This week Juniors will get the keys to the Ferrari.
Juniors will sign up this week through our office to get their Naviance account.
Junior parents: Let your students test drive the Naviance program a bit before you ask for the keys.
To Seniors: If you haven't come by to visit with your counselors about your final college list - then do so in the next week.
To a great short week.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
an EPIC program
Tuesday night I spoke with Junior parents about the future direction of the college guidance program.
A bit of vision was cast.
EPIC. That's the acronym that shimmers with what we hope our program becomes.
For you.
For the entire Casady community.
So what does EPIC stand for?
I invite you to read a fuller version of the vision for our program. Just click here.
A bit of vision was cast.
EPIC. That's the acronym that shimmers with what we hope our program becomes.
For you.
For the entire Casady community.
So what does EPIC stand for?
- EDUCATING
- PERSONALIZING
- INTERACTING
- CONNECTING
I invite you to read a fuller version of the vision for our program. Just click here.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Junior Parent College Night
Junior Parents:
So it begins.
I hope the following soundtrack hums and rattles and pulsates in your brain from here to graduation.
Come tonight and get fired up with us about the college adventure ahead!
See you tonight in the Student Center.
So it begins.
I hope the following soundtrack hums and rattles and pulsates in your brain from here to graduation.
Come tonight and get fired up with us about the college adventure ahead!
See you tonight in the Student Center.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Senior Parent College Night
Senior parents. Tonight is your night to get excited about the college application adventure ahead. That's right. I said adventure. Not crucible.
If there is a soundtrack that I hope you will hear humming through your ears the whole year...it's this one.
See you tonight. 7 pm. Student Center. Coffee bar will be open. So come get your caffeine-fix on early!
If there is a soundtrack that I hope you will hear humming through your ears the whole year...it's this one.
See you tonight. 7 pm. Student Center. Coffee bar will be open. So come get your caffeine-fix on early!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tyra's essay
Yesterday our college counseling staff met with seniors to discuss the adventure ahead.
I started out by showing my seniors a television clip from my favorite show, Friday Night Lights.
Tyra desperately wants to go to UT in Austin. She's been an average student until her junior year. Then something clicked. Came alive. Now she must differentiate herself within a humongous, Texas-size blob of applicants with a similar "upward trend" academically.
How will she do this?
Her college essay.
But Tyra struggles to find her voice.
Her message.
Her rough drafts have been predictable and perfunctory.
A list of accomplishments.
Bla bla bla.
And then it happens.
With the help of her friend, Landry, Tyra finds it.
Notice that Tyra doesn't "package" herself in her essay.
Tyra reveals herself.
Her hopes.
Fears.
Dreams.
So seniors I challenge you:
Reveal yourself. Don't settle in your application for anything less than your voice. Your heart. Your soul. Like Tyra. That rep needs to see beyond the numbers. That rep needs to see you. You in all your florescent colors.
So that's tag line #1:
Reveal yourself.
I started out by showing my seniors a television clip from my favorite show, Friday Night Lights.
Tyra desperately wants to go to UT in Austin. She's been an average student until her junior year. Then something clicked. Came alive. Now she must differentiate herself within a humongous, Texas-size blob of applicants with a similar "upward trend" academically.
How will she do this?
Her college essay.
But Tyra struggles to find her voice.
Her message.
Her rough drafts have been predictable and perfunctory.
A list of accomplishments.
Bla bla bla.
And then it happens.
With the help of her friend, Landry, Tyra finds it.
Notice that Tyra doesn't "package" herself in her essay.
Tyra reveals herself.
Her hopes.
Fears.
Dreams.
So seniors I challenge you:
Reveal yourself. Don't settle in your application for anything less than your voice. Your heart. Your soul. Like Tyra. That rep needs to see beyond the numbers. That rep needs to see you. You in all your florescent colors.
So that's tag line #1:
Reveal yourself.
Monday, June 22, 2009
College Essay Workshop II
The danger of the college essay is not in writing a bad essay but a boring one.
Another great weak of working with seniors on "non-boring" essays.
Short Answer essay highlights included...
a camp prank in Cabin 16
a night with a cello and Swiss rock band
babysitting day from hell
Jamba Juice smoothie maker
Personal Essay highlights included...
a B-52 and an air show
1st graders and a robot
a night at 7-11 with the girls
kayaking in Montana with dad
the "world's largest pancakes"
a rocker's first gig
Another great weak of working with seniors on "non-boring" essays.
Short Answer essay highlights included...
a camp prank in Cabin 16
a night with a cello and Swiss rock band
babysitting day from hell
Jamba Juice smoothie maker
Personal Essay highlights included...
a B-52 and an air show
1st graders and a robot
a night at 7-11 with the girls
kayaking in Montana with dad
the "world's largest pancakes"
a rocker's first gig
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Transcripts, Scholarships, and Common Application Bootcamp
Hello, folks.
