Chapter AX of the P.E.O. Sisterhood will award three academic scholarships this year to graduating senior girls from high schools in Baker County or North Powder.

Chapter AX was organized in 1932. The P.E.O. Sisterhood is an international philanthropic educational organization founded in 1869 at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. P.E.O. promotes educational opportunities for women through a variety of scholarship and grant opportunities.

Two of the three local scholarships have an application deadline of March 1. All women students from Baker County or North Powder who plan to enroll in an accredited college or university are eligible. The scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, goals, activities, and personal character.

• The Gertrude Fortner-Rose Haskell Scholarship was named for two charter members of Chapter AX who strongly believed in higher education for women.

• The Mildred F. Rogers Chapter AX of P.E.O. Scholarship was established in 2000 by her daughter, Edna Harrell, and her grandchildren. Mrs. Rogers was a longtime member of Chapter AX, being initiated in 1951 and holding the office of president in 1952.

She was a descendent of Oregon Trail pioneer grandparents and lived her entire life in Baker City. Always a loyal citizen, she gave of herself to the community of Baker City and to its people, so that future generations would have the opportunity to appreciate life as she had. She died at the age of 100.

Scholarship applications are available online at: https://bhs.baker5j.org or in the guidance office at Baker, Pine Eagle, Burnt River and Huntington high schools, and Powder Valley High School in North Powder.

Applicants from Baker High School must return applications to the BHS office by 8 a.m. on March 1. Applicants from other high schools must mail applications, to arrive no later than March 1, to Dorothy Mason, P.O. Box 446, Baker City, OR 97814.

In addition to those two scholarships, Chapter AX will award a scholarship to one woman who graduated from a Baker County high school or Powder Valley High School and has completed at least two years or obtained junior status at an accredited college or university.

The Pat Fessel Chapter AX of P.E.O. Scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic achievement, goals, activities, financial need, and personal character. Pat Fessel was a 68-year member of P.E.O. in chapters throughout the country. She graduated from Cottey College, which is operated by P.E.O. She was a cherished member of the local Chapter AX in Baker City. Pat left the funds for Chapter AX to establish the scholarship.

Application materials are available at https://bhs.baker5j.org.

Click on the “For Students” section, “scholarships,” then scroll to the bottom of the list. Applicants must submit all materials by mail, to be received by Dorothy Mason at the above address by April 1.

More information about all the Chapter AX scholarships is available by calling Mason at 541-523-7642.