The John and Abigail Adams scholarship is awarded to Massachusetts students earning an MCAS score in the top 25th percentile. Nearly 80 Malden High students received the scholarship this year.
An annual celebratory breakfast was held on November 7th at Malden High to congratulate the students. Senior Felix Li, who was one of the recipients of the scholarship, noticed that there were a lot of students in attendance at the breakfast, which he felt showed that “they really cared about the scholarship and were excited to receive it.”
Every student who takes the MCAS is automatically applied for the scholarship. In the words of Malden High principal Mr. Mastrangelo, “your scores dictate if you get the money.” Each year Malden High has an “outstanding” amount of students receiving the scholarship, averaging at about 80 per year.
The scholarship offers $1,575 a year for any UMass school, $1,000 a year for any state school, and $740 a year for community college. Senior Matthew Distefano believes that the “majority of people will find this scholarship very helpful,” as state schools are a popular choice among students looking for a more affordable post-secondary education.
Most students receiving the scholarship were notified via email from their guidance counselors a few days before the breakfast. Senior Santiago Portillo was “pretty excited” when he was notified of his achievements, especially because it was something that he “didn’t even know [he was eligible for].”
“Many students might not know about the scholarship but end up doing well on the MCAS and getting it anyways” stated Li. The scholarship is very helpful in terms of motivating students into seeking higher education because students are automatically entered once they take the MCAS. Being automatically entered helps to take the stress of applying off of students.
