The 2013-2014 SPIRIT Scholarship - The SPIRIT Scholarship is an award to a college-bound senior from Thomas Spriggs Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland.
Good luck WHS Class of 2014! 

It's time for YOUR idea!

1 - Write a speech or story,
2 - win, 
3 - make your video and show the world...

Robert Yin said, "I will create a better life for myself and others." 

Share an idea that will affect the world. Give a speech, or tell a story, about YOUR idea.

  • We are looking for a student who has of energy, talent, school involvement, extracurricular participation, friendliness, and a record of caring for friends and community.
  • Applicants need to submit a speech or story. (By speech or story, we encourage you to use the art of rhetoric, imagery, and allegory to suggest your idea.  Imagine how your idea is depicted in a video...)
  • Interested applicants are invited to produce and submit a video along with their application - optional not required.
  • Applications are being accepted NOW through Sunday, April 6, 2014, or up until the first 30 applicants. 
  • One individual from WHS's senior class will receive $5000.
  • The 1st place winner will produce a YouTube video featuring their speech by no later than June 30, 2014, as a condition to receive the monetary award.
  • The SPIRIT Foundation may award runner-up and/or video awards depending on the quality of submissions. 
  • The winner(s) will be announced at the annual Wootton Awards Assembly, May, 2014. 
Letter to Applicants and Families
Dear Wootton community,

As one of the original architects of the Robert Yin SPIRIT Foundation, I am excited to officially announce the fourth annual SPIRIT Scholarship. One thing that I have always held as a core conviction is the amazing ability of any individual to impact the world we live in through sheer determination of will and force of personality and ideas. As a former classmate, teammate, and friend of Robert Yin, I was fortunate enough to witness the power of these characteristics in action every day I was around him through the effects he had on others and the joy he brought to them. In my mind, that is what the SPIRIT Scholarship has always been about - not just recognizing individuals who excel in a particular discipline and are well-rounded - but rewarding those who go above and beyond to inspire others and affect the world around them through positive actions and ideas. That is the goal of SPIRIT Scholarship - to reward and cultivate curiosity and encourage young adults to dream big and not be afraid to express their personalities, their ideas, and their ambitions - for it is only through being bold that we can change the world. 

The scholarship is available to college-bound Wootton High School seniors and will be given to one winner in the denomination of $5,000. In choosing a winner, we are looking for a student who possesses a special combination of energy, talent, intellect, school involvement, extracurricular participation, friendliness, and a record of caring for friends and community. Specific details regarding the application and selection process will be released on this website in January.

Ian T. Akisoglu, Wootton High School class of 2008