Mrs. Hoyt's Perry High School blog

NACAC Steps to College articles

2010-10-28T10:51:00.002-04:00

I am constantly reading articles and news releases from various organizations to gain insight that will help all of you with college options. I received this email today from the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) distribution list and wanted to share this resource. I found this particular article to be informative, and thought many of the others may be helpful.

"NACAC's Steps to College articles serve as ongoing discussions of the important factors students face during the admission process. Their primary function, however, is to introduce and reinforce the issues students tend to neglect. The latest article in the series reexamines student debt and financial aid against the backdrop of a recession.

Looking Ahead: Student Debt and the College Admission Process directs students to look closely at their potential for debt very early in the admission process. The article also steers students toward sound financial aid resources from the Department of Education.

“Looking Ahead” joins a collection of other financial aid articles in the Steps to College series that speak directly to college applicants. Please pass along this article and others in the Steps series to interested students and families.

Sean Nyhan
Public Policy and Research Coordinator
National Association for College Admission Counseling"

PSAT Registration Reminder

2010-09-29T08:34:00.000-04:00

We are registering sophomores and juniors for the PSAT. We mailed home a flyer, but wanted to send out a reminder in case you missed it.

The PSAT is Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 8:00AM in the Competition Gym at PHS. The cost of the exam is free for sophomores and $13 for juniors (checks payable to Perry High School). Students must register no later than Friday, October 8, 2010 in the Guidance Office. Space is limited, and registration is first-come-first-served.

We gathered sophomores and juniors from half of their lunch blocks today to give a quick presentation on the test. If you are interested in viewing the presentation, or if your student missed it, the following link will take you to the PowerPoint.

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/a-step-to-the-future.ppt#311,1,Slide 1

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Graduation Requirements versus Honors Diploma

2010-09-01T07:39:00.005-04:00

As I double and triple check senior records to ensure graduation is possible for this spring, I thought it would be a great opportunity to remind everyone of our requirements. Perry students need a total of 24 credits to graduate, divided in the following areas:

4 English (English 9, 10, 11, and 12)
4 Math (including Geometry and Algebra 2)
4 Science (including Biology 1 and Chemistry 1)
4 Social Studies (including Global Studies, US History, and American Government)
0.5 Physical Education
0.5 Health
1 Fine Art, Business, or World Language
6 Electives (can be comprised of any credit)

Students must also pass all 5 areas of the Ohio Graduation Test - Reading, Mathematics, Writing, Citizenship, and Science.

To obtain an Honors Diploma in the state of Ohio, a student must fulfill Ohio requirements. This is different from our graduation requirements or our recognition of cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. There are two categories for an Honors diploma - academic or career-technical. Please look through the requirements, as they are different for the class of 2011 and beyond. For example, to fulfill the science requirement, you must take Physics. We have also listed the requirements for honors diploma in our registration guide.

As always, please see your counselor if you have any questions.

College Major Quiz

2010-08-30T07:55:00.003-04:00

The buzz has begun! Seniors are talking about their college ideas and applications, and many have begun to compare college major choices. Are you still undecided? Don't worry, many people are, even as they enter their sophomore year of college. To help rest your mind, I entered college set on double majoring in biology and music. I exited with a major in cultural anthropology. And now I'm a counselor. I was certain that I was going to be a doctor from at least fourth grade. Even the best laid plans can change when you find something unexpected that interests you.

There are some connections between my interests that I can see now. Every goal I had - doctor, orchestral musician, and counselor - required social interaction. Not sure how your future goals are connected? Try taking this quiz at About.com. The quiz utilizes Holland based theory to help you find a general area, and then you can narrow down your interests to find a possible major. For example, my result was "Social Personality," which suggests college majors in... wait for it... counseling and anthropology, among many others. The quiz takes about 3 minutes to complete and is only a starting point.

Something else to consider - it is okay to change your mind. Start exploring your academic and extracurricular interests and see if any college major or career choice starts to sound interesting. Research your options. Ask questions of people in the field. If you find something else, repeat the process. Stop by if you'd like more information on a specific major, career, or college. I'd be happy to help.

Welcome Back!

2010-08-26T16:11:00.003-04:00

It was my intention to post the first day of school, to reflect on returning after a year away, to discuss all of the smiling faces and the new opportunities at Perry this fall. Somehow the time escaped, and it is the third day of school.

