Changes are coming to the Delta Kappa Gamma Girl of the Year program, including a name change.

For the last 36 years, the program has provided a number of girls with scholarship money, and that will be no different for the new Delta Kappa Gamma Academic Award Program.

“We are going to be giving away the same amount of money that we have been giving in the past, we are just going to be distributing it in a different fashion,” said Carolyn Dunaway, co-chair of the program. “The idea behind this was to be sure that we continue to give the students the same amount of money, so the major change is instead of one girl winning $2,500, one girl from every school [that qualifies] will win $500.”

The Alpha Omicron Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International plans to continue giving area high school girls money to help them with their education but with declining financial donations and the rising expenses of the program, they have decided to spend the funds they have available on the girls rather than putting on the program every year.

“We had the Girl of the Year program operating like it was operating for over 36 years, and we just decided that this would be a better way in our economic times,” Dunaway said. “This means that we spend more money on the students rather than the fancy stuff.”

Dunaway said there would still be a small program held for the girls that receive the money, it just won’t be to the caliber that it has been in the past.

“For us, the primary focus is on students,” Dunaway said.

“We know that the girls chosen for the area schools will make us proud as those chosen in the past Girl of the Year,” Dunaway said in a written statement. “Many of those young ladies are now doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, public relations workers, accountants, college professors and a host of other wonderful contributors to society.”

Girls wanting to apply for the program are required to be a senior in high school with a minimum grade point average of 3.5, a minimum 19 ACT score and must be involved in school, church and community activities.

Applications will be available Jan. 31 and the deadline to apply is March 6.

Any student that is unable to obtain an application from their school should contact Dunaway at carolyn51442@yahoo.com or Dr. Suzanne Stringer at sstringer545@gmail.com