Scholarships & Awards

Students at DTSS are fortunate to have a very supportive community that offers a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries for our graduates. ​Scholarships are based on specific criteria such as academic achievement or specific skills and interests. Bursaries are based more on financial need in addition to specific criteria. ​Some of these opportunities are listed below, but please see Student Services for more up to date information.

1) Community Local Scholarships - from throughout the Columbia Valley - see below - application deadline is April 29th, 2024 at 4:00pm

2) Columbia Valley Community Foundation Awards - see below 

3) District/Authority Scholarships - see below - applications are due by May 17th, 2024

4.) Other Upcoming Opportunities 

• BC Excellence Scholarship - www.gov.bc.ca/bcexcellencescholarship
• Pathway to Teacher Education Scholarship - www.gov.bc.ca/teachereducationscholarship

(Both the BC Excellence and the Teacher Education Scholarship application must be submitted by 4:00pm on Monday, February 17, 2025)

For Arnold Ellis Scholarship Fund, Bidder Bursary Fund and Erwin Kloos Memorial Fund - You can apply for these student awards or bursaries for educational or training programs or expansion of personal skills.

- To fulfill donor wishes, eligible applicants must have resided and attended school in the Columbia Valley for a minimum of 5 years

For Alan J. Witherspoon Memorial Fine Arts Fund -  Students can apply for this bursary to support their post secondary fine arts education. This includes painting, drawing, sculpting, woodworking, architecture, photography, video production/editing, design, sequential art, conceptual art and printmaking.

- To fulfill donor wishes, eligible applicants must have resided and attended school in the Columbia Valley for a minimum of 5 years and be between 17 and 35 years of age.

For more information and to apply visit :    www.valleyfoundation.ca

The District / Authority Scholarship Awards program rewards students for excellence in their choice of interest or strength. These scholarships are intended to assist students in furthering their post-secondary education. DTSS has several scholarships of approximately $1250 vouchers that can be used toward post-secondary education tuition. 

What to Do: 

1. Complete an application form (click here) and submit it to the Main Office by Friday, May 24th, 2024. 

2. Check your presentation time - this will be emailed to you and posted throughout the school.

3. Presentation Day:

A - Show up to the Theatre on Tuesday, June 4th at 8:30am for an introduction to the panelists

B - Show up at your scheduled presentation time and do amazing things!

About the Scholarship: 

Confirmed recipients receive a $1,250 scholarship voucher. They can use this voucher to be reimbursed  by the Ministry of Education for tuition paid at a post-secondary institution that is designated by the Province of B.C. (i.e., approved for Canada Student Loans) or a program provider that is approved by  the Industry Training Authority.

Students have five years to redeem their District/Authority scholarship vouchers; an expiry date is printed on each voucher and extensions are not possible.

​​​​If you are applying for a scholarship and require a referral letter from a staff member, please fill out the ​form to assist them in writing the best letter possible.​

Scholarship Referral Letter

Here are some honours and awards you may wish to work toward:​​

Honour Roll

• 80% average with no course mark below 60%.  Students must be enrolled in a full course load.
• Students may withdraw from a course and remain eligible if they are still taking a full course load (7 for grade 12 students and 8 for all other students).
• When calculating Year-end Honour Roll, the final grades are used and 2 credit courses are weighted half as much as 4 credit courses to reflect 50 hours of instruction vs. 100 hours.  This only applies to grade 8 and 9.

 Governor General's Academic Medal

• The average includes all grade 11 and grade 12 courses as listed on the student's official Transcript of Grades issued by the Ministry of Education. The average cannot be anticipated; it must be calculated based on final results after provincial exams.
• There is no differentiation between "academic" and "vocational" types of courses; all those courses taken which directly result in the obtaining of a secondary school diploma, should, for obvious reasons, be included in the calculation.
• This award is given the June after graduation to allow for provincial exam marks to be included in the average.

Honours Medallion

• This is awarded to grade 12 graduating students with a B average in all grade 10-12 courses leading to graduation.

Major Awards (Grade 12)

• Top All-Around Student
  • Criteria: Student…
    • has a history of outstanding involvement and achievement in a wide variety of areas including scholarship, athletics, visual and/or performing arts and applied skills.
    • demonstrates academic excellence and an exemplary work ethic.
    • is a positive role model who is widely respected in the school community for their initiative, dedication and hard work.
    • community involvement is not necessary, but will be considered.
    • would act as an excellent ambassador for our school.
• ​Rotarian Leadership
  • Criteria: Student…
    • has a vision or goal to enrich the school community.
    • can generate, spearhead, direct and conclude initiatives undertaken.
    • is able to influence and motivate others to achieve a positive outcome for the benefit of the school.
    • acts as a good role model, inspires trust and confidence in others and is widely respected in the school.
    • community involvement is not necessary, but will be considered.
    • would act as an excellent ambassador for our school.
• Citizen of the Year
  • Criteria: Student…
    • is a reliable, congenial, respectful and mature facilitator, helper and supporter who consistently assist others to an exceptional degree.
    • unselfishly works to build positive spirit and sense of community in the school.
    • is widely respected for their dedication, hard work, responsibility and helpfulness.
    • community involvement is not necessary, but will be considered.
    • would act as an excellent ambassador for our school.