Letter: Keeping High educational standards requires fiscal aid

Tuesday, July 2, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

It is essential that we encourage students to do well in school. Many students now accomplish great things in school and should be rewarded. If they are assured a scholarship for college provided that a specific grade point average is maintained, many more students would make school a priority. We must show America's youth that we care about their achievements.

The development of today's technological and medical innovations requires incredible creativity. The best known facility for fostering creativity is the arts. Performing artists are taught not only creativity, but also dedication, perseverance, and the ability to reason and quickly analyze and memorize. These traits are not only necessary for creating new technology, but also are vital in the workplace for simply finding a new approach to solving an old problem. To continue to succeed as a nation we must also nurture the arts through fine arts grants and scholarships.

As it stands now, most financial aid for higher education is based on financial need and athletic ability. If we are to remain one of the leading world powers, focus must shift. It is time to put our money where our mouth is. We must how today's youth that we value their abilities and the dedication they have to their schoolwork and art. Merit-based scholarships are not a "nice gesture." They are not a "good idea." They are imperative to the future success of this nation.

Megan Riggs