Butler Catholic School announced the creation of the John and Dorothy Gianneschi Scholarship, which is available to any eighth-grade student of the school who intends to further their Catholic education at St. Joseph High School in Natrona Heights.

Established by Lois Gianneschi, a longtime supporter of Butler Catholic School, the purpose of the scholarship is to make Catholic high school education financially accessible to families, according to a news release from the school.

Students must also have good academic and behavioral standing at BCS to be eligible for the scholarship.

The scholarship will be awarded via a one-time payment of $5,000 per recipient. Payment will be made directly to St. Joseph High School in July and applied to the student’s tuition account.

Applications are due to the Butler Catholic School main office by 8 a.m. on Feb. 14. Candidates will be scheduled for an in-person interview in the following weeks and the winner will be formally announced before Easter.