Thank you for making the first few days successful. Working through scheduling issues, credit checks, and the anxiety that accompanies the beginning of the new school year is always a challenge, but we made it. The first Friday of the school year approaches, bringing with it an opportunity to show our spirit (wear red!), spend time celebrating our extracurricular strengths, and reflect on the week while looking forward to the coming year.

A few reminders as we enter the year:

1. We are still on an alphabet split - I work with students A-K.
2. No schedule changes to courses that you requested. We go over this many times in the spring. We mean it.
3. Visit us early and often. Show initiative and seek us out before we have to track you down.
4. We do much more than work with your schedule. Talk to us about college, careers, testing, social needs, extracurricular involvement - whatever you need. Think of us as the Help Desk - we will assist you in navigating your path through high school.

Look for announcements and other notes here. I will be updating our department web page soon, and will note changes. I look forward to a great year!

Semester Final Exams

2009-01-13T14:42:00.000-05:00

The semester final exam schedule is as follows:

Blocks 3-6 - Thursday, January 15, during normal class times

Blocks 1-2 - Friday, January 16, during normal class times

School will be dismissed at 11:00 on Friday, January 16.

Registration UPDATE

2009-01-13T14:41:00.000-05:00

Since the Jan. 8 meeting was canceled due to inclement weather, we have changed the dates for registration slightly. The new time-line is:

January 15 - Rising Freshmen (class of 2013) and Sophomore (class of 2012) Information Evening - 7:00, Goodwin Theatre

January 30, 2008 - Rising Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior course requests are due

Registration for 2009-2010 school year

2009-01-07T08:33:00.002-05:00

The registration process for the 2009-2010 school year is beginning. Here are some important dates to remember:

January 8 - Rising Freshmen (class of 2013) Information Evening - 7:00, Goodwin Theatre

January 15 - Rising Sophomore (class of 2012) Information Evening - 7:00, Goodwin Theatre

January 23, 2008 - Rising Freshmen course requests are due

January 30, 2008 - Rising Sophomore, Junior, and Senior course requests are due

College Board (SAT) Score Choice Article

2009-01-07T08:26:00.003-05:00

An interesting article on how College Board is presenting the Score Choice option for SAT scores:

"Giving Choice and Taking It Away" from insidehighered.com

Cleveland Clinic Internship opportunity

2008-12-03T10:48:00.003-05:00

Are you planning on a career in science, nursing, or medicine? The Cleveland Clinic has a 9-week summer, paid internship program. The criteria for applications is:

* 3.5 or better GPA on a 4.0 scale
* you must be 16 years old before June 1, 2009
* You must be in 10th or 11th grade

Apply online at clevelandclinic.org/CivicEducation. The application deadline is 4:30 PM, February 6, 2009.

Scholarship opportunity

2008-12-03T10:47:00.000-05:00

After disease, humanity’s deadliest scourge has always been hate… hate has killed hundreds of millions. It knows no season and no limit. It is irrational and it is deadly. It is in us all. And it will live forever – unless we choose to stop it. The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage challenges students in grades 6-12 to combat acts of hatred, discrimination, and intolerance by participating in the Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out essay contest. The grand prize is a $100,000 college scholarship. Please see your Guidance Counselor for more details. The deadline is January 2, 2009.

"College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S."

2008-12-03T10:43:00.001-05:00

Interesting NY Times article. Click here to read the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/education/03college.html?_r=2&hp

PLAN is approaching

2008-11-11T08:58:00.002-05:00

All sophomores will take the PLAN test on Tuesday, November 25, 2008. There is no cost nor need to register for this test.

Auburn Career Center Visitations

2008-11-11T08:56:00.001-05:00

Auburn Career Center will be visiting on November 12 and 13 to give a presentation to all sophomores. Students will be called down to the media center alphabetically.

At this presentation, we will distribute permission slips to attend the December 11 visit day at Auburn, where students are able to observe two programs.

New Website

2008-10-23T09:16:00.002-04:00

The Perry Local School District has updated their web site. Check it out:

www.perry-lake.k12.oh.us.

Second grading period interims

2008-10-23T09:15:00.001-04:00

Interims are approaching. The interim date of the second grading period is October 28th.

OGT - 11th and 12th grade

2008-10-23T09:12:00.001-04:00

If you are a junior or senior and have not passed a portion of the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT), this is another reminder that testing is the week of October 27-31, 2008. The test dates according to subject area are:

Monday (27th) = Reading
Tuesday (28th) = Mathematics
Wednesday (29th) = Writing
Thursday (30th) = Science
Friday (31st) = Social Studies

Please refer to the reminder you will receive the day prior to testing for your testing location. If you have any questions, please see your counselor.

