A state funded scholarship program is making the burden of affording higher education easier for low income families. Students apply for the program in the eighth grade and this year's dead line is on the horizon. Applications for the College Bound Scholarship Program are due on June 30th.

To qualify for the program, the student's family must meet one of four income standards and still be in the required income bracket when they file their FAFSA their senior year of high school. The income standards include students who are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program, if their family receives basic food or TANF benefits, or if the family makes below a certain income depending on size. Students who are in foster care are automatically eligible.

Marketing students at Gonzaga University have been putting their education to the test participating in a national competition to create an advertising campaign for Honda. The efforts of Swerve Promotions culminated today in Honda Fest, an outdoor event for GU students starring the 2013 Honda Civic Sedan.

Swerve Productions was formed as part of Marketing 490. The class is made up of 16 Gonzaga seniors who had to apply with a resume to be accepted into the class and competition. The Honda Marketing Internship program and competition is part of a partnership with Edventure Partners, a company that helps universities around the country create hands on marketing courses for students. Locally, Edventure works with Gonzaga, Eastern Washington University and Washington State University. With this program, Edventure acts as a liaison between the 20 competing schools and Honda. All aspects of the project had to be approved by Edventure.

Local schools were notified today that they received Washington Achievement Awards for 2012. State Superintendent, Randy Dorn, and State Board of Education Chair, Jeff Vincent, notified them by email.

The Washington State Achievement Awards are in their fourth year and recognize schools in seven categories; Overall Excellence, Language Arts, Math, Science, Extended Graduation Rate, Closing Achievement Gaps, and High Progress. Schools are selected using the state's Achievement Index and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Flexibility Waiver.

These are the area schools that were selected for awards, however no area schools were selected for Language Arts.