ROCKLAND, Maine — Beverly Worthington said when she was a girl, she had someone who believed in her. She and her husband, David, want to return that support by giving every Oceanside High School East graduate an opportunity to receive a scholarship to attend college.
“Their generosity is overwhelming. It’s moving,” Regional School Unit 13 Superintendent John McDonald said.
The Worthington Scholarship program offers up to $1,500 per semester for up to four years at one of several eligible universities or colleges in Maine to any Oceanside graduate who maintained a B average in high school. Scholarships of up to $750 per semester are available for students who maintained a C average and who attend a two-year community college in Maine. There is no limit to how many students can take advantage of the scholarship.
“I would love to see every student become a Worthington scholar,” Beverly Worthington told the RSU 13 Board Thursday night when she announced the program, which was met by a standing ovation from a packed room.
In addition to financial support, the Worthingtons have paid for a mentor to be at Oceanside to meet with students and staff and to encourage students to maintain or improve their grades and plan for college. The mentor also will meet with college officials at schools the scholars plan to attend to make sure that there are support systems to help the students succeed.
Students also must take a financial literacy course to understand how to budget and how to understand how much they will be repaying versus what they will be earning, she said.
The four-year scholarships are available to students who plan to attend a Maine public university, Husson University or Maine Maritime Academy. The two-year scholarships are available to students who will be attending a community college in Maine or the University College at Rockland.
In turn, Worthington said she hopes the Worthington scholars will return to the community to mentor students who will be following in their footsteps.
The Worthingtons have quietly been offering four-year scholarships to graduating Oceanside students for the past six years. There were 10 scholarships given out the first year and 39 last year.
Beverly Worthington said her goal is for that number to double this year. She said she was making the public presentation this year because they want as many parents, teachers and students as possible to be aware of the offering so that more young people can avail themselves of the opportunity.
The per-semester scholarship amount was increased this year from $1,250 to $1,500 and the two-year program for C students was added. The hiring of an in-school mentor also was added this year.
The Maine Community Foundation administers the Worthington Scholarship program.
The percentage of Oceanside students enrolling in higher education has increased from 47 percent to 56 percent of graduates during the past several years.
The Worthingtons are summer residents of Spruce Head Island in South Thomaston and live in Naples, Florida, during the remainder of the year.
Beverly Worthington is a retired corporate commercial pilot. David Worthington worked in the oil business, eventually founding his own offshore oil exploration business, which now is known as TGS Geophysical Co.
Beverly Worthington said her husband’s father had lived in the area and they began coming up here 25 years ago.
She said her father died when she was young and her mother was ill. But people in the community, including her teachers, supported her so she could attend college.
“I was able to follow my dream career,” she said.
She said Rockland is an impoverished area and that she and her husband believe their program is a way to lift students out of difficult situations if they are willing to work hard.
Beverly Worthington recently visited RSU 13’s alternative education program and said she met with a student who had slept in a car the previous night because he had nowhere else to go. What she was impressed with was that the student still made the effort to come to school.
“It doesn’t matter where you start or where you come from. If you work hard, you can go anywhere,” she said.