Pearl River High School

The New York State Scholarships for Academic Excellence program provides scholarship assistance to outstanding New York State high school graduates.  Each year, 8,000 scholarships are awarded - up to 2,000 scholarships of $1,500 and 6,000 scholarships of $500 to top scholars from registered New York State high schools.  Awards are based on certain academic criteria.  Recipients can also receive other non-loan student aid, but the total cannot exceed the cost of attendance. 

Selection Criteria: While past criteria has been based on Regents exam scores, due to the cancellation of Regents exams in 2020, the limited selection of Regents exams offered in June 2021, and the ability for students to be granted a Special Appeal in lieu of numeric scores in June 2022, exam results cannot be used as a consistent measure of achievement. Therefore, for this year and the next few years, Pearl River High School winners will be selected based on students' class rank at the end of their junior year.

Please click on the links below for more information on each scholarship.
(Links to additional scholarship resources are available below this list.) 

The Cristin Ann Bambino Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship is available to a college or technical school-bound special education student with an active IEP or 504 plan from a NYSIR-member school district to reward him/her for working through special challenges to complete high school and obtain acceptance to a college or university. Application and 650 word essay are required. Please see application for more information. Deadline for scholarship is April 2, 2026. 

Community Arts Association’s 2026 Visual Arts Scholarships: The Haas Scholarship for Excellence in the Visual Arts and The Lorraine Strangfeld Memorial Scholarships are made possible through donations by Glenda S. Haas and the Lorraine Strangfeld Family in conjunction with the Community Arts Association of Allendale, N.J. The scholarships will be granted to high school seniors from Bergen County, N.J. or Rockland County, N.Y. who will major in the visual arts at an accredited college or university. Student work will be displayed at the Community Arts Association’s Member Show. Applicants must be majoring in art at an accredited college or university in the fall of 2026. Applicants must submit ten images of your artwork and a 300-500 word essay. Please ask the Guidance Department to send in a copy of your official transcript. Deadline for the scholarships is March 18, 2026. 

Delta Kappa Gamma Society International: Alpha Eta Chapter Scholarship: The Alpha Eta Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a female high school senior graduating in June 2025 with plans to enter college in September 2026 to pursue a career in the field of education.  Candidates must have at least a B average, demonstrated good conduct, and performed community service.  A 500-word essay and two (2) letters of reference are mandatory.  For an overview of the organization please visit www.dkg.org.  Deadline for submission is April 17, 2026.

Delta Sigma Theta Scholarship: Multiple scholarships offered to Rockland County high school seniors of African descent who exemplify scholastic excellence, high ideals, and plan to attend an accredited college or university in the fall following their graduation year.  Students must have a GPA of 80 or above and be active in extracurricular and/or community activities to be considered for an award.  Completed application form, documents verifying citizenship, letters of recommendation, SAT/ACT scores, high school transcript, and a short essay required.  Personal interviews will be conducted.  Application deadline is February 13, 2026. 

Frank A. Fornario Sr. Scholarship Award: The Blauvelt-Orangeburg Republican Club, a non-political civic organization, is offering a scholarship award in honor of one of its charter members, Frank A. Fornario, Sr, who was a long-time resident of Blauvelt and a former Rockland County Legislator. The scholarship will be given to a graduating senior who plans to pursue a college major in Political Science, History, Public Policy, Pre-Law or Constitutional Studies. A complete application and transcript is due to the guidance department by 12 noon on March 22, 2026. 

Hudson Valley Magazine's Excellence in Nursing Scholarship: $1,500 will be awarded to a motivated high school senior who plans to pursue a career in nursing.  Transcript, two (2) letters of recommendation, SAT/ACT scores and a 500-700-word essay explaining why you want to be a nurse required.  The winner will be featured in Hudson Valley Magazine and celebrated at an Excellence in Nursing Awards Dinner. Applications must be postmarked by February 2, 2026. Please email completed packets and essays to pr@hvmag.com. Be sure to include “2026 Nursing Awards Scholarship” in the subject line.

The Joseph Goncalves Student Humanitarian Scholarship: This scholarship, one in the amount of $5,000, the other for $3,000, will be awarded to a graduating senior, who plans to attend college in NY State. Applying students should be able to demonstrate a record of involvement and work for a cause or organization that actively promotes social justice, equal opportunity, relief of human suffering or similar aspirations generally understood to be within the meaning of humanitarian activity. The application and an essay not to exceed 650 words are due by April 2, 2026. Please see attachment for further information. 