End of Grading Period

2008-09-30T11:17:00.000-04:00

The end of the first grading period is this Friday, Oct. 3, 2008. Report cards will be issued the following Friday, Oct. 10, 2008.

College Panel Calls for Less Focus on SATs

2008-09-22T07:30:00.000-04:00

September 22, 2008

By SARA RIMER

A commission convened by some of the country’s most influential college admissions officials is recommending that colleges and universities move away from their reliance on SAT and ACT scores and shift toward admissions exams more closely tied to the high school curriculum and achievement.

The commission’s report, the culmination of a yearlong study led by William R. Fitzsimmons, the dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard, comes amid growing concerns that the frenzy over standardized college admissions tests is misshaping secondary education and feeding a billion-dollar test-prep industry that encourages students to try to game the tests.

A growing number of colleges and universities, like Bates College in Maine, Lawrence University in Wisconsin, Wake Forest University in North Carolina and Smith College in Massachusetts, have made the SAT and ACT optional. And the report concludes that more institutions could make admissions decisions without requiring the SAT and ACT.

It encourages institutions to consider dropping admission test requirements unless they can prove that the benefits of such tests outweigh the negatives.

“It would be much better for the country,” Mr. Fitzsimmons said in an interview, “to have students focusing on high school courses that, based on evidence, will prepare them well for college and also prepare them well for the real world beyond college, instead of their spending enormous amounts of time trying to game the SAT.”

Mr. Fitzsimmons’s group, which was convened by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, also expresses concerns “that test scores appear to calcify differences based on class, race/ethnicity and parental educational attainment.” The report calls on admissions officials to be aware of such differences and to ensure that differences not related to a student’s ability to succeed academically be “mitigated in the admission process.”

“Society likes to think that the SAT measures people’s ability or merit,” Mr. Fitzsimmons said. “But no one in college admissions who visits the range of secondary schools we visit, and goes to the communities we visit — where you see the contrast between opportunities and fancy suburbs and some of the high schools that aren’t so fancy — can come away thinking that standardized tests can be a measure of someone’s true worth or ability.”

Mr. Fitzsimmons said that at Harvard high school grades and the College Board’s individual subject tests are considered better predictors of college success than the SAT, also administered by the College Board, or ACT, and that the university is studying the use of standardized tests in its admissions. He added that it was possible that the university might eventually make such tests optional.

The admission counseling association gave the report to The New York Times in advance of its official release at its annual meeting in Seattle this week. The report emphasizes academic research that suggests that test preparation and coaching results in an increase of 20 to 30 points on the SAT, which it calls “a modest gain (on the old 1600 scale)” that “is considerably less than the 100 point or more gains that are often accepted as conventional wisdom.” Even so, the report acknowledges that test preparation can raise scores, however modestly, and that students without the financial resources to get such help may be “penalized for lower test scores” in some admission and scholarship cases.

The report calls for an end to the practice of using minimum-admissions-test scores to determine students’ eligibility for merit aid. And it specifically urges the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to stop using PSAT scores as the initial screen for eligibility for recognition or scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship competition “contributes to the misperception of test scores as sole measures of ‘merit’ in a pervasive and highly visible manner,” the report says.

More than 280 four-year colleges do not require standardized test scores for admission, according to the study. The report says that the College Board’s Advanced Placement exams and Subject Tests and the International Baccalaureate exams are more closely linked to the high school curriculum than the SAT and ACT, and have little expensive test preparation associated with them.

The report suggests that what is needed is a new achievement test, pitched to a broad group of students, that would predict college grades as well as or better than available tests.

Using such an achievement test in admissions would “encourage high schools to broaden and improve curricula,” according to the report, and would also send a message to students to focus on their high school course material instead of on test preparation courses.

David Hawkins, the director of public policy and research for the association, pulled together the commission’s findings into the report. He said its value was “in the nearly explicit sentiment that the current admission tests are not optimal tools for admission in 2008.”

Robert Schaeffer, public education director for The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, a group critical of standardized admissions testing, called the report “a strong condemnation of the overreliance on test scores,” and said he expected it to carry much weight with association members, who include thousands of college admissions officials and high school guidance counselors.

One commission member, Steve Syverson, is vice president for enrollment at Lawrence University, which made the SAT and ACT optional several years ago. Mr. Syverson said he hoped the report would encourage more college admissions officials to question their use of standardized admissions tests.

