Calling all seniors! Have you fallen in love with the Latin language after BCHS reintroduced Latin I to the curriculum? Are you considering becoming a Latin teacher? The New Latin Educators Scholarship annually awards $2,000 to five students studying (or intending to study) to become Latin teachers. This scholarship is renewable for up to four years! Curious which Kentucky colleges offer Latin or classical studies? We've got you covered there too.
- Questioz Journal of High School Research. Do you enjoy writing and conducting original research? Then consider Questioz. It's an online platform for high school students in any discipline to submit their original essays for review by a panel of professors and undergraduates (including one Rho Kappa alum), online publication, and community discussion/feedback.
- Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest. You've almost surely picked up a book by Penguin Books in your life. You know, the black cover classics like Shakespeare or Ovid that have a little penguin on the binding? Well, if you love Penguin or the books they publish, you're in luck. They sponsor an annual high school essay contest, the winner of which receives $1,000! As an added bonus, your school will receive a Signet Classics library! This year's theme is on Shakespeare's The Tempest.
- Stanford Summer Humanities Institute. It probably comes as no surprise to you that the internationally revered Stanford University is home to some of the world's most distinguished humanities programs. But did you know that they offer an intensive three-week summer program for advanced high school students? That's right, you have the chance to meet other bright students from around the globe as you all live and study on the Stanford campus, learning about the humanities from noted professors. Financial aid is available to offset the costs.
So there you have it! Seven of the best opportunities to grow as a scholar in 2017. Don't forget to search the Scholarships & Program Index for even more.