Minister announces Lester B. Pearson Scholarship winner

"I am pleased to announce that Fran�oise Guign�, a level II high school student at Prince of Wales Collegiate, has been awarded the Newfoundland government scholarship to attend Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in British Columbia,"said Judy Foote, Minister of Education.

Fran�oise won her scholarship on the basis of high academic achievement and qualities of character shown in a detailed application form and a personal interview. This scholarship is worth $24,000 and covers tuition, books, room and board for two years of study at Pearson College. It begins in September 2000.

A selection committee, made up of representatives from the Department of Education, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers� Association, school districts and a former Pearson student screened the applications, carried out the interviews and decided the winner of this year�s scholarship.

The minister notes that the 1998 winners of the Pearson Scholarship, Beverly Young from Herdman Collegiate, Corner Brook, and Ainsley Dicks from Prince of Wales Collegiate, St. John�s, will graduate from Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific this spring with the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Kaila Mintz from Herdman Collegiate, Corner Brook, and Ryan Murphy from Musgravetown High School, Musgravetown, were the 1999 winners and they will be returning to Pearson College in the fall for their second and final year.

In 1997, 1998 and 1999 Newfoundland was awarded a second scholarship from the United World College, enabling two students from this province to attend the United World Colleges. This year�s winner is one of about 500 scholarship winners chosen on a competitive basis from more than 75 countries around the world.

Lester Pearson College is one of the eight United World Colleges situated around the world. These colleges are dedicated to the promotion of international understanding by creating an environment in which students from many countries and cultures are brought together to study and to serve the community. Students graduate with the world respected International Baccalaureate Diploma, which largely replaces the 12th grade and the university freshman year throughout North America. Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan is the president of the United World Colleges. Nelson Mandela, former president of the Republic of South Africa, is the president of the United World Colleges International Council.

Media contact: Andrea Maunder, Director of Communications, (709) 729-0048

2000 05 11                                                             12:25 p.m.