The Catholic Standard and Times

By CHRISTIE L. CHICOINE
CS&T Staff Writer

When colleges and universities see the term “Neumann scholar” on an application, “they want you that much more — it gives you a leg up on the rest of the competition.”

So says Brian Downey. And he should know.

A 2005 graduate of Bishop Shanahan High School in Downing-town, Downey is headed to the University of Pennsylvania this fall to pursue degrees in business and engineering. He went through high school with the help of a scholarship provided by the Connelly Foundation’s Neumann Scholars Program.

The foundation awards about 55 scholarships each year to eighth-grade students attending parish elementary schools. The grants are awarded to the students who achieve the highest scores in each of the 12 archdiocesan school districts in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

Winners receive full and half scholarships to one of 21 Catholic high schools operated by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Downey said he recognizes how well his Catholic high school education has prepared him for college.

As a Neumann scholar, he also had the opportunity to attend public-speaking and microeconomics classes last summer at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

About 1,500 students who meet the foundation’s eligibility criteria are invited to apply for scholarships every year. The program began 10 years ago.

All scholarships are guaranteed for four years and renewed annually, provided the Neumann scholars maintain a grade average of 90 or better, or their current class rank is within the top 10 percent; for honorable-mention scholars, a grade average of 90 or better is required and their current class rank must be within the top 15 percent.

Dominique Stroman, a newly named Neumann scholar and a 2005 graduate of St. Rose of Lima School in Philadelphia, took the Neumann scholar examination this past Jan. 29. This fall, she will attend Archbishop Prendergast High School for Girls in Drexel Hill.

“It’s a blessing to be a Neumann scholar,” said Stroman, who received a full, four-year scholarship. “It just shows that doing good throughout your whole school year pays off.”

But Stroman’s success did not come without self-discipline.

“You can’t just go out and play, or play video games. I’ve always put academics above everything. My mom always told me to do my best,” she said. That is because a good education can be costly, Stroman added — and, no matter what career you choose, “it’s important to have a good education.”

Stroman’s mother, Carla Jones, said her daughter’s scholarship significantly helps the family financially.

“It’s a blessing,” Jones said.

The Neumann Scholarship Program is named after St. John Neumann, Philadelphia’s fourth bishop and the city’s first canonized saint, who helped cultivate the Catholic school system.

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, students must have:
• attended a parish elementary school in the seventh and eighth grades.

• achieved a general average of 92 percent in seventh grade.
• achieved a general average of 90 percent in the first-quarter marking period of eighth grade.

• demonstrated a strong desire to attend an archdiocesan high school.

• received an invitation to take the Neumann Scholars exam.

An experienced scholarship counselor from the Connelly Foundation meets regularly with the scholarship recipients to help monitor and encourage their progress.

The scholarship counselor also advises students about the college selection and application process and provides information regarding scholarship research.

For more information, check out the Web site www.connellyfdn.org and click “Catholic School Programs.”
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine can be reached at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org