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The students and citizens of Caldwell Parish have created The Caldwell Parish Morris Endowed Scholarship with the ÍøÆØÃÅ Foundation. The scholarship will be awarded to a graduate of Caldwell Parish High School, entering as a freshman at the University of Louisiana Monroe.
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The $25,000 check presentation press conference is at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at the Laird Weems Center, 4400 Bon Aire Drive at ÍøÆØÃÅ. The public is invited to attend.
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In 1986, the class of 1957 of Columbia High School established the Frances Morris Scholarship Fund in memory of Frances Morris, who was a beloved English teacher at Columbia High School and later at Caldwell Parish High School. This effort was conceived and administered by her students Charles Meador and Charles Thompson. Scholarship funds were in a bank account in Columbia. The first scholarship was awarded in 1987.
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In subsequent years, other classes donated to the fund, which increased the principal and earnings, allowing for more and larger scholarship awards.
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By 2019, it had become increasingly difficult to manage the scholarship account and the application process. After considering several alternatives, Meador and Scott Meredith agreed to establish the endowed scholarship at ÍøÆØÃÅ to remain in perpetuity and be administered by the ÍøÆØÃÅ Foundation. Individuals and organizations can make tax-deductible donations to the scholarship fund principal in honor or memory of individuals and events. Those donations are payable to the ÍøÆØÃÅ Foundation for the specific benefit of The Caldwell Parish Morris Endowed Scholarship.
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The primary change to the scholarship requires the recipient to attend ÍøÆØÃÅ. Much of the criteria remain the same to maintain the integrity of the original legacy and purpose of the fund. Criteria include, in part: high school 3.0 cumulative GPA and must include a 3.0 GPA in high school English, scholarship awarded to an incoming freshman who graduated from Caldwell Parish High School, and a full-time student in good standing with the university.
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More information is available on the ÍøÆØÃÅ Foundation website,Ìýulm.edu/foundation. VisitÌýFoundation scholarshipsÌýand search for Caldwell Parish Morris Endowed Scholarship.