LHS, ECHS Students Earn Lilly Scholarships

Press release from Dearborn Community Foundation

Michael Frondorf

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Josh Bezold

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(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Two Dearborn County high school seniors recently learned they are the recipients of a prestigious Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship (LECS). The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF) awarded the full-tuition scholarships to East Central High School’s Michael Frondorf and Lawrenceburg High School’s Joshua Bezold.

The Foundation staff and members of the board of directors and the scholarship committee notified the 2012 LECS recipients and their families during a surprise visits on Tuesday evening, April 3. Frondorf and Bezold receive four-year, full-tuition scholarships to the Indiana college of their choice along with an $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.

“The purpose of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program is to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana and to further leverage the ability of Indiana’s community foundations to enhance the quality of life of the state’s residents,” said Fred McCarter, Executive Director of DCF.

“Michael and Joshua are two fine young men who were selected among an excellent group of applicants for the high honor of receiving the Lilly scholarships,” McCarter said. “Our community should be very proud of these two honor students and the other four finalists for this prestigious award.”

Frondorf, the son of Mary Beth and James Frondorf, Jackson Township, plans to attend Rose Hulman Institute of Technology to study Engineering. He also is interested in entering medical school. At ECHS, Frondorf served as President and Tutor as a member of the National Honor Society, President of Math Club, and was a Captain on the Academic Team. He also was a member of 4-H and played football at East Central for three years. Frondorf also completed a significant amount of volunteer service in the community, including tutoring other students and volunteering at Hoxworth blood drives, Community Creek Cleanup, Safe Passage, and the Hansen Center.

Bezold, the son of Ramona McGovern Bezold and Tony Bezold, Lawrenceburg, plans to attend Purdue University and study Engineering, but he’s also considering opportunities to attend military academies. At LHS, Bezold was a member of the National Honor Society, Academic Team, Key Club (Vice President), and Hoosier Boys State. He also was Junior Class Vice President and received the Jack Anderson Academic Award his last three years of high school. Bezold completed a significant amount of community service throughout his high school years, including volunteering at Relay for Life, Winter Special Olympics, Hoxworth blood drives, Think Smart Stay Safe and helped other students as a peer tutor.

DCF administers the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship (LECS) Program in Dearborn County for Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment, Inc. A six-member scholarship committee and the DCF staff annually review each application during Phase I of the scholarship process. During Phase I, committee members know applicants only by a number assigned to them. Each committee member assigns scores to each applicant based on an essay written to address a specific question. DCF assigns additional scores based on history of parental college education, financial need, cumulative academic scores (includes SAT, ACT & GPA), and number of family dependents.

Based on the highest total scores during Phase I of the process, six Lilly finalists are chosen. In late February, the finalists complete Phase II of the selection process, which consists of a personal interview, including a PowerPoint presentation to the scholarship committee and writing an impromptu essay on a specific topic.

The scholarship committee then selects two nominees to receive the two scholarships allotted to Dearborn County, based on highest cumulative scores from Phase II of the scholarship process. The Foundation board of directors approves the two nominees and the nominees’ information is then sent to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), a non-profit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state. The ICI Selection Committee, made up of Indiana public and private college representatives, community foundation members and graduate scholarship recipients, reviews the nominations and forwards its endorsement to DCF in late March.

The four remaining LECS finalists are recognized as 2012 DearbornCommunity FoundationScholarship recipients. Each student receives a $1,000 educational grant paid directly to the student’s school. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years of secondary education at the college or university of the student’s choice. The Foundation is pleased to award the 2012 DCF scholarships to: Matthew Davis, Lawrenceburg High School; Meredith Goodall, Oldenburg High School; Lee Newsom, East Central High School; and Marnisa Metheny, South Dearborn High School.