Spirit of Sandra Scholarships
The Sandra Schmirler Foundation encourages the athletic and academic careers of promising Canadian curlers by offering annual scholarships. Since 2013, the Sandra Schmirler Foundation has awarded $5,000 scholarships to six youth curlers annually. The scholarship funds education and curling expenses equally.
Spirit of Sandra Scholars are mentored throughout the curling season by Olympians and World Champions Lisa Weagle and Brett Gallant. Scholars will be invited to a two-day camp with the Mentors in late summer 2024, where they will learn more about the Foundation’s mission, visit a NICU, develop their fundraising activities, and take part in team building activities.
Each Spirit of Sandra Scholar is responsible for organizing a fundraising event to raise funds and awareness to ensure that Sandra’s Legacy Lives On.
The scholars are provided with the opportunity to select one hospital foundation to receive a grant to purchase life-saving equipment for their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Application Deadline: Friday, May 24, 2024 at noon ET
Successful applicants will be notified no later than June 30, 2024.
Criteria
The applicant must:
- be a Canadian citizen.
- be studying at the post-secondary level in the 2024-2025 academic year and be enrolled in 6 one-semester courses during the academic year.
- be in good academic standing (you have fully met the academic standards required for your program and that you are eligible to continue your studies).
- be born July 1, 2004 or later.
- be committed to curling during the 2024-2025 curling season.
- be committed to holding a fundraising event for the Sandra Schmirler Foundation by May 31, 2025.
How to apply for the Spirit of Sandra Scholarship:
- complete the application form and upload the required files, including your essay.
- create a multimedia presentation, upload it to YouTube (unlisted) and upload the link.
What you will need to complete your application:
- complete information in your online application
- 800-word essay
- letter of acceptance to post-secondary institution if you are currently a high school student
- high school marks or university transcripts (a screenshot is acceptable)
- two reference letters
- the link to your “unlisted” YouTube video
- a head & shoulders photo in jpeg format
Essay Instructions
The vision of the Sandra Schmirler Foundation is “Every baby has the chance to grow up and be a champion.” In 800 words or less, describe to the Foundation what makes a champion. Think of whom you might consider a champion in your life. Are they a champion because of their talent, awards, visions, morals, or something else?
Your essay counts for 30% of your points. Your essay must be your own work. Please do not use ChatGPT or other AI programs to write your essay.
Your essay be graded in the following areas:
- Content (20)
- Structure (5)
- Language/Mechanics (5)
Multimedia Presentation Instructions
It’s very important that you invest the time and energy necessary to create a memorable, creative 5-minute multimedia presentation. Your presentation counts for 70% of your points so be sure to maximize your use of the entire five minutes.
In your multimedia presentation, tell us: Who are you? How are you involved with your community? Why should you be chosen as a Spirit of Sandra Scholar? What are your plans for your fundraiser activity?
Your presentation will be graded in the following specific areas:
- Content (50) – this is the information that you provide. Ask yourself if it is relevant, informative, meaningful, and engaging. Answer the required questions while telling us a story through your video.
- Style and Multimedia elements (10) – how you express yourself and your personality through the effective use of graphics, video, audio and other enhancements.
- Quality (10) – how is the overall quality of your video? Did you follow instructions and effectively time your video? How do you deliver your message? Are you clear, concise, and confident? Do you show that you could be a strong spokesperson for the Foundation?
Here are some things to consider when creating your multimedia presentation:
- Write a script and practice it so that you can deliver it naturally. Watch footage of yourself and identify areas where you can improve.
- Think about how you can use narrative and storytelling to create a compelling video. What sets you apart from the other applicants?
- Work on your camera presence and engage your audience by showcasing your personality.
- Make sure your multimedia elements are relevant to the content you are speaking about.
- Consider your lighting and be aware of your surroundings (cleanliness, shadows, distractions, etc.).
- Use a microphone to have good audio quality – background noise distracts from what you are saying.
- Make sure you use a tripod or place your camera on a solid surface to avoid shaky footage.
- Choose a good video-editing program.
- Your video must be your own work. You can get some help with filming from family or friends, but please do not hire professionals to create your video.
UPLOADING YOUR VIDEO TO YOUTUBE
To get started uploading your video on YouTube, follow the steps outlined here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57924?hl=en
Please Set Your Video to “Unlisted”
We want to ensure that your video is only viewable by the selection committee. Only those with the direct URL can watch the video. It won’t show up on your YouTube channel or anywhere else on the site.
To set your videos to unlisted, follow these easy steps:
- Visit your Video Manager
- Find the video you’d like to set to private and click the Edit button
- In the “Privacy Settings” drop-down menu, select Unlisted
- Click Save Changes
Applications are now closed for the 2024 Spirit of Sandra Scholarships.
Spirit of Sandra Honour Roll
Emma Acres
Brendan Acorn
Makena Bailey
Kyle Barron
Shannon Birchard
Corryn Brown
Nicholas Codner
Bella Croisier
Piper Croisier
Megan Daniels
Ashley Ann Dezura
Alexa Dixon
Keelie Duncan
Katherine Doerksen
Lauren Ferguson
Hayden Forrester
Hannah Gargul
Sara Guy
Chantel Hoag
Sarah Hoag
Renelle Humphreys
Allie Iskiw
Madison Kleiter
Rylan Kleiter
Lauren Lenentine
Derek Leung
Jack MacFadyen
Dustin Mikush
Jestyn Murphy
Michael Nunn
Weston Oryniak
Derek Oryniak
Paige Papley
Jocelyn Peterman
Myla Plett
Emily Plett
Brooks Roche
Cameron Sallaj
Kali Skauge
Jamie Smith
Megan Smith
Veronica Smith
Matthew Smith
Kristen Streifel
Selena Sturmay
Karsten Sturmay
Johnson Tao
Tyler Tardi
Alison Umlah
Cathlia Ward
Nathan Young
Emily Zacharias