Minimum Requirements. The scholarship recipient must:

1. Be a resident of Marion County, Ohio for at least 24 consecutive months prior to January 1 of the year in which application for the scholarship is made, and have attended Marion Harding High School a minimum of two years including the applicant’s senior year.

2. Be registered to attend an accredited college or university, which normally maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly enrolled body of pupils or students in attendance at the place where its educational activities are regularly carried on for a course of study that will prepare them for a career.

3. Be pursuing a career in education.

4. Be a senior at Marion Harding High School ranked in the upper 25 percentile of the senior class.

5. Have timely prepared and filed the application and accompanying documents designated by the Marion Community Foundation for this scholarship.

6. Be available for an interview as determined by the Scholarship Selection Committee.

7. Submit a letter of recommendation from a current or former Marion City School teacher and a letter of recommendation from a member of the Marion County community who is not a relative of the applicant.

Criteria for Selection among applicants who meet the minimum requirements:

1. Academic Achievement. His or her class ranking, his or her grade point average, and the relative difficulty of his or her courses will show the applicant’s prior academic achievement.

2. Academic Potential. The applicant’s academic potential will be demonstrated by his or her score on the ACT, SAT, or other national standardized test commonly used to select students for the applicant’s planned course of study.

3. Financial Need. The applicant’s financial need will be considered and it will be measured by the cost of the education as compared to the applicant’s financial resources. However, no applicant will be eliminated from consideration because of this criterion.

4. Community Service and School Citizenship. The applicant’s commitment to the Marion County community and Marion Harding High School will be demonstrated by the applicant’s service, citizenship, and involvement in extra-curricular activities.

5. Special Skills. A brief essay, a possible interview, and the applicant’s academic achievements will demonstrate the applicant’s aptitude for and commitment to excellent communications.

6. No Prejudice. In making the selection, the committee shall not consider the applicant’s race, age, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity or disabilities.

7. No Relatives. The Selection Committee shall not award a scholarship to an applicant who are close relative of: Mandy Kruder, George Kruder, Janet Kruder, a member of the Selection Committee, a member of the Board of Trustees of Marion Community Foundation, or an employee of the Marion Community Foundation. For purposes of this paragraph, a “close relative” is a spouse, child, parent, grandchild, sibling, first cousin, niece, nephew, aunt, or uncle.

Special Consideration for Selection shall be given to applicants who meet the following criteria:

1. Pursuing an education and career in Early Childhood Studies or Middle Childhood Education.

2. Demonstrate significant involvement in music programs at Marion Harding High School and elsewhere.