ORANGE PARK – Courtenay Hunt was a prominent local artist recognized as Jacksonville’s portrait artist of choice. In 1967, he was commissioned to paint a portrait of Andrew Jackson which hangs in Jacksonville’s City Hall. He was a founding member of the Art Guild of Orange Park.
Since 1992, the Art Guild of Orange Park has awarded the Courtney Hunt Scholarship to a qualified and deserving Clay County senior. The annual award will be presented this year at the May meeting of the Art Guild of Orange Park on May 2 at the Lion’s Club in Orange Park.
Students who plan to major in Visual Fine Arts or Art Education at a college of their choice are encouraged to submit their applications for the 2023-2024 academic school year.
The applications for this year’s scholarship are now available online at www.artguildoforangepark.org.
The AGOP Scholarship Committee will interview applicants and also view their portfolio submissions. Other considerations for awarding the scholarship are the applicant’s academic record, extracurricular activities, employment, community service, and awards and recommendations.
In addition, the Art Guild will award the winner’s art teacher $100 for art supplies for the classroom.
The deadline is April 1.
For more information, contact Nancy Page, AGOP Scholarship Chair, at starlady01@comcast.net or call her at (904) 945-0687.

Vietnam Veterans of America to award pair of $1,500 scholarships
CLAY COUNTY – Vietnam Veterans of America Col. William G. Byrns Clay County Chapter 1059 is offering two $1,500 scholarships to graduating seniors from Clay County high schools, homeschoolers, private schools and the Camp Blanding Youth ChalleNGe.
The scholarship, named in honor of former VVA 1059 member Sid Newberg, also is open to relatives of current members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1059. All applicants, except for VVA Chapter 1059 family members, must be residents of Clay County and planning to attend any post high school accredited university, junior college or vocational/technical school.
An applicant must have:

• A letter telling us about yourself, your life goals, and your plans for the future. Include: name, address, phone number and email address.
• An official, original letter of acceptance to an accredited four-year university, two-year college, or trade school on official letterhead.
• An essay, with a minimum of 500 words, based on an interview with a veteran, or active-duty member, from any branch of the U.S. military. The interview should include a veteran’s experiences while serving either here or abroad or a significant mission in which he/she participated. An essay is comprised of the introduction, the main points, and the conclusion. The essay will be judged on originality, grammar and spelling.
• A letter of recommendation from a school faculty member who is a school counselor, principal or teacher.
• A list of your community service, awards and recognitions received during grades 9-12. Provide copies of documentation.
If any of the above attachments are missing, the application will be unqualified and will not be considered.
The deadline for the completed application is on or before April 30. Recipients of the scholarship will be announced at the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1059 meeting on June 3.
Please mail completed application on or before the deadline to: Vietnam Veterans Scholarship, P.O. Box 626, Orange Park, FL 32067-0626.
For more information. email Joanne Byrns at jobyrns@bellsouth.net or call (904) 705-1074.

Seniors can apply for Clay County Cruzers scholarship
CLAY COUNTY – Graduating seniors are eligible and encouraged to apply for a $1,500 Clay County Cruzers scholarship.
Applicants must be graduating from the Clay County District Schools system. Students are eligible if they are going to attend any post-secondary program of study including colleges, universities or vocational/technical schools.
Applicants are requested to write an essay of approximately 150 words and complete a short application form. Scholarship applications must be received by Clay County Cruzers on or before the application deadline of March 31.
The scholarship documents will be provided to each high school guidance office. The instructions and application form provide all the relevant information a student needs to apply. These forms are also available on the Clay County Cruzers website at www.claycountycruzers.com.
Selected candidates may be asked to attend a Clay County Cruzer meeting to introduce themselves and describe their plans.
Applications and essays should be mailed to: Clay County Cruzers, PO Box 65691, Orange Park, 32065-9998.
Each applicant will be notified once their application is received. The winners will be announced in April.

Garden Club offering $500 environmental scholarship
FLEMING ISLAND – The Garden Club of Fleming Island wishes to assist an individual graduating student of Fleming Island High who plans on pursuing a career in Environmental studies, Forestry, Horticulture, Agriculture, Marine sciences or a related field with the opportunity to apply for a $500 scholarship.
The graduating student must have at least a 3.0 GPA and have chosen a college to attend. Contact your Guidance Counselor at your school for the application form. The deadline is April 15.