Take Stock in Children, the scholarship program that provides college scholarships to low-income students, recently added 42 new students to its ranks, bringing Monroe County’s total program enrollment to 303 scholars.
Using money raised by private donations, Take Stock buys Florida PrePaid College scholarships and spends them on deserving students who sign a contract in middle school. They pledge to stay in school and out of trouble while maintaining a C average. In return, Take Stock in Children provides a scholarship that pays for two years at a community college and two years at a Florida university.
The contract signings took place throughout the Keys the last week of October. At Key West’s Horace O’Bryant School, Take Stock program director Chuck Licis-Masson introduced the initiative and its Monroe County founder, John Padget.
Bryan Green, chairman of the Monroe County Education Foundation, which sponsors Take Stock, congratulated the students, and especially their parents, who smile with relief as soon as the ink is dry on their kids’ signatures.
Doodjina Conserve, her mother, Marie Cidelus, and sisters join Bryan Green, chairman of the Monroe County Education Foundation, in accepting her scholarship. 
Twelve or so Key West middle school students meet at Horace O’Bryant School to sign the scholarship contracts that, once fulfilled, will provide them with a college scholarship. 
Student Kaden Savedra’s mother, Karen Leach, signs the parental Take Stock contract on Oct. 28 in Key West. 
Student Doodjina Conserve smiles behind her mask after signing her Take Stock in Children contract at Horace O’Bryant
