A Mountainview High School scholarship has been revived after a 15-year hiatus.
The 90th Jubilee Scholarship was originally established with funds from a successful reunion in 1991 which celebrated 90 years of education at Timaru College, Timaru Technical College and Mountainview High School, and aimed to provide assistance to a student who showed potential, but might face challenges attending further study.
It received a boost in funds 10 years later from centenary celebrations, and continued to be awarded to a student each year until 2009.
With funds dwindling due to diminishing interest rates, increasing compliance costs and issues finding new trustees, the scholarship funds were formally transferred in 2019 to the Aoraki Foundation to establish the Mountainview High School Scholarship Fund.
With the fund under the foundation’s $50,000 threshold, no scholarships were awarded, and the focus was on finding ways to increase the capital.
The Mountainview High School PTA this year boosted the fund enough to ensure a student could once again receive the annual scholarship.
PTA secretary Vanessa Waller said the organisation felt it would be an amazing thing to do, to ensure the scholarship could continue for many years to come.
‘‘Money that was in our PTA account has been accumulated over many, many years by many hardworking PTA members. It was bought to a PTA meeting a few months ago that the fund had gone below $50,000, and they were looking to us to be able to support them, and take them over that threshold.’’
Principal Kenny Diamond said staffing changes had meant knowledge of the scholarship had been lost.
‘‘[Aoraki Foundation chief executive] Richard Spackman came to me about a year ago to bring this to my attention . . . nobody knew the money existed.’’
Mountainview High School technology and Esol teacher Liana Irvine was one of the last recipients of the scholarship, sharing it with another student.
She put her part of the funds towards her graduate diploma in education studies, while her fellow recipient is now a business owner.
Mr Diamond said that rather than students applying for the scholarship, they are nominated, and find out about it at the school’s November prizegiving.
He said Mrs Irvine would be involved in helping decide who would receive the $1500.
Aoraki Foundation gift and community adviser Kirsty Burnett said the foundation was hoping to be able to grow the scholarship further.
