raNdOmNeSS...
> Yesterday I was following behind a school bus with a sign on the back that said "STUDENT DRIVER" - LOL! Is Minnesota sending their driver's ed. students to the bus barn now?! It must have been a driver in training, but you'd think it would say something other than that. :P
> I was blown away by a high school I visited today in Minneapolis! The Blake School is an independent college prep high school that costs a WHOPPING 21,000 BUCKEROOS per year, per student! The AVERAGE ACT composite score of the class of about 130 students is 29, only four students have graduated with a 4.0 in 25 years & every senior is required to give a speech to the entire student body before graduation!
> A couple weeks ago I had to bite my tongue after something a teacher said to me during a visit to an Arizona high school...
It was a lunch visit, so I was sitting at my table in the cafeteria (which of course means I planned on seeing approximately ZERO students come talk to me since school lunches are pretty much long enough to swallow a kernel of corn). Eventually, though, a young man came up to my table & asked who I was & what Simpson was...I chatted with him for a few minutes before he headed off to do something else. A teacher who was standing near me & on lunch duty approached me & said, "he won't be going to college, he's a special ed. kid....he's in my class." YEAH - I COULD NOT believe I just heard those words from the person who is supposed to motivate, encourage & guide students who struggle and/or may not get the extra attention needed at home! ...And we wonder why so many kids have such low self-esteem or drop out. :(
> One of the high schools I visited today, Robbinsdale-Armstrong in Plymouth, MN was such a good, productive time! I first got to chat with Eddie, one of last month's Van Trip students who wants to major in graphic design & play Storm football. Then I met the school's Admission Possible advisor & she told me such a cute story about one of my recent acceptances...Gloria had called her at home & pretty much screamed, "I'm sorry to call you at home, but I wanted to tell you I GOT ACCEPTED TO SIMPSON!" She happened to stop by while I was in there, so I got to meet & congratulate her as well - I'm so happy for her. :) I also got to meet another Admission Possible student who just sent her application in yesterday - woohoo, yay Armstrong High!
What is Admission Possible? "It is a nonprofit organization founded in September of 2000 and dedicated to helping promising, low-income students obtain admission to college. They serve 1,200 students in 15 public high schools and charter schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Robbinsdale and St. Louis Park."
I talked more with he Admission Possible advisor about Simpson's Hawley Academic Resource Center, our George Washington Carver Fellowship Scholarships for minority students & Student Support Services program that would help such students succeed in college.
What is Simpson's Student Support Services? "The program is to promote learning, personal development, and retention of college students who are traditionally under-represented in post-secondary education because of income, family education background, or disability.
The Student Support Services program provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and serves to motivate students the successful completion of their postsecondary education.The SSS program may also provide grant aid to current SSS participants who are receiving Federal Pell Grants. The goal of the SSS is to increase retention and graduation rates of its participants and facilitate the process of transition from one level of higher education to the next."
The advisor & students have been so impressed with the services we offer & she said, "well, we love Simpson!"
Happy college shopping!
- Tiff :)
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