Bollinger scholarship to be increased to €4,000

A SCHOLARSHIP scheme for students in Schull Community College which has been running since 1998 is to be increased from €3,00 to €4,000 annually.

Bill and Judy Bollinger have an impressive track record of supporting arts and education in West Cork and the students of Schull Community College have benefitted significantly from this generosity.

The Bollinger Scholarship was established in 1998, to reward a Schull CC student who has shown commitment to study and contribution to all aspects of school life. To date, the bursary has awarded in excess of €300,000 to exceptional students of the college on the Mizen Peninsula.

The very first Bollinger scholar, Michelle Minihane, was guest of honour at the SCC prizegiving in 2019, when she spoke of how her selection by nomination and interview process encouraged her to meet expectations and maintain high standards at third level and beyond. Other recipients have pursued a wide range of studies across a broad spectrum of fields.

With the bursary now in its 22nd year, the Bollingers have extended their generosity even further. They recently contacted Schull CC principal Sarah Buckley to convey how impressed they were by the maturity, enthusiasm and intellectual ability of the students involved in this programme since its inception and thus have been further convinced of its value.

As a result, they have decided to raise the amount of the annual scholarship from €3,000 to €4,000, which will apply to all existing scholars.

They also recognised the difficulty faced by the Bollinger committee in selecting a successful recipient, when there are clearly many qualified candidates at the college, and as a result they have added a second scholarship for 2020.

The Bollinger Scholars for 2020 will be named at a prizegiving event later in the year. Meanwhile the Virtual Open Evening will take place on November 19th. Register for the event on www.schullcommunitycollege.com