Are You a High School Senior and a Peacemaker?

Apply for a scholarship

The Society for the Prevention of Aggressiveness and Violence Among Adolescents (SPAVA), in partnership with Norton Children’s Prevention & Wellness, is seeking applications for its Peacemaker Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to students who exhibit compassion and promote peacemaking in their school and community.

SPAVA was created after a school shooting that occurred in 1997 at Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky. This student-on-student violence sparked an immediate response from community leaders. The goal was to form a program that would teach students the values of respect, honor and integrity through a nonviolent lens as exhibited by Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

The Peacemaker Scholarship is awarded to applicants who live these values and work to reduce violence, promote peace and seek to educate those around them.

Eligibility and Funding Levels

Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to students in grade 12 in the following counties:

• Kentucky: Jefferson
• Indiana: Clark, Floyd, Jefferson and Scott

The funds must be used for college or trade school education. Students must write an essay describing their qualifications (refer to selection criteria).

Application Criteria

1. Personal initiative to promote compassion and peacemaking: In under 500 words, describe a specific initiative, program, activity, volunteer opportunity, etc., that you completed to promote compassion and peacemaking.
   • What was your initiative?
   • How and why did you start it?
   • How did you involve others in your initiative?
   • How will you use the funding to support your postsecondary education?

2. Two letters of recommendation: Letters should be from teachers, employers and/or leaders from the community familiar with you and your work.

3. Proof of grade point average: You must submit a school transcript with your application. To be eligible, you must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or “C” average.

Application Submission

Completed applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, 2025. The award recipients will be notified by mail by mid-May. Applicants who do not receive awards also will be notified.

All required application materials must be included at the time of submission. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Submit your completed application, essay, letters of recommendation and proof of GPA to ncpw@nortonhealthcare.org. For more information, call (502) 629-7358.

Scholarship Committee

The scholarship committee includes representatives from SPAVA, Norton Children’s Prevention & Wellness and Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation. The committee will meet to review applications and make final award selections.