Hardy Telecommunications is hoping to give a local student a head start on higher education with a college scholarship.

The company is again offering the national Foundation for Rural Service 2010 College Scholarship Program to graduating seniors at Moorefield and East Hardy high schools.

The scholarship, open to applicants who receive local telecommunications service (either telephone or Internet) from Hardy, is worth $2,000, and Hardy Telecommunications will contribute an additional $500 to the amount, bringing the total one-time scholarship award to $2,500. Interested students can contact their guidance counselors at the two schools or download the application at the FRS website at www.frs.org. Students also can contact Hardy Marketing/Human Resource Director Derek Barr at 304-897-9911 for an application.

Completed applications must be sent to FRS postmarked no later than March 1, 2010, and must bear the signature of Hardy General Manager Scott Sherman, so students are asked to return their applications no later than February 12, 2010. Applications should be returned to the guidance counselors at Moorefield and East Hardy high schools or to Derek at one of Hardy’s offices in Moorefield or Lost River. Derek will ensure that all necessary Hardy signatures are obtained and mail all applications to the FRS.

“We’ve sponsored the FRS scholarship for several years, and we’re excited to again give a local student this scholarship opportunity,” Derek said. “Hardy Telecommunications has always been a strong supporter of our schools and our youth, and we are proud to support the Foundation for Rural Service in this effort.”

The FRS will award 30 scholarships nationwide – one per geographic region (10) of the NTCA membership and one to a student sponsored by an NTCA associate member company. The remaining 19 awards will be distributed proportionate to the number of applications received from each NTCA region. A qualified selection committee of current educators determined by the Foundation for Rural Society will select the winners; Hardy Telecommunications itself has no input in the selection process.

Applicants must be accepted by an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school; have at least a C grade point average; express an interest in returning to a rural community following graduation; and be sponsored by a contributor to, or supporter of, the Foundation for Rural Service.

The FRS was established in 1994 to promote, educate, and advocate rural telecommunications issues to the public in order to sustain and enhance the quality of life within communities throughout rural America.