CMS 8th Graders to Visit College Campuses Around Central Iowa

            Our 8^th graders have begun their final semester of middle school and now is the time we really begin to get ready for high school. But we do not only prepare for high school, we also prepare for life after high school. We have a focus on creating students who are “College and Career Ready” at Carlisle and for 8^th graders, this means a busy final semester. So while 8^th graders are making their 4-year plans and selecting high school courses, they are also going on one of six college campus visit days as well!

            Beginning this week with an Iowa State trip, groups of 20-35 8^th graders will go on a trip to either Iowa State University, Simpson College, Grandview University, Central College, Drake University, or Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny sometime in the next month or two. Each student was placed on one of these visits based on college or career interests they listed on a notecard. The goal of these visits is for students to see what a college or university looks like, help students see themselves on a college campus someday, and to get ideas and plans in their heads as they begin to plan their high school coursework. While not every student goes on to a 2 or 4-year college after high school, we want all students to know and understand this option and how a student could pursue this option if that is the route he/she chooses to go.

            Near the end of the year, the Carlisle Alumni Association puts on a Career Day for our 8^th graders. This event brings 20 or more Carlisle High School Alumni who are working their careers and want to help our students understand how to work towards getting into a similar career. This helps our students who have already seen what colleges are like to now see what a few careers are like. These two events combined are a great way to expose our students to the “College and Career Ready” culture we try to foster each and every day across our district. Being that this is our 5^th year of doing the college visits, when this year is done, every student grades 8-12 will have been on a college campus via this annual program!

College Visit 2016 Next Month!!

8th Graders:
   Next month, all of you get a chance to tour a college campus. The classrooms, the dorm rooms, the buildings, the sports facilities, and much more! You will get a chance to hear from college students about their experience. And....you get to do this all during the school day and it is FREE! This is our 2nd annual 8th Grade College Tour and it will take place on Wednesday, March 30th. Please take the survey below so we know which college you would like to tour. About 40 students will go on each trip and we will try our best to get you into your 1st or 2nd choice.

College Visit on March 25th!! What College Do You Want to Visit??

 All 8th grade students need to take this survey. We will try to get as many students to the first school of their choice as possible. Thank you!

College Planning 101

We get a lot of questions in the counseling office from students and parents about when to start college planning and what steps they should be taking. For the most part, it's never too early to start looking at potential careers and postsecondary institutions that may align with those careers.  Granted, most students will change their minds several times before they make their "final" decision (and even then they may change once they hit the college scene), but it's good to start somewhere.  This might mean doing some research online on O'Net or I Have a Plan Iowa, it might mean talking to relatives or friend's parents about their careers, or it might just mean being more observant about all the different occupations that one can come into contact with on a daily basis- your doctor, nurse, mailman, police officer, teacher, etc.

In 2008, the state legislators mandated a student core curriculum plan be developed in 8th grade- meaning our junior high kids are identifying a career area of interest and mapping out their four years of high school to make sure they fulfill graduation requirements and electives to match with their career area of interest.  Despite the panic that students and their parents can feel about making these choices, it's helpful to keep in mind that students revisit these plans every single year and are able to make changes based on their current plans.  The state system also has students complete self-assessments each year to help them identify possible careers that align with their interests and abilities.

For the most part, we encourage students to actively start searching during their junior year.  This is the year in which students will take the ACT test if a four year institution might be in their future, they will be taking the COMPASS test which is used by Iowa's two year community colleges, and they have the option of taking the ASVAB if they are interested in joining one of the nation's military branches. 

College recruiters usually make two rounds to high schools- one in the fall geared towards seniors and one in the spring geared towards juniors.  Students are able to sit down with the recruiters to learn more about the campus, programs, and activities available. 

Most colleges also have junior visit days in the spring which are geared toward junior students.  We allow juniors to take a college visit day that doesn't count against attendance.  Getting on campus remains one of the most important ways a student can see if a particular college will be a good fit for them.  It helps students get a feel for the size of campus, size of classes, and see where they would live while parents can get information about cost, safety, and completion and job placement rates (since kids sometimes forget to ask these things). 