Right now I'm thoroughly enjoying working with seniors on college essays. I've got 10 seniors in our first college essay workshop. Personal essay topics by this group include a cliff jump, a passion for teaching, the movie Yuma at 3:10, Tiananmen Square, Pigskin Camp, the Broadway Wicked and a sixth grade musical, an art project, Sylvia from Jewett's "A White Heron", and a blown cover in a Pakistani music store.
I've loved sharpening the edges of every student's essay!
Okay a few "house keeping" items.
2008 graduate parents. All final Casady transcripts have been sent to every college that students are matriculating to in the fall. So relax.
New senior students and parents: This is a good time to research for scholarships. I'd encourage you to probe and explore the following scholarship web sites:
FastWeb: http://www.fastweb.com/.
Scholarships.com: http://www.scholarships.com/
College Board: apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
eFinancialAid.com: http://www.efinancialaid.com/
ScholarshipExperts: http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/
StudentScholarshipSearch: http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/
CollegeNETMach25Scholarship Search: http://www.collegenet.com/mach25/appp
Also high school parents. Many parents have called to ask about the new GPA system. When will we see what our child's new "weighted GPA" is? The answer: I'm not sure. We have some mathematical and logistical changes we have to make. So it could be August. Sorry folks, you'll just have to be patient. I could try and convert your child's GPA for you, but I got a C in Business Algebra in college.
Finally, senior parents and students. MARK YOUR CALENDER FOR AUGUST 4th!
We're going to offer the 1st ever "Common Application Boot camp." That's right. We're going to open up the computer labs (exact locations yet to be determined) for sessions in the morning, afternoon, and early evening session. Each session will go for 3 hours. Mr. Bottomly (newly appointed director), Mr. Hoven (newly appointed college counselor), and Mrs. Cockrum (our amazing registrar!) will be on site to lead you step by step through the common application, answer questions, offer suggestions, help organize your information, proofread essays. And don't worry about two things. The cost. The workshop is FREE. And fall athletics. We're already coordinating with Coach B and coaches to ensure every senior athlete gets a chance to attend one of the boot camps.
We will send out an official letter to all seniors to provide specific instructions about information you will need to bring to complete the application (parent's information, social security, an edrive with essays saved, etc.)
We're hoping for 75% senior participation. It'll be awesome! So put in your iPod. Be there!
Right now I'm thoroughly enjoying working with seniors on college essays. I've got 10 seniors in our first college essay workshop. Personal essay topics by this group include a cliff jump, a passion for teaching, the movie Yuma at 3:10, Tiananmen Square, Pigskin Camp, the Broadway Wicked and a sixth grade musical, an art project, Sylvia from Jewett's "A White Heron", and a blown cover in a Pakistani music store.
I've loved sharpening the edges of every student's essay!
Okay a few "house keeping" items.
2008 graduate parents. All final Casady transcripts have been sent to every college that students are matriculating to in the fall. So relax.
New senior students and parents: This is a good time to research for scholarships. I'd encourage you to probe and explore the following scholarship web sites:
FastWeb: http://www.fastweb.com/.
Scholarships.com: http://www.scholarships.com/
College Board: apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp
eFinancialAid.com: http://www.efinancialaid.com/
ScholarshipExperts: http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/
StudentScholarshipSearch: http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/
CollegeNETMach25Scholarship Search: http://www.collegenet.com/mach25/appp
Also high school parents. Many parents have called to ask about the new GPA system. When will we see what our child's new "weighted GPA" is? The answer: I'm not sure. We have some mathematical and logistical changes we have to make. So it could be August. Sorry folks, you'll just have to be patient. I could try and convert your child's GPA for you, but I got a C in Business Algebra in college.
Finally, senior parents and students. MARK YOUR CALENDER FOR AUGUST 4th!
We're going to offer the 1st ever "Common Application Boot camp." That's right. We're going to open up the computer labs (exact locations yet to be determined) for sessions in the morning, afternoon, and early evening session. Each session will go for 3 hours. Mr. Bottomly (newly appointed director), Mr. Hoven (newly appointed college counselor), and Mrs. Cockrum (our amazing registrar!) will be on site to lead you step by step through the common application, answer questions, offer suggestions, help organize your information, proofread essays. And don't worry about two things. The cost. The workshop is FREE. And fall athletics. We're already coordinating with Coach B and coaches to ensure every senior athlete gets a chance to attend one of the boot camps.
We will send out an official letter to all seniors to provide specific instructions about information you will need to bring to complete the application (parent's information, social security, an edrive with essays saved, etc.)
We're hoping for 75% senior participation. It'll be awesome! So put in your iPod. Be there!
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