CHILLS Counseling Corner
Season 1: Episode 1
Welcome to the Counseling Department’s new blog, CHILLS Counseling Corner!
We intend for it to be a weekly publication that also allows for more frequent distribution of occasional time-sensitive information that we don’t want to sit on. Keeping up with what is going on in education these days is like drinking from a firehose; our hope is that we can synthesize and distill information to make it more accessible and digestible.
We are publishing on Substack, the popular blog site, so you will have to choose to receive these blog posts by joining the blog mailing list. There is no “passive” way forward–if you want to get this information you have to sign up to get it.
Piet has been using the classification system that appears below to help students and parents gauge whether or not something is relevant for them. This blog will use the same distinctions. Each category is a possible post secondary outcome upon graduation to help you determine if an item is relevant for your/your student’s goals.
We will add further “filtering” by grade level as well:
NEACAC College Fair at UMA May 18
We’ll be bringing a bus (or two if we have enough interest!) to the University of Maine Augusta on May 18 to take advantage of the annual college fair. Picture this. Augusta Civic Center main floor. 100+ college reps peopling tables. 1,000+ high school students meandering aimlessly about trying to look like they know what they’re doing. Does that sound like a good time or what? Introverts… you ok? Actually, if you do a college fair right, you can get some valuable information. We’ll do everything that we can do to help you make the most of it! Sign up here
For What It’s Worth… Musings on College Admissions 2023
“There’s something happening here…
But what it is ain’t exactly clear.”
If you heard the distinctive, haunting tremolo of Buffalo Springfield's opening chords as you read these words, you might think that I am reminiscing about the 60s. Not quite. I’m an 80s kid.
I am instead referring to the recent period of accelerated change in college admissions. As with many cultural shifts that emerged from COVID, the college admissions landscape is rapidly evolving to… well, whatever comes next.
Inaugural #Midcoast Career and Educational Fair at CHRHS
We’re super excited to share this news for the first time!
On April 27th, we will be hosting the new and improved #MCEF, a next level upgrade of our traditional career and college fair. This is not your parents’ college fair!
The guiding principle for the event is to make it possible for attendees to walk away with an acceptance to community college and/or having been hired for a summer or permanent job.
To that end, we will have representatives on hand from each of Maine’s seven Community Colleges for on-the-spot admissions. Just bring a transcript (we will help with that) and you could leave with an acceptance letter. And don’t forget that graduates from the Classes of 2020-2023 are eligible for free community college ($8K value). Check out this list of available programs!
We will also have representatives from a broad range of 40+ local businesses hiring on the spot, so you could leave with a job too! Armed Forces recruiters will be on hand as well.
Bring a resume and dress for success!
As if that wasn’t already enough, we will provide free “street food” and childcare in order to remove any possible barriers to attendance.
We are planning to invite students and families from Lincoln Academy all the way up to Searsport, so the cafe is likely to be packed. In an effort to prevent overcrowding we will hold two sessions: 4:30-6PM and 6:30-8PM. Sandwiched in between will be a keynote by Maine State Economist Amanda Rector (a 2000 CHRHS alum!), who will speak about Maine’s future economy and what will need to happen for Maine to remain viable in the coming decades.
Whether you plan to go right to work after graduation or have med school in your sights, there will be something there for you.
Stay tuned as we get closer to the event, but get it in your calendar as soon as possible.
You don’t want to miss this!
Junior Visits Are In Full Swing
We are solidly in the midst of junior visits, which are essential for all students regardless of their postsecondary plan. Please pay attention to Schoology for an invite from Ms. Dowd. Your appointment might very well be scheduled when you have late arrival or early release, but that’s the only way we can get them done. Please make every effort to keep your scheduled appointment; it’s a pain to have to keep rescheduling appointments.
Campus Visit Mini-Grants Available for Qualified Junior Families
Another great opportunity brought to you by our MELMAC grant!
We have twenty $150 mini-grants available for low income juniors, with priority given to first generation college students (those that will be the first in their family to attend college).
Research has demonstrated that first generation students are more likely to persist through the challenges associated with being the first in their family to go to college if they visit campus with a parent beforehand.
Funds will cover the cost of gas, lunch in the dining commons, and some swag.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/aj9iYqYioSNBKRdv9
College reps travel in the fall, so we are unlikely to have any this spring. We will have reps from Maine's Community Colleges at the MCEF on April 27. Information about rep visits is available on demand in Naviance. We are having lots of conversations about making Naviance more accessible to parents, so you may very well have your suggestion fulfilled.
Are college admissions people visiting or presenting at the school this spring? If so, can you post or send parents this info so we can push the kids towards a presentation or information?