Knights of Pythias Rockland Scholarship: A scholarship to one deserving graduating student from each public high school in Rockland County.  We want to reward students who maintain at least a B- average while participating in community service thereby aiding those who are less fortunate.  We focus our selection of deserving recipients on the essay the student writes to show how his or her community service reflects the Knights of Pythias precepts of friendship, charity and benevolence.  Our decision will also be impacted by the candidate’s community service experiences, their ability to describe those experiences in writing and what they tell us they learned from the community service. This year our applications will be submitted using an on-line survey which the student will access and submit using the following URL. We recommend students write their essay using Word or notepad and paste them into the proper page on the scholarship application. The deadline for submission of both parts of this application (the application and the transcript) is April 1st, 2026. The scholarship presentation will take place on Tuesday May  12th, 2026.  Each winner will be notified and will be asked to make a 3 minute speech accepting the scholarship and summarizing his or her experience.

Lathisms Scholarship: This scholarship aims to support Hispanic/Latinx students interested in pursuing a career focused on mathematical sciences; such career paths include, but are not limited to, scientific research, mathematics education, engineering, and finance. They will be awarding scholarships of up to $500 (each) aimed at prospective and current undergraduate/graduate students. Applicants must be Latinx/Hispanic (self-identified), pursuing a career in the mathematical sciences and be high school juniors/seniors.Deadline is February 27, 2026. 

Michael Gregory 2026 Scholarship: On behalf of the Vincent Linguanti Lodge Brothers & Sisters of the Order of the Sons
& Daughters of Italy in Suffern, NY, they are proud to offer the Michael Gregory 2026 Scholarship to students of Italian descent who are committed to vocational trades for their next level of education/instruction. This scholarship committee is looking for an individual who is of Italian descent that possesses a uniqueness all their own, can articulate how they care about others and is committed to their trade. Completed applications must be postmarked by Tuesday, April 3, 2026. 

Morning Music Club: Morning Music Club is holding its annual auditions for scholarship awards on Monday, March 2, 2026 (snow date March 9, 2026) at the Rockland Conservatory of Music in Pearl River, 45 South Main Street.  Auditions are open to seniors attending Rockland County high schools who intend to continue their music studies in college, university, or conservatory.  Applicants do not have to major in Music to qualify.  Please see application form for details.  Applications must be postmarked to emailed no later than February 23, 2026.  

National Council of Jewish Women - Rockland Section Community Service Award: In the spirit of advancing human welfare and the democratic way of life, $1,000 each will be awarded to the top five (5) applicants in Rockland County.  A minimum of one hundred (100) hours of ongoing voluntary community service is required for applicants; please see application for guidelines of service requirement.  Two (2) letters of recommendation from a service supervisor are also required (see form).  Email awards@ncjw-rockland.org with any questions. Deadline for submission is April 6, 2026.

O'Grady-Brown Memorial Scholarship: Scholarship is awarded to students seeking to pursue a career in law enforcement; attention given to financial need and past academic and extracurricular achievements. Applicant must be a graduating senior planning to attend an accredited college or university. Two (2) letters of recommendation required.  Please visit O'Grady-Brown website for more details. Deadline for submission is April 15, 2026.

The Paul Jensen Memorial Scholarship 2026: This scholarship, one in the amount of $5,000 and another for $3,000 will be awarded to a student who has demonstrated an inspired imagination and creative aesthetic in their school career and who is seeking an opportunity to attend college. The scholarship is in memory of Paul Jensen, a marketing representative for NYSIR, who passed away in 2006. An essay of up to 650 words is required with other required documents. The deadline for this application is April 2, 2026.

Renee Craig “Music in Motion” Scholarship: The Harmony Celebration Chorus will award a $1,000 scholarship to a high school senior who is planning to major or minor in music, music education, voice, or theater.  A minimum of 3.0 GPA, official high school transcript, letter of recommendation from a music mentor, essay, and a visual/auditory video performance required.  Please see application form for details or visit the Harmony Celebtation website. All materials must be received by April 10, 2026. 

