Justice Scholars Fund helps students get to college

Justice High School 2018 scholarship recipients.

Decorate A Vet, a local nonprofit organization that takes care of home maintenance projects for military veterans, has expanded its mission to support college scholarships for Justice High School seniors. The following article about the Justice Scholars program is by Jean King, a member of the program’s board of directors. 


A community makes college real for high school students 

The price of college continues to rise. Last year, U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey found that the average price for tuition and fees rose by nearly 2 percent at in-state schools and 3 percent at private colleges.

Volunteers with Decorate A Vet tackle household and yard work for a veteran.

Despite having demonstrated financial need, calculated via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), many students are not offered the combination of grants and loans to cover all of their need. Even a relatively small gap (such as $500 for travel to school or $1,000 for books) can end the college dream for some.   

Fourteen years ago, when the JEB Stuart High School community and students were seeing similar statistics, they came together to help make college dreams a reality for students.

They established the Stuart Educational Foundation to provide last-dollar scholarships that help to close the gap between financial aid awards and the real cost of college.

Since then, the renamed Justice High School Scholarship Fund (JHS Scholars) has awarded over $1.2 million to support the college dreams of 564 Justice High School (formerly known as Stuart) seniors. Many recipients are the first in their families to attend college. Others have worked at jobs throughout high school to support themselves and care for their families.

As word of the fund spread, several other organizations partnered with JHS Scholars, allowing the community to help more students. The Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club, the Thurgood Marshall Foundation, and the Casey Schulman Foundation have partnered with JHS Scholars to award an additional $60,000 in scholarships last year alone.

JHS Scholars’ newest partner is Decorate A Vet, which is dedicated to honoring Northern Virginia veterans. Founded by Stuart alumnus Jeff Jones and involving other local business and community leaders, Decorate A Vet has established a new scholarship focused on helping one or two students with a connection to the military attend college.

Jones’ ties to the school run deep. He grew up near Bailey’s Elementary School, spending his afternoons with his friends in the Culmore community. Many members of his family attended Stuart, including his two children. “The school is special,” he says. “It made a big difference in my life.”

The strength and commitment of the Justice High School community continue to make a tangible difference for Justice students. With the help of local groups like Decorate a Vet, JHS Scholars closes the gap and puts Justice High School seniors on the path to college.

Visit the Justice HS Scholars website to learn more about the fund and the remarkable stories of the scholarship recipients. If you share their passion for providing an education for everyone, please give. Donations can be made online here.