The St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation has announced $50,000 in scholarships being awarded to ten graduating high school seniors this year.

The foundation’s Jennifer Havlik tells us all scholarships are supported through donations, often by the same family each year. The SJPS Foundation begins advertising the scholarship opportunities to students around February, giving them a few months to get their applications together.

“We ask for two letters of recommendation, one from St. Joseph Public Schools staff, and then one who is not a staff member,” Havlik said. “So those letter recommendations are really important. And we work with the school to get their transcripts and things like that.”

There are several scholarships, including the $5,000 Paul W. and Rose Suchovsky Scholarship, which is given to six students each year. There’s also the Yeager Family Foundation Scholarship, the Bill Marohn Leadership Scholarship, the Spirit of Community Service Scholarship, and the SJPSF Health & Education Scholarship. All are for $5,000 each.

Havlik says the committees always have a hard time selecting the recipients.

“It’s very difficult. Our committees spend a lot of time. They review every single application that is given to their committee.”

Havlik says in addition to its scholarship offerings, the St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation raises funds to enrich the education of students in the St. Joseph Public Schools district. In 2025, the foundation awarded more than $850,000 to the district in support of academic initiatives.

This year’s scholarship recipients can be seen below.