Julie O’Rourke Memorial Scholarship

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THE PATRONJulie Ann Elizabeth O’Rourke was one of those rare people who loved life and could make you love yours,

was pre-eminently successful as a scholar and an artist, provided deep insight into any challenge of the heart and brought together diverse friends and family in the name of perennial celebration, all at once.

Professionally, she was a photographer and �ine artist. She received her BFA from York University and, after backpacking through Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia, pursued an MFA from Ryerson University, doing major projects in New York City and the George Eastman House in Rochester. Her Master’s work focussed on the restoration and conservation of photographs, particularly from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. At VHS, Julie was in the process of matching �ine art and photography to short stories, analysing both for the human experience and explicating how one related to the other. Her project was, to our knowledge the �irst of its kind in a secondary school setting.

Artistically, Julie was interested most especially in the avant-garde and the synthesis of old and new forms. She had an exacting aesthetic that at once re�lected Victorian, Art Deco, Industrial and Post-Modern sensibilities. These themes recurred in her photography and other artistic endeavours. She had hoped to pursue a second Master’s degree in the �ield of art therapy.

Julie had a deep love of travel and adventure. She hiked in Thailand, dived at the Great Barrier Reef, surfed in Portugal, jogged in Central Park and moved amid the artistic community of Paris. She would frequently admonish her friends, “Don’t talk about doing something — do it”. Her friends were both numerous and diverse, and she was equally at ease at an academic discussion in a fancy restaurant or a random gathering in rural Ontario. The common thread was her very deep love of people; she had a pecu-liar way of seeing right through a person, and usually liking what she saw. For Julie, there was never any question that her friends and family would be compatible, and she never missed an opportunity to bring the people she loved together.

After a three year battle with a rare cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma, Julie passed away in March of 2011. That her love of life and people and adventure never diminished through that �ight, in spite of extraordinary pain and persistent bad news, is testament to a strength of character far beyond extraordi-nary. Two months prior, she had celebrated her thirtieth birthday.

THE SCHOLARSHIPThe Julie O’Rourke Memorial Scholarship is worth $1 000. It is intended to offset expenses for a student

pursuing post-secondary studies in �ine arts (variously de�ined). The purpose of the scholarship is to perpetuate Julie’s talents and the light that she brought to the world by seeing and encouraging its growth in others.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATEThe successful candidate will receive $1 000 from the Julie O’Rourke Memorial Scholarship fund.

Virtual High School requests the pleasure of correspondence with the winner. Speci�ically, we would like the winner, after the �irst year (or �irst term) to write a short (less than 1000 words) open letter on “how it’s going”. You will tell us of your hopes and fears, what you’ve learned, what has surprised you, how you have surprised others, the interesting people you have met, how you’ve changed. We will publish these letters each year on our website.

Julie O’Rourke Memorial Scholarship Instructions

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PORTFOLIO

Instructions: Please complete the “Front Page” PDF form and save it to the DVD as “Front Page”.FRONT PAGE

SCHOOLING

PERSONAL SKETCH

FREE FORM

You must provide proof that you have been accepted, or provisionally accepted, to a program in �ine arts at the post secondary level. The school that you are attending must be accredited in its jurisdiction, but otherwise, there are no restrictions on where, or what type of �ine arts program you are pursuing.

You must either be a current student with Virtual High School (Ontario), or have successfully completed a course with VHS within the past twelve (12) months from April of the year in which you are applying.

Instructions: Please scan your acceptance letter or other proof and save it to the DVD as “Proof”.

Please provide us with digital photographs (or videos, if your medium involves movement) of some of your work, in any medium. We are not looking for anything in particular, and we are not expecting you to have acquired the skills and insights that your post-secondary studies will provide. We simply want to see evidence that you are a practicing artist in your own right.

Instructions: Please save all �iles that you wish us to see on the DVD in a folder called “Portfolio”.

We want to know that, like Julie, you won’t let your excellent work squeeze out opportunities to live life courageously, positively and to its fullest. Tell us about your dreams, loves, and hopes. We’re not looking for anything in particular, other than enthusiasm about the things you want to do to balance. Do you want to travel? Study abroad? Invent a new medium? Change the views of society on one issue or another?

We also want to know about your artistic goals. How will your work push boundaries, challenge ideas, or shed light on a new aesthetic? Where do you hope to draw your in�luences, and what do you hope to in�luence? What media and in�luences can be brought together in a new way? In short, why must you be an artist? You may tell us in any way you like — a short (less than 500 word) written statement, a short video or vocal recording, or you may show us in any medium. Note that the adjudicators are teachers, not profes-sional artists. The idea of allowing a multi-medium submission is to allow you to submit in a way that works best for you.

Instructions: Please save your sketch as a Word, RTF, or PDF document on the DVD as “Sketch”

Tell us your best story. Keep it short. It should be about you, but it doesn’t need to be entirely true, although it can be. Leave out any bits that might be incriminating. Make sure it involves at least one other person.

Instructions: Please save your Free-Form story as a Word, RTF, or PDF document on the DVD as “Free-Form”

Julie O’Rourke Memorial Scholarship Application Form

Section OneTo apply for the Julie O’Rourke Memorial Scholarship, you must provide the following five elements. Please save all elements to a DVD (or CD-ROM) and mail it to:

Julie O’Rourke Memorial Scholarship Committee C/O Virtual High School27 Main St. N., Box 402Bayfield ON N0M 1G0

A. Student InformationSurname Given Name(s) Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)

Street Address Cityl Province Postal Code

Country

Course Name Course Code Date of CompletionB. VHS Courses Taken

C. Post SecondaryName of post-secondary instutution to which you have accepted an offer of admission:

Location

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Email Address Telephone Number

D. Preferred MediaPainting Sculpture Music Drama Dance PhotographyOther (Describe)

Section TwoMake sure you have submitted all 5 elements of this application. Below you will find a check list to help.

Program Start Date

Instructions: Please complete the “Front Page” PDF form and save it to the DVD as “Front Page”.

Instructions: Please scan your acceptance letter or other proof and save it to the DVD as “Schooling”.

Instructions: Please save all �iles that you wish us to see on the DVD in a folder called “Portfolio”.

Instructions: Please save your personal sketch as a Word, RTF, or PDF document on the DVD as “ Sketch”

Instructions: Please save your Free- Form story as a Word, RTF, or PDF document on the DVD as “Free-Form”

Front Page

Schooling

Portfolio

Personal Sketch

Free-Form

1-416-800-1188 Fax: 519-565-4100

Tel: 1-866-679-9377