St. Joseph the Worker Scholarship
The St. Joseph the Worker Scholarship is available to all incoming 9th grade students.
HISTORY: Our late Holy Father, Pope Francis, in his 2013 Christmas address to the Curia stated that the church needs, “People who work with competence, precision and self-sacrifice in the fulfillment of their daily duties.” One saintly model of this faithful work ethic is St. Joseph the Worker.
SCHOLARSHIP: Holy Spirit Academy will award a $500 scholarship to one incoming freshman that completes his or her first quarter of the academic year, by essay selection. The St. Joseph the Worker Scholarship hopes to exemplify the school’s dedication to holy work in both staff and students.
CRITERIA: Incoming freshmen are eligible to apply. Applicants will write a short essay (maximum of 500 words) about “The Importance of Good Work Ethic in Today’s Society.” The recipient will be selected on an anonymous basis by the benefactor of the scholarship. Thank you to a generous anonymous donor for supporting this scholarship. St. Joseph, Pray for us!
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Essays will be due at the end of April. Eligible students must be enrolled at Holy Spirit Academy in order to apply.
PLEASE SUBMIT ESSAY TO:
Holy Spirit Academy
Attn: Scholarship Committee
1001 7th Street East, Suite 1
Monticello, MN 55362
WINNER: The chosen essay winner will be announced by May 1 (Feast of St. Joseph the Worker). Once the student completes his or her first quarter of the academic year, they will receive the scholarship to offset the next semester’s tuition. If the winning student does not meet all requirements of the scholarship, the scholarship dollars will be held for the next academic year.
Donna J. Geisen Scholarship
The Donna J. Geisen Scholarship is for incoming HSA students of all grades.
HISTORY: Donna Jean Geisen (Marshall) was born on August 5, 1938 in St. Paul, Minnesota. She passed to the Lord from cancer on July 10, 2016. Donna was a loving wife and mother to her husband and nine children. After raising her family, she returned to college and earned a Master’s degree in Social Work. This allowed her to help children as a School Social Worker at Battle Creek Middle School in St. Paul. In addition, she volunteered to help patients at the Monticello Cancer Clinic and worked as a substitute teacher in Monticello elementary schools. She lived her life as a caregiver at heart and was loved by all.
Donna, her husband Duane, and their family have been long-time friends and benefactors of Holy Spirit Academy. In her memory, they are honored to offer this scholarship.
SCHOLARSHIP: A $500 scholarship will be awarded each year to the selected student applicant.
CRITERIA: Applicants will write a short essay (maximum of 500 words) about their experience caring for or receiving care in their community.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Essays are due in the middle of April. Eligible students must be enrolled at Holy Spirit Academy for the following school year to apply.
PLEASE SUBMIT ESSAY TO:
Holy Spirit Academy
Attn: Scholarship Committee
1001 7th Street East, Suite 1
Monticello, MN 55362
WINNER: The chosen essay winner will be announced at the Veritas et Vita Banquet in May. The scholarship will be applied to the Tuition Agreement for the next academic year.
Knights of Columbus Scholarship
The Knights of Columbus Scholarship is for all current Holy Spirit Academy students.
SCHOLARSHIP: Grand Prize – $500, 1st Runner Up – $300, 2nd Runner Up – $200.
CRITERIA: Applicants will write a 500-750 word essay on a topic chosen by the Clearwater KC council pertaining to Catholic Citizenship. Essay will be judged on content, grammar, and style.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Essays are due in October.
PLEASE SUBMIT ESSAY TO:
Holy Spirit Academy
Attn: Scholarship Committee
1001 7th Street East, Suite 1
Monticello, MN 55362
WINNER: The selected winners will be announced in November with prizes awarded in December. Winners will also be sent on to the state level and potentially national level to compete for additional scholarships.
Susan Scipioni-Joseph Fischer Scholarship
For Saint Andrew Catholic School 8th Graders.
HISTORY: In 2024 tragedy struck twice at St. Andrew Catholic School. Early in 2024, Joseph Fisher, a student at the school, passed away suddenly in an accident. Late in 2024, the school lost a former beloved principal, Susan Scipioni.
A group at St. Andrew Catholic School approached the pastor of St. Andrew Catholic Church, Fr. Mark Innocenti, about a memorial for Susan Scipioni. The local Knights of Columbus #5296 heard of this effort and decided to fund a perpetual award that would
help support both St. Andrew Catholic School and the local catholic high school, Holy Spirit Academy.
In parallel with this effort, the parents of Joseph, Ben Fisher and Erin Cooney, were considering a similar award and approached Fr. Mark with the idea. It was suggested the efforts be combined and the current Susan Scipioni-Joseph Fisher Award resulted.
Scholarship: $2500
CRITERIA:
- The student must have attended St. Andrew Catholic School for at least one year.
- The student must successfully graduate the 8th grade class at St. Andrew Catholic School.
- The student must attend 9th grade at Holy Spirit Academy the school year immediately following their graduation from the 8th grade at St. Andrew Catholic School. (Students who have attended St. Andrew Catholic School but did not graduate the 8th grade from St. Andrew Catholic School will not be considered eligible for the Susan Scipioni-Joseph Fisher Award.)
- The students and parents must apply for the Susan Scipioni-Joseph Fisher Award within the due dates provided by Holy Spirit Academy. Late applicants will not be considered for the award. (Please see how to apply section for more information.)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Applications are available January 7 – March 1st
PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS TO:
Holy Spirit Academy
Attn: Scholarship Committee
1001 7th Street East, Suite 1
Monticello, MN 55362
WINNER:
- If there is only one applicant who satisfied the Application Process requirements, this applicant will receive a $2500 award which will be credited to the student’s account at Holy Spirit Academy.
- If there are two applicants who satisfy the Application Process requirements, both applicants will receive a $2500 award which will be credited to the student’s account at Holy Spirit Academy. See Financial Flow section for details on how funds are distributed.
- If there are more than two applicants who have met the Application Process requirements, the two applicant families who are in greatest fiscal need will receive the awards. Both chosen applicants will receive a $2500 award which will be credited to the student’s account at Holy Spirit Academy.
Kopp Family Scholarship
The Kopp Family Foundation scholarship provides graduating seniors in their second semester at HSA the opportunity to submit an essay about the impact of Catholic education on their postsecondary decision. Winners are selected for a tuition scholarship applied directly to their postsecondary studies after they commence their further studies.