La Paz Scholarship Program: A lasting impact on the lives of children…

The La Paz Scholarship program is an essential aspect of our school mission to provide education to the diverse youth of the Guanacaste region.  Without accommodating all socioeconomic levels, the vision of a community school would be impossible to fulfill.

Scholarship students are given the opportunity to become bilingual, form friendships with children from many different cultures, learn about local ecology and sustainable ways to preserve the area’s natural resources, and become thoughtful, global citizens.

Potential scholarship students are first recommended by local community leaders. The La Paz Scholarship Committee then conducts an interview/home visit and carefully considers the following factors: economic need, social and cognitive ability of the child, level of family support/involvement, and future family goals.

Students who are offered scholarships are paired with a teacher representative. This teacher makes ongoing home visits, organizes the parent volunteer hours, addresses any concerns, and communicates with the family throughout the year.

Currently thriving at La Paz Community School, scholarship students are an integral part of our community. One student in particular is so excited about attending school that he tells his mother that the bus passes by his house an hour before it actually does. Needless to say, this student never misses school!

Scholarships are renewed based upon the student’s academic achievement, attendance, behavior, financial need and fulfillment of family cooperative hours.

The La Paz Scholarship fund has supplied over $150,000 in financial assistance to families in need over the past three school years.  Our goal is to add between three to five scholarships per year to students at the kindergarten, first, and second grade level.  Please help us reach our goal of accommodating not only all ethnicities from the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, but also all socioeconomic levels by donating to the La Paz Scholarship Fund.

How are students selected?

Scholarships are awarded based upon a student’s economic need as well as academic potential. Once a Scholarship Interest Form has been completed, each scholarship applicant undergoes an interview and home visit by an educator on the La Paz Community Selection Committee before the child is accepted into the program. Since La Paz operates as a non-profit co-operative, each sponsored family is asked to contribute a small amount of money per year (whatever they can afford) in order to ensure a sense of ownership and investment in their child’s education. In addition to financial commitments, all families (including sponsored families) are asked to donate a set number of hours to the school each term. We believe this type of volunteerism fosters an enriched academic environment for our students as well as builds strong community ties in our area.

How can I support the La Paz Scholarship Program?

You can assist in guaranteeing that scholarships are available by becoming a financial partner. As a partner, you decide how you wish to give. Partners can make the commitment of either Full Tuition or Half Tuition scholarships for a complete academic year. These partners are encouraged to renew their pledge at the end of each year in order to help scholarship students complete their academic career at La Paz Community School. Partners can also make a general donation to the La Paz General Scholarship Program to create new scholarships and/or maintain existing scholarships. We encourage all of our supporters to be active participants in building a sense of community and to visit our school campus.

Donate Now!

• Send a check made out to La Paz Community School (Scholarship Fund in memo line) to 2880 Arrowhead St, Eugene, OR 97404

• Click on this link to make a secure online donation via PayPal
  
  
• Transfer funds directly into our Scholarship Fund accounts at Banco de Costa Rica:
  • Asociación Escuela Comunal La Paz: Scholarship Fund (checking in colones) 325-1971-2
  • Asociación Escuela Comunal La Paz: Scholarship Fund (checking in dollars) 325-1972-0