“We’re all just making assumptions about these tests,” Mr. Syverson said, referring to the SAT and the ACT. “We’ve all grown up with it. It’s embedded in the culture. If you really ask around the country, how many admissions officers can tell you at their institution what the predictive validity of the test is? What does it add to our understanding? What do tests help you predict? You’d find a lot of them equate these tests with intelligence. It’s not an intelligence test.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/education/22admissions.htm?_r=1&oref=slogin

College Applicants, Beware: Your Facebook Page Is Showing

2008-09-18T08:08:00.000-04:00

By JOHN HECHINGER

High-school seniors already fretting about grades and test scores now have another worry: Will their Facebook or MySpace pages count against them in college admissions?

A new survey of 500 top colleges found that 10% of admissions officers acknowledged looking at social-networking sites to evaluate applicants. Of those colleges making use of the online information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant. Only a quarter of the schools checking the sites said their views were improved, according to the survey by education company Kaplan, a unit of Washington Post Co.

Some admissions officers said they had rejected students because of material on the sites. Jeff Olson, who heads research for Kaplan's test-preparation division, says one university did so after the student gushed about the school while visiting the campus, then trashed it online. Kaplan promised anonymity to the colleges, of which 320 responded. The company surveyed schools with the most selective admissions.

Getty Images

Admissions officers have acknowledged looking at social-networking sites like Facebook to evaluate applicants.

The vast majority of the colleges surveyed had no policy about when it was appropriate for school officials to look at prospective students' social-networking sites. "We're in the early stage of a new technology," Mr. Olson says. "It's the Wild, Wild West. There are no clear boundaries or limits."

The lack of rules is already provoking debate among admissions officers. Some maintain that applicants' online data are public information that schools should vet to help protect the integrity of the institutions. Others say they are uncomfortable flipping through teenage Facebook pages.

Colleges' recent interest in social-networking sites is leading many aspiring students to take a hard look at their online habits and in some cases to remove or change postings. With a high-school graduating class nationwide of 3.3 million students, colleges are expected to be sifting through a record number of applications this year.

Nicholas Santangelo, a senior at Seton Hall Prep, a private school in West Orange, N.J., says he expects colleges might look at his Facebook site but hopes admissions officers realize the postings reflect only a partial view of any student. "There are some things I might think about getting rid of," says Nicholas, 17, who is considering such competitive schools as Amherst College and Wesleyan University.

Sites like Facebook and MySpace let users set up online profiles -- including pictures, videos and other personal information -- then solicit others to join their network of online "friends." Users can exchange messages, often publicly, and sometimes offer detailed descriptions of their activities, dreams and fears.

The sites have inspired many a national conversation over privacy and exhibitionism. Some job applicants have already discovered the hard way that employers often examine the sites to weed out candidates. Representatives of the sites say users can establish online privacy settings that let their pages be viewed only by invited "friends." MySpace is part of News Corp., which owns The Wall Street Journal. Facebook is closely held.

But Kaplan and many high-school guidance counselors say students often don't restrict public access on social-networking sites and, in any case, damaging information can find a way to leak out. David Hawkins, director of public policy and research for the National Association for College Admission Counseling, a professional organization, says schools don't have time to scour the Internet systematically to check out thousands of applicants. But he says admissions officers at times receive anonymous tips, which may be from rival applicants, about embarrassing Facebook or MySpace material, such as a picture of a student drunk at an underage party.

In another recent study, Nora Ganim Barnes, director of the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, found that 21% of colleges used social-networking sites for recruiting prospects and gathering information about applicants. It's especially common when universities are awarding scholarships because it isn't hard to go online for a handful of finalists. "No one wants to be on the front page of the newspaper for giving a scholarship to a murderer," she says. "Everybody is trying to protect their brands."

Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, says the school will do an Internet search, including Facebook and other sites, if an application raises "red flags," such as a suspension from school. Mr. Griffin says several applicants a year have been rejected in part because of information on social-networking sites. In a recent case, the university researched a student who disclosed on his application that he had been disciplined for fighting. The school found a Facebook page with a picture of the applicant holding a gun. "We have to use this information to make the best decision for the university," Mr. Griffin says.

Janet Lavin Rapelye, dean of admission at Princeton University, says the school hasn't rejected any applicant because of information posted on the Internet. Princeton doesn't have time to look at all applicants' online information, but if an offensive Facebook post came to the college's attention, the school would examine it, Ms. Rapelye says. "All of us would consider anything that would cause us to doubt a student's character," she says.

