The Wildcat Foundation offers eight scholarships for senior students in the Class of 2026 at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School.
The online application process will open in March and applications will be accepted through April 8, 2026. These scholarships total more than $40,000 in potential funds for seniors graduating from high school.
Scholarship applications will be reviewed by the foundation’s Scholarship Committee in April, with winners being presented at the MASH Senior Awards ceremony in May at the high school. In addition, the foundation will award a Board Scholarship this year selected from the pool of remaining applicants for our 2026 scholarships.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Foundation Executive Director Jeff Pratt at jpratt@mbgsd.org
The Charles H. Jr. and Jane Eagle Diller Business Scholarship
The foundation is honored to again work with Charles H. Diller Jr. and Jane Eagle Diller to deliver their $20,000 scholarship to a graduating senior student who desires to pursue business and entrepreneurial goals and obtain a college education.
The scholarship: This is a $20,000 award; $5,000 paid annually directly to the student’s college or university. The student must meet eligibility criteria to maintain their scholarship for the subsequent three years.
Mr. and Mrs. Diller grew up in south central Pennsylvania and are now residents of Silver Spring Township. Mr. Diller spent most of his professional career working for JLG Industries, Inc., where he held the positions of executive vice president, chief financial officer, and director before retiring. He also served his country as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a Vietnam veteran.
Mrs. Diller is a MASH alumna. After graduation, she focused on raising a family, and she continues to be actively engaged with her church’s youth programs.
To be considered for the Charles H. Jr. and Jane Eagle Diller Business Scholarship, the following key factors will be considered:
Scholarship Award:
- $20,000 award ($5,000 yearly installments for 4 years)
- Awarded recipient must maintain the equivalent of a “B”/80% average or a 3.0 GPA minimum in college studies
- Awarded recipient must complete a minimum of 12 credits per semester to continue to receive the scholarship.
- Official college transcript must be provided to the Wildcat Foundation yearly (no later than July 1) to verify the recipient is in good academic standing prior to the distribution of funds each year. If the student is deemed ineligible academically, the remainder of the scholarship will be forfeited. In addition to the official transcript, the Diller’s have requested that the recipient provide an update on their college experience (which may include highlights about future career plans, overall college experience for the year, and club and social activities.)
Scholarship Recipient Criteria:
- Senior at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School
- Demonstrates financial need by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or its equivalent
- Intent to pursue a business degree (including accounting, business management, economics, finance and entrepreneurship)
- Proof of acceptance at 4-year college/technical school prior to fund distribution
- High school academic achievement with a 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale and graduate in the top third of their high school class; and
- Demonstrates good character and citizenship through participation in civic, academic, and/or athletic activities
The Mechanicsburg Club/Wildcat Foundation Scholarship
The Mechanicsburg Club endowed the Mechanicsburg Club/Wildcat Foundation Scholarship in 2012.
Since then, the Foundation has awarded four $4,000 scholarships annually to students performing any field of study at a 2-year college, 4-year college, community college, or trade school.
The scholarship: Any MASH senior pursuing higher education (2-year, 4-year, community college or trade school), in any form of study, is eligible to apply for this scholarship. Four $4,000 scholarships will be awarded as a one-time payout directly to the recipient’s school, college, or university.
Established in 1894, the Mechanicsburg Club prides itself in providing for the area’s youth, school, and community programs, senior citizen groups, charities, and many of our community’s special projects.
The Janet B. Wentz English Award
The Janet B. Wentz Award for Outstanding English Student is an annual $5,000 cash award to a graduating senior at Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School (MASH) who is about to matriculate at a college or university located anywhere in the United States or District of Columbia.
The award was established to honor Janet B. Wentz, a graduate of Wilson College and Shippensburg University who started her career as a staff writer for the Harrisburg Patriot-News and then taught for 23 years at MASH from 1965 to 1988, where she was coach of the speech team and retired as chairwoman of the English department. She later emerged from retirement to teach English for several additional years at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC).
She had a passion for teaching and shared her enthusiasm for the English language while encouraging her students to excel. Her son Douglas Wentz, MASH Class 1976, made a $150,000 contribution upon her passing at age 97 in January 2025 to establish this award program.
To be considered for the Janet B. Wentz English Award, the following key factors will be considered:
- Academic Performance:
- Consistently high grades in English courses.
- Positive feedback and evaluations from English teachers regarding work ethic, critical thinking, class participation, showing a clear passion and enthusiasm for the subject of English, and overall performance and improvement.
- Writing Skills:
- Demonstrated ability to write clear and well-structured essays.
- Skill with drafting creative writing pieces including poetry, short stories or plays.
- Proper grammar and mechanics.
- Extracurricular Involvement:
- Participation in English-related clubs including speech and debate, yearbook, literary magazines and creative writing groups.
- Competing in writing contests or literary competitions.
- Future Plans:
- Interest in pursuing English, communications or journalism as college major or another major that requires strong English skills.
- Interest in a career requiring strong English skills including journalism, law, advertising, teaching, education, publishing, writing and social media marketing.
The Saxton & Stump Scholarship
Stock & Leader worked with the Foundation to hand out its first $500 scholarship in 2022 to a senior student planning to pursue a degree in law or education.
For 2023 and now 2024, Foundation board member Gareth Pahowka, an attorney with Stock & Leader’s School Law group, matched the scholarship funds to produce a $1,000 scholarship offer.
The scholarship: This is a one-time $1,000 award to a student planning to pursue a degree in law or education.
The Larry F. Carey Memorial Military Award
This unique scholarship comes from the estate of former Upper Allen Township resident Larry F. Carey.
The Larry F. Carey Memorial Military Award will be awarded to one male and one female student each year for the next 10 years who is enlisting in the armed forces. Preference will be given to individuals entering the Navy.
The scholarship: This is a $500 award to 1 male and 1 female student each year who enlist in the armed forces.
Mr. Carey retired from the Navy as a Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer after 20 years of service. As part of his estate planning, Mr. Carey partnered with the Foundation to establish this scholarship to help graduating students transition into their military enlistments.