St. John's to host Catholic high school information night

St. John Bosco Interparish School will offer a Catholic high school information night on Oct. 4, 6:30 p.m. at 16035 S. 48th St., in the multipurpose room

Representatives from Seton Catholic, St. Mary's, Xavier, Brophy College Preparatory and Notre Dame Preparatory schools will showcase and answer questions about their respective schools. All junior high and high school students are invited to attend.

For information contact Bridget at (480) 219-4848.

Scholarship available to education students

The All Arizona School Retirees Association (AASRA) has established a scholarship fund to help students who are pursuing teacher education programs at state-supported universities in Arizona.

The AASRA Scholarship Fund, a nonprofit Arizona corporation, awards scholarships on a yearly basis based on a selection process free of discrimination on the basis of age, race, gender, national or ethnic origin and physical handicap or disability.

The association is affiliated with the National Retired Teachers Association and promotes the economic, social and professional development of the association and its members, including former teachers, school principals, administrators, nurses, school bus drivers and custodians. Currently, there are more than 1,200 members in Arizona.

For information about the association or its scholarship, call (602) 253-5597 or (623) 848-6636.

YMCA school to hold book fair

YMCA Foothills Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten will host a scholastic book fair through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1241 E. Chandler Blvd.

The event will feature specially priced books including award-winning titles, children's classics and current bestsellers. The event will raise funds for the school's play yard.

For information, call (480) 283-9999.

New company makes foreign study easier

Language Skills Abroad gives financially challenged college students the chance to study abroad and earn college credit.

Established by Arizona State University alumna Lena Diamond, Language Skills Abroad offers language programs that allow students flexibility in their schedule so that students do not have to commit to entire semesters.

The agency puts together language programs for people who wish to study in foreign countries and earn college credit at the same time for a reasonable cost. Currently, the company has relationships with 20 different language schools designed for the purpose of teaching the local language to foreigners throughout Europe and Latin America. Languages include Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic and Italian.

For information, call Gelie Akhenblit at (480) 452-3028.

2 Horizon students named in Merit competition

Horizon Honors High School students Brandon Bennett and Ben Johnson have recently been named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition.

They are among the 16,000 seniors nationwide who have the opportunity to receive 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards worth $33.9 million.

More than $1.3 million juniors from 21,000 high schools entered the program by taking the 2003 PSAT/NMSQT. Semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors and include the highest scoring entrants in each state.

Finalists will be selected based on high academic performance, SAT scores and principal recommendation. Finalists will be announced nest spring.

Compiled by staff writer Georgann Yara, who may be contacted at (480) 898-7917 or gyara@aztrib.com.