Mount de Sales Academy students Ava Lauer (9th), daughter of Ms. Holly Smith; Sammie Harper (9th), son of Ms. Tracy Harper; Justin Lucas (10th), son of Mr. and Mrs. Landry Lucas; and Coleman Roberts (11th), son of Ms. Juanita Bryant, have been awarded a BP-GOAL Scholarship for the 2016-2017 school year.

BP and its Castrol subsidiary, longtime education supporters, initiated the BP GOAL Scholars Fund in connection with the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program in 2012, and since then have been providing Georgia parents with options for the education of their children. In its four years of existence, 166 BP-GOAL Scholarships have been awarded, totaling nearly $1.25 million dollars.

This year’s BP-GOAL Scholarship recipients are from areas in Georgia where BP and Castrol do business. Additionally, the scholarship recipients demonstrate drive, motivation, and strengths in math, science and technologies important to the energy industry.

The BP-GOAL Scholarship award amounts are based on the tuition rate at the student’s chosen private school and his or her family’s demonstrated need. BP-GOAL Scholars must reapply each year for the continuation of these awards, which if awarded over the next four years could result in a cumulative total of $820,000 being awarded to all scholarship recipients. To be eligible to apply, applicants had to be enrolled in a Georgia public school, have income no more than 2 times the poverty guideline and have been accepted and sponsored by a qualified Georgia private school.

Lisa Kelly, President of Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program said, “The BP-GOAL Scholars Fund has become well-known for providing tremendous opportunities to Georgia families, allowing them to seek the best education they can find for their 7th through 12th grade children. It is important for students to have the option of a private school that fits their needs if they are not able to achieve their full potential in their assigned public school. The Georgia legislature created this opportunity to improve student achievement and to allow families to put their K-12 children on paths to success, and BP is helping to bring this vision to life, by investing in Georgia students!”

Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, Inc. is the state’s largest student scholarship organization, having awarded 22,926 scholarships totaling $84.7 million since 2008.

BP Products North America Inc. markets BP high quality fuels through its locally owned and operated distributor network of over 675 BP retail gasoline stations located throughout Georgia. BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets Castrol-branded lubricants and business-building programs to independent quick lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers throughout Georgia in conjunction with its locally-based distributors.