What are we doing with the money?(Submitted by CHS Student Liaison, Carolyn Hinrichs)
You may be aware that Chadron High School is the recipient of a $20,000 EducationQuest grant. So, how has this impacted your student?
The goal of our Nebraska EducationQuest office is "to improve access to higher education." CHS received a $20,000 gran ($5,000 over four years) to promote college readiness activities. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how our students have benefitted:
- Lunch 'n' Learn meetings. Students are invited for FREE pizza. They listen to a speaker talk about their educational/career experiences locally. Last year, we heard from the National Guard, Lorrie Hunn (Education), Rob Wahlstrom (Wahlstrom Ford), and Robin Bila (Counseling). So far this year, we've had Officer Chrisman and Lieutenant Hickstein (Police Department) UNL (Engineering Careers). Please encourage your student to listen to the announcements. On November 12, Matt and Senna Reeves will be visiting with students about careers in Finance and Entrepreneurship!
- ALL of our sophomores are invited for a tour at CSC and FREE brunch. The main purpose of this event is to get students on a campus, so that they can picture themselves in that environment. We'll be taking 30 students on November 14th and another 30 on November 21st.
- Students are invited to attend a day-long field trip to WNCC (Scottsbluff Campus). WNCC has a wide variety of opportunities, both for transfer programs and stand-alone degrees (such as LPN, Auto, or Welding). This field trip is scheduled for November 22nd.
- We will have a meeting in the spring for parents of sophomores and juniors to learn more about the benefits of AP and dual credit courses. These options can save LOTS of money, and also provide students with an affordable jump start of their college career (often allowing them to graduate sooner). They also get a sense of confidence that they are capable of college-level work.
- Seniors are welcome to come to the Guidance Office to complete a CSC or WNCC application if desired. I like students to see how easy it is to apply to a college, and we would gladly walk them through the process if desired.
- Our Educational Planning Event was held on October 14th and most of our juniors and seniors attended. Have you asked them what they learned? What was a surprise? What schools are they learning towards right now?
- Financial Aid Night is scheduled for January 14th at 6:30pm. This meeting is crucial for seniors and their parents (unless you have older students and are already familiar with the FAFSA process). The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the document necessary to apply for gift aid from the government. We'll be offering a FREE dinner prior to the meeting and will have guest speakers talk about how they financed their education.
- As in years past, we will be inviting our previous students to visit with current high school students over their Christmas break. This FREE lunch meeting will probably be around January 9th and is generally very popular...it's fun for our students to reconnect with last year's graduates and get the 'real scoop' on college. Have your student listen to the announcements for the finalized date!
- Last year, I took students to visit the Sidney campus of WNCC as well. Specialty programs at Sidney include: Cosmetology and Airframe Maintenance (airplanes). Please have your student see me if they'd like to make the trek again this year.
- I've tried to get kids interested in a field trip to Kearney. I approached students last spring and again last month, and only had three students turn in paperwork. If your student would like to participate in a FREE trip to Kearney, please have them see me and I'll start a list.
- We also do some good things that don't cost a dime! For example, we visit with each student individually regarding next year's schedule. We attempt to schedule your student for the classes that they need, according to their current plans. For example, if your student is headed for a health career, we'll push such classes as math, science, Psychology, Medical Terminology, Nutrition, and Basic Nursing. If your student is hands-on, we'll push Construction, Industrial Tech, Welding, Woods, etc. We will probably have next year's Course Handbook available online by February. Please take the time to look at it and have a visit with your child.