Rockland County Music Educators Association (RCMEA) Senior Music Scholarship: Sponsored by music teachers in Rockland County, this scholarship is available for students planning a career in music. NYSSMA scores, two (2) letters of recommendation, and digital audio or video of musical abilities are required.  Scholarship is intended for students who will be attending an accredited 4-year college or university with a major in music. Application Link and the deadline is March 29, 2026.

Rockland Negro Scholarship Fund: Awarded to graduating seniors of Rockland County of African-American descent. Official transcript, letter of recommendation and essay required.  See application for details.  Applications are due no later than Friday, February 13, 2026.

Rolling Thunder NY3 Tony Schembri Memorial Scholarship: In honor of Tony Schembri, a veteran and co-founder of Rolling Thunder NY Chapter 3, a $750 scholarship is available for high school seniors.  Prospective scholarship applicants should write an essay of approximately 500 words. The theme of your essay should center on: How and why the efforts and sacrifices of the American soldier/military veteran are so important. Your essay should be based on the ideas you have formed from either reading of history or from the veterans you know personally as family or friends.  See application for additional details. Please contact suziq433@yahoo.com with any questions.  Deadline for submission is April 1, 2026.

The Rotary Club of Pearl River Scholarships: The award criteria are diverse. All students needing aid and who are involved in community service are encouraged to apply. To be eligible for these scholarships, applicants must be residents of the Pearl River School District for at least one year (12 months.) An essay of 350 words or less, financial information, community service and leadership activities are all considered.  Scholarships are also considered for trade/technical schools or other special forms of continued study.  Applications without adequate financial information will not be considered.   All financial information will be held to the strictest of confidence and all applications are blindly reviewed and scored.  Transcripts required; unofficial transcripts accepted.  Incomplete applications will not be processed.  If you have any questions about the application process, please call (845) 222-3356 or e-mail PRRotaryScholarships@gmail.com.  All applications must be submitted online by April 20,2026.

Steven W. Dauksza Memorial Scholarship: The Steven W. Dauksza Memorial Scholarship Fund was started by Steven’s family to help students interested in pursuing a career in the automotive field.  Scholarships will be awarded to two Rockland students looking to follow in Steven’s footsteps and pursue a career as an auto mechanic. There will be one scholarship award for $5,000 to UTI (Universal Technical Institute) and a second to a NYS automotive school for $2,000.  Interested applicants must submit an essay about how you became interested in the automotive field and why you chose to pursue a career as an auto mechanic.  Resume required.  Applications must be submitted no later than March 25, 2026.  

Tri-State Consortium Kathleen Reilly Scholarship: Pearl River School District will nominate one high school senior with demonstrated character, leadership, and academic achievement for a chance to win a $2,500 annual Tri-State Consortium Kathleen Reilly Scholarship.  Seniors who wish to be nominated must submit a completed application form, transcript (unofficial is acceptable), and resumé highlighting leadership and community service activities.  In addition, a 500-word essay or a 3-minute video or podcast describing how you are a “social connector” who strives to bring others together and form networks of relationships in service to making the world a better place is also required.  Please be sure to read the instructions carefully.  Application forms and supporting materials must be submitted to the Counseling Office (videos can be emailed to guidance@pearlriver.org) no later than March 27, 2026 at 12:00pm.  Late submissions will not be considered. 

United Women of Rockland Scholarship: This scholarship award is open to graduating high school students who are residents of Rockland County, New York, and who have or had a mother with a devastating health diagnosis. Applicants must reside in Rockland County, New York.   One scholarship will be granted per each town of Rockland. Deadline for application is March 15, 2026.

William V. Harris Memorial Scholarship: Two (2) $500 awards available to graduating seniors.  Scholarship is based upon contributions to the community.  Essay, intentions for future, two (2) letters of recommendation and a list of extracurricular activities are all required.  Completed applications with required documents must be submitted to the Counseling Office by noon on  May 8, 2026.

2026 Keep Rockland Beautiful Scholarship: This scholarship, created in loving memory of former KRB board member, Irfan Sabir, recognizes students who have shown dedication to environmental protection through their studies, community involvement, or personal action. Applicants should be committed to making a positive impact, whether through science, advocacy, education, or hands-on initiatives. Three scholarships will be awarded to outstanding applicants — $1,000, $750, and $500 — in recognition of their passion, leadership, and commitment to protecting the environment. A  letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, or intern supervisor and a 500-700 word essay is required. Please complete the application online by April 14, 2026.