Civic Memorial Students Prompted to Think About Future Plans with CM Next and Scholarship Initatives
BETHALTO - It was an exciting morning for senior students at Civic Memorial High School as they learned more about available scholarships.
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On Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, senior students gathered to engage with the high school’s CM Next initiative, which encourages students to think about their future after graduation. As part of this, all students learned more about their individual scholarship offers through VU Scholarships, a program offered by the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8.
“We want to get kids involved and start thinking about postsecondary readiness, life after high school, what college they want to go to, and what their opportunities are,” said Principal Justin Newell. “More than anything, the kids can start looking at colleges and start to understand their finances.”
VU Scholarships is a platform that matches students with scholarship offers. Using information about the students’ academics, the platform tells students what their hypothetical scholarship offers would be from universities across the United States, before the students apply to these schools.
The goal is to help students broaden their horizons and learn more about their options. Newell hopes that Bethalto’s partnership with VU Scholarships will encourage students to think about their goals and consider what is financially possible for them.
On Sept. 9, students were photographed with their offers, then could scan a QR code to access an app with more specific information about each school and scholarship. Newell was pleased to report that Civic Memorial students received over $100 million in scholarship offers, with some students individually receiving over $4 million in offers.
No matter what students choose to do after high school, the goal is to show them their options and give them more opportunities, Newell said. He hopes the CM Next initiative continues to push students to think seriously about their futures and do what’s best for them.
“We’re just going to continue with CM Next and get kids ready for life after high school,” he added.
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