Keep in mind- not all students can/should/want/need to go to a four year school.  About half of all available jobs today require education after high school, but NOT a four year degree.  Check out vocational and apprenticeship programs as well.

The important thing is to not limit yourself too early on- keep your options open by taking challenging courses and a variety of electives to find things you like (or don't like).

During the fall of senior year, students and their parents have an individual meeting with their counselor to discuss the plan for after graduation and to walk through all the necessary steps to get there. 

We're here to help, so please don't hesitate to call, email, or stop in with questions at any time!
Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Heidemann, High School Counselors

Student loans (AKA how most people have to pay for college)

A couple of articles recently came out about student loans, the rising cost of tuition, and the amount of debt facing our young adults and nation.  Some of the most startling facts included:

• 12 million students (roughly 60%) use loans to the cover the cost of college annually
• Since 2008, there has been a 27% increase in tuition at four year colleges
• 8.8%- default rate for federal student loans in 2010 (Highest in a decade with over 600,000 former students defaulting)
• $26,600- average amount of student loan debt for 2011 graduates
• And finally-$1,000,000,000,000 (yes...that's 1 trillion dollars) total outstanding student loan debt in the U.S.
• From "Graduating Into Debt" by Edward Graham (Fall 2013 NEA Today)

As a parent of small children and as a high school counselor working daily with students who will need some sort of postsecondary education to enter their desired career field, those numbers are staggering.  Add that to the fact that the per person average to cover our national debt is $54,140.65 as of today (US National Debt Clock) and it can lead to a concern about whether or not college will be an opportunity for my/your/our children. 

What options are available? How can parents and students prepare to minimize their debt and promote financial responsibility?

1. Talk with your kids about finances.  Let them see you balance your checkbook, pay bills, reconcile your budget, save for big purchases, use credit wisely, etc.  And if you need a little help with any of those things, call Consumer Credit of Des Moines or our Student/Family Assistance Program to get started.
2. Start saving and have your kids save as well.  Even its $5 or $10, it all adds up.  If your kids have a job or receive an allowance, have them set 1/3 aside every week/month into their college savings account.  Iowa also has the College Savings 529 plan as an option that may provide some tax breaks (www.collegesavingsiowa.com)
3. Don't get your kid everything they want.  Kids can be really good at nagging or rationalizing why they need (which usually means want) something.  Make them work for it, barter for it, or pay for it themselves.  Or even say no.  This will teach them to prioritize, save, and also learn to delay gratification.
4. Encourage family members to donate to savings accounts rather than buy gifts for birthdays or Christmas.
5. Know what's out there for kids after high school.  Not every student should go to a 4 year college.  Check out other options- there are apprenticeship programs, specific diploma/certificate vocational programs, and 2 year degrees as well. Make sure you, along with your student, sit down and do a cost comparison. 
6. Don't pay for stuff that you can get for free- scholarship searches, career counseling, ACT/testing preparation materials, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).  Contact your student's counselor to get more information or check out the website at www.carlislehighschoolcounseling.weebly.com
7. Have your student take the Financial Literacy or Adult Living course.  They'll learn how to make a budget, get a loan, get insurance, find an apartment and other real-life skills.
8. Encourage your students to do well in school.  This will help them when it comes time to apply for scholarships.
9. Have students fill out scholarships!  During senior year, students should spend time applying for any and all scholarships they are eligible for.  These could be from the college they are planning to attend, local businesses, or national searches.  Scholarships are free money!
10. Help your student with making decisions around borrowing for college.  A lot of students see that they can get a loan for $5500 and take the whole amount, rather than calculating how much they really need and only borrowing that amount. 
11. Ask questions!  Contact financial aid offices, use your school counselors, go to the Iowa College Access Network.  Again- these things are all free and they are here to help you understand your options!

I'm not trying to say that kids shouldn't go to college or that no one should have to take out loans.  I did, my husband did, my kids most likely will, and most of my co-workers did.  But, do try to be proactive so that students can leave their postsecondary education, land that first job, and not be bogged down by a mountain of debt!

The Recruiters are Coming!!!

