All students at Dilworth - currently 575 in total - receive a fully-funded scholarship, worth about $35,000 a year.

The costs of the school are covered by the Dilworth charitable trust, which is responsible for a range of assets including the school's central-Auckland sites.

"It's a time when people are potentially going to find themselves really struggling financially, not just in the immediate term, but also in the medium to long-term," says Dilworth's Headmaster, Dan Reddiex

"For a lot of those parents, one of the primary concerns is going to be about the quality of education that their children receive."

"I think that's why at this point and time, it's really important that we're signalling that Dilworth may be a viable option."

Dilworth which caters to students from years five to 13, was established as part of philanthropist's James Dilworth's estate in 1906.

In his will, James Dilworth stipulated that the school should provide for "orphans, the sons of widows and the sons of persons of good character, of any race, and in straitened circumstances with such maintenance, education and training as to enable them to become good and useful members of society."

Trust chairman Aaron Snodgrass is a former pupil himself.

He says the school roll has doubled since his attendance in the early 90s and the board is anticipating it will remain steady throughout the inevitable post-COVID-19 economic downturn.

"During these times, we tend to have an increase in applications. We really do encourage people to apply for their boys if they meet the criteria," he says.

While the trust's asset-base is solid, it is unrealistic to expect it to escape any impact from Covid-19.

However, as with the 2007/8 financial crisis, plans are in place, Snodgrass says.

The number of scholarships and current school roll will not be impacted, he says.

Source

• thespinoff.co.nz
• Image: thespinoff.co.nz/

King University in Bristol, Tennessee, has awarded Anya Gross a $191,000 athletic and academic scholarship.

There, she will play football and study sport and exercise science over a four-year period.

Caitlin McGoldrick will attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles on a $20,000 scholarship.

While the scholarships are for very different pursuits, both students say they won them by setting goals.

Anya Gross says things began to happen when she started to turn her dreams into goals.

She moved to New Zealand from South Africa when she was 5 and joined a football club after watching kids at Kensington Park.

She played as a midfielder for the Northern Football Federation Women's Team.

In April last year she attended a football camp in Spain.

The local football club told her she had a good shot at a future in football and America was the best place to be.

Then a recruitment agency created her player profile and King University responded.

She had impressed the university with her technical ability and skill.

Meanwhile, Caitlin McGoldrick attended a two-week course at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

The experience caused her to drop plans to study medicine and pursue a career in drama.

She says she fell in love with drama and the environment.

She flew to Sydney in October to audition.

The scholarship covers her first year studying for a diploma in acting.

It's a two-year course. If the Academy accepts her for a second year, the scholarship will also cover that year.

Both students leave in August next year to begin their scholarships.

Source:

• New Zealand Herald