Mushrooms are sprouting more scholarship money for local graduates than ever before through the annual Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Scholarship program.
Scholarship applications are now available and can be downloaded on the Mushroom Mardi Gras website at mhmmg.com or picked up at the Live Oak and Sobrato High School counseling offices. Applications can also be retrieved from the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras office, 224 Tennant Station.
All high school seniors who live within the boundaries of the Morgan Hill Unified School District, attending public or private school, are welcome to apply, according to organizers.
Since the Mushroom Mardi Gras’ inception, 975 students have been awarded scholarships totaling more than $990,000 for continuing education.
Last year, the Mardi Gras board evaluated 235 applications. Out of those received, 50 seniors were given $50,000 worth of scholarships.
This year the members of the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Scholarship Committee, headed by Ron Woolf, Board Treasurer, will award 53 high school seniors with scholarships based on a combination of academic performance, community and school service and need.
Spencer Memorial Scholarships
Two of the scholarships—named the Brad Spencer Memorial Scholarships—are in honor of their namesake, the founder of the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras in 1980 who also served on the board of directors for the past 36 years. Spencer passed away in July 2015. To honor his memory and long-term service, the Brad Spencer Memorial Scholarships will be primarily determined based on a student’s community service involvement.
Scholarship recipients will be introduced at the 37th Annual Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival at 1:30 p.m. May 29. The festivities will include a presentation of proclamations from city, county and state officials as well as gifts from the Mushroom Mardi Gras Board of Directors including t-shirts from their respective college of choice and a festival souvenir t-shirt.
The deadline for all applications to be returned to the Mushroom Mardi Gras office (next door to JoAnne’s Fabrics) or the counseling offices at Live Oak and Sobrato high schools is March 24.
For more information on the scholarship program or any of these services, please contact the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras office at (408)778-1786.
