California Scholarship Federation

Bellfower High School - California Scholarship Federation - Chapter #417

Follow us on Instagram @bellflower.csf

What is CSF? : CSF is a state-wide honors society dedicated to honoring academically outstanding high school students. It is a highly selective club, as only students who fulfill the academic requirements may be eligible to join each semester. At Bellflower High School, CSF promotes life-long learning and friendship among its members, in addition to teaching students about colleges and scholarships.

Why should I join? : If you become a Lifetime Member (also known as a Sealbearer) you will receive a specialized certificate when graduating. Lifetime members will earn the right to wear special graduation regalia, including the CSF pin and coveted CSF Sash (see images to the side). In addition, Lifetime Members will also receive a special seal on their diploma, forever identifying themselves as CSF Lifetime Members. This lets people (including scholarships and colleges) know that you are a fantastic student at BHS!

What does CSF do? : CSF focuses its energy on having conversations about colleges and scholarships during club meetings.

What is a Lifetime Member? : Lifetime Members are those that have qualified and joined CSF four times between their 2nd semester of 10th grade through their 12th grade. Basically, you need to join 4 of your last 6 semesters of high school.

What about joining in the 9th grade 2nd semester, or 10th grade 1st semester? Don’t those count towards the Lifetime Membership? You may join (if eligible) during those time periods. However, they do not count towards the Lifetime Membership.

How did I qualify? Qualifications are based on your letter grades, NOT on your GPA. For example, someone can have a good GPA and not qualify because they may have had a D on their report card. You need to earn 10 "Points" based upon your letter grades (see QUALIFICATION section below).

Does CSF cost any money? Yes. Your $5 club dues can be paid in the ASB Webstore. Be sure to work on the CSF application first, prior to paying your dues (since I cannot offer refunds if you mess up on the application).

When do I need to apply? Fill out the paper application as soon as possible, and complete your $5 payment in the ASB Office. Applications are accepted only within a few weeks after you are deemed eligible to join. Deadlines will be announced during club meetings and over the announcements.

Is volunteer work required? No, but it is highly suggested.

When are the meetings? The meetings will take place in room 406 throughout the semester. Generally, meetings are held every other week. However, all presentations will be be posted to our CSF Google Classroom website as well (all students that join will be added to our CSF Google Classroom). In addition, to sign up for Remind Text Messages, text "@csf4bhs" to 81010, without the quotation marks.

I was already in CSF last year/semester? Do I need to apply and pay club dues again? Yes. CSF is a semester club. That means that an entire new eligibility list is created every semester. You need to reapply and pay club dues anytime you rejoin CSF for another semester.

What courses count for CSF? For a course listing to assist you in filling out the application, click here. We are CSF Charter #417

For more information about CSF directly from its headquarters, please visit http://csf-cjsf.org/.

Advisor

Ms. Betance

Qualifications to Join CSF

To qualify for CSF membership this semester, you MUST follow these guidelines:

1. You MUST earn a minimum of 10 points from last semester's grades.

2. You MUST have at least 4 points from LIST 1 COURSES (unless you are a senior applying for membership in February or June).

3. You MUST have at least 7 points when you combine LIST 1 and LIST 2 COURSES (Having list 2 courses is not a requirement, all points could potentially come from just List 1).

4. You may NOT use more than 5 courses to qualify

5. No CSF points are given for PE/Sports, Marching Band (if using it as PE credit), office assistant, repeated subjects to improve a grade, summer classes, or pass/fail type of classes.

6. CSF is a semester based organization, that requires a new application each semester you qualify (based upon the previous semester's grades).

What courses count for CSF? For a course listing to assist you in filling out the application, click here.

CSF Points are granted as follows:

A grade of an A = 3 points

A grade of a B = 1 point

*If the class is an AP/Honors Class, then you may add one additional point for your letter grade, BUT YOU CAN ONLY DO THIS TWICE PER SEMESTER. This means that an A in an AP/Honors Class can count as 4 points, and a B as 2 points.

*A grade of a C will ALWAYS count as 0, regardless of whether it is an AP/Honors Class.

*A grade of a D or F in ANY class from last semester will disqualify you to join at this time. This includes a score of NM as well.

*The Dual Enrollment courses from Cerritos College do count towards CSF. However, you MAY NOT earn any bonus points. Per CSF bylaws, these courses DO NOT count as an AP/Honors Class.

So, do I qualify, and how to I apply?

First, check to see if you qualify. Generally speaking, Dr. Tehrani will email out of list of eligible students. Check to see if you pre-qualify.

NOT ALL STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY MAY BE ON THE ELIGIBILITY LIST (sometimes the computer system accidentally leaves students out, or doesn't count a class, when it should).

Note: 9th graders cannot join Fall semester (unless they had CJSF for 3 semesters). However, 9th graders can join CSF starting their Spring Semester, if they qualify.

We have returned to PAPER APPLICATIONS since the 2021-2022 School Year. Please listen to announcements and/or check your emails to see when applications can be picked up and returned.

I still have questions about CSF. Who can I talk to? You may email Dr. Tehrani (see email address at bottom of the screen), to discuss any questions or concerns you have regarding CSF.

Click here to access the CSF Presentations

We will post the presentations to our CSF Google Classroom. Or, you can use the link above. You will need to use your school email address to access the Google Drive folder above. Presentations will be added to the folder when made available, and you will get a remind message (if signed up) to notify you as well.

Success4College Presentation

Click here to view the Success4College: A Study Guide for College Planning created by Dr. Tehrani, or view the Cheat Sheet with the information

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