It's that time of year again!  College and military recruiters will soon be visiting the Counseling office at the High School.  Visiting with recruiters is a great way to find out information about a college.  Juniors and Seniors are invited to come meet with recruiters, just get a pass from either of the Counselors.  Here's a list of upcoming recruiters:
9/13- University of Iowa 11am
9/20- Drake University 9am
9/20- Marines (available during lunch in the commons)
9/25- Iowa Central Community College 10am
9/27- Indian Hills Community College 11am
9/27- Avila University 1:30pm
9/27- Coe College 2pm
10/1- Truman State 1pm
10/4- Iowa Wesleyan 9am
10/4- Buena Vista University 2pm
10/5- Simpson College 1pm
10/18- Northwest Missouri State 11am
10/23- Aveda Institute 9am
10/24- Hawkeye Community College 10:30am

Also- if you want to find out about a lot of different colleges in one place, check out the local college fairs.  The Golden Circle College Fair hosts over 150 different schools at HyVee Hall on Sunday, September 30th from 12:30-3. Looking for a Christian College?  Check out the Christian College Fair on Monday, October 1st from 6:30-8:30 at the Des Moines Christian School.

Happy hunting!

Great Story on CNN and Many Other Sites Right Now: From Homeless to Harvard

    Stories like this one that I just read on CNN.com right now always make me proud to be in education and help me understand how important educators are in a young person's life. But even more than that, how important any adult influences can be in a young person's life. This girl lived and survived through many difficult issues and events in her life. And despite those obstacles, or maybe even because of them, she will soon be enrolled at Harvard University and likely on to even bigger and better things. And just a year ago, she was homeless. Take a free 10 minutes in the next few days to read this article (a little long, but well worth it) and realize that we have students and young people like this girl in our community who need our support, guidance, or friendly and loving spirit. Even during the summer. And I hope your summers are going well!

From Homeless to Harvard click here!

2012 Stars for Tomorrow Scholarship for 8th Graders

**Note....I cheated a little here and just copy and pasted my post from April 2011, but the information is good for this year. I have talked to the 8th grade class about this scholarship and about 10 people have taken the material to work on it. If you think your child would be a good candidate, have them pick up the materials as well. Due date is May 4th!!!***


Parents and students, heads up for a scholarship/award possibility: Stars for Tomorrow Applications are available for Carlisle 8th graders only and are due by May 4th. The Carlisle Alumni Association is sponsoring this opportunity and is awarding a $100 Savings Bond for the winning student(s). So, what do students have to do?? Not much really. Here is all they have to do:

1. Fill out name, address, etc. on application.

2. Type six short paragraphs on how he/she shows each of the six character traits that make up the six Pillars of Character Counts (respect, trustworthy, etc.)

3. Hand 2 reference forms to 2 adults they are not related to. These adults will rate the student in the 6 character areas and fold this form up and hand it back to the student.

4. Mail all of these materials to the address on the application and DONE!

Pretty simple right? And the student can earn some nice money in return, not to mention an honor and some acknowledgement of their high character. If you have questions about this opportunity, please call Ben Barry (989-5413) or email Ben at ben.barry@carlisle.k12.ia.us Thank you and good luck!

Iowa "Did You Know" Video: Makes You Think Doesn't It?

Thank you to Scott McLeod and a few others for the creation of a special version of "Did You Know" video series, this one focusing on Iowa's schools, students, and educational system. If you have never seen any of the "Did You Know" videos, you are missing out. But I especially like this one since it becomes Iowa-specific in the 2nd half of the video. Some pretty interesting stats and figures in this video and it should make all of my colleagues in education think and hopefully start talking about the future of education in Iowa. It should get students, parents, and school districts thinking and talking as well. I'm interested in knowing what everyone thinks. Leave a comment after watching the video if you can. Video is embedded below. Enjoy!

Rising Cost of College

College should be an option for everyone and anyone! I tell that to my students all the time. Money should not be an obstacle as there are always scholarships, grants, and loans. But, I also realize that college is getting more and more expensive every year. This link is not meant to freak you out, but to prepare you for the future costs of college for your children. Take a look at some of the startling numbers.....

Click here to see the costs of college (thank you to Mint.com for the info and Hack Education for the blogpost alerting me about this infographic)