Greg Roberts, senior associate dean of admission at the University of Virginia, says his staff is free to check out anonymous tips about social-networking sites or make use of the information if the admissions committee is evaluating a "tight" decision.

Sandra Starke, vice provost for enrollment management at the State University of New York at Binghamton, says she instructs her staff to ignore Facebook and other sites because she considers postings to be casual conversations, the online equivalent of street-corner banter. "At this age, the students are still experimenting," she says. "It's a time for them to learn. It's important for them to grow. We need to be careful how we might use Facebook."

Marc Prablek, a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in suburban St. Louis, considers Facebook information "out in the public" and fair game for colleges. The 17-year-old, with some 550 "friends," says, "I don't have anything bad on Facebook," but he may tweak his profile to be "more sophisticated."

Marc, who plans to apply early to Stanford University, says he won't mention that he loves to read X-Men comic books. His Facebook literary picks currently include "Crime and Punishment" and "Pride and Prejudice."

High-school guidance counselors advise applicants, even if they restrict public access on their sites, to refrain from including anything that could hurt them in college admissions. They especially caution against foul or offensive language, nudity, or photos of drinking and drug use.

"Students need to be accountable for their actions," says Scott Anderson, director of college guidance at St. George's Independent School, a private school near Memphis, Tenn. When writing on Facebook or MySpace, he says, they should be thinking, "Is this something you want your grandmother to see?"

Write to John Hechinger at john.hechinger@wsj.com

Parents: When to back off, when to step in

2008-09-17T10:53:00.000-04:00

"Helicopter parents" may result from generational changes in work, values
When safety becomes an issue, it's OK for parents to step in
Generally, parents should not intervene with bad roommates, grades in college
Experts say parents can pay the rent once, but don't make it a habit

By Elizabeth Landau
CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Do you speed over to your child's school, or even college, whenever something goes wrong?

Many parents today insert themselves into even the most minute activities in their children's lives, a phenomenon that's known as "helicopter parenting."

But two child experts told CNN that parents should aim to empower their children to do things on their own.

"Parenting should be increasingly in the background as the child gets older," said Vivian Friedman, child-adolescent psychologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "If you do for your child for too long, they never learn to do for themselves."

Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and author of the book "A Parent's Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens," said it's important to show children you believe they are capable of handling situations themselves, but always put safety first.

The "helicopter parent" trend may have arisen because the focus of marriage has shifted from the spouse to the child, Friedman said. An increase in divorce and a greater prevalence of two working spouses also contribute to parents' habits of spoiling their children.

"When [the kids] have little failures, they feel like our own failures," Ginsburg said. "What we need to understand is that our job as parents is not to finish our kids or produce perfect kids. It's to start our kids."

Here's what Friedman and Ginsburg recommended for various situations that may arise in your child's life:

1. The elementary school is putting on "Peter Pan" tomorrow. While you prepare a presentation for an important business meeting, your daughter calls and tells you she forgot her Tinkerbell costume for the dress rehearsal. "I'm the only one who's not dressed up," she tells you.

Friedman and Ginsburg agreed that it's OK to take care of it the first time she forgets the costume, but not if it becomes a habit.

"The first time: Find a housekeeper or neighbor to bring it over," Friedman said. "But if she does this routinely, she needs to suffer consequences to learn from the experience."

"One time, two-time mistake -- it's wonderful to pick up the pieces," Ginsburg said. "If, in fact, you always end up picking up pieces, you can't expect a kid to learn the valuable lesson that they can do it themselves. Learn from failure -- failure's a great thing when you learn how to recover yourself."

2. You're at the playground reading a newspaper and suddenly your daughter runs up to you crying. "They won't let me make sand castles with them," she whines.

Friedman said this one depends on age. For a 3- or 4-year-old, it's appropriate for the parent to go over to the group as a neutral adult and help the children learn that they need to include everybody.

But for a 7-year-old, it's borderline. "You could say, 'What seems to be the problem? Do you think there's a way we could all play together?' rather than 'You can't exclude my child,' " she said.

Ginsburg, on the other hand, said you can suggest to your child what to say, or recommend that she find someone else to play with, but you shouldn't communicate that your child isn't capable of handling the situation.

"Learning how to play nice with other people in the sandbox is a great metaphor for life," he said.

3. Kids in the seventh-grade class just won't leave your son alone, not even online. Besides shoving him against the lockers once in awhile, they've also set up a MySpace page making fun of his appearance and name.

Experts agree that you should step in here and notify the school. Friedman would also notify the parents of the children involved -- "Most rational, reasonable parents would not support their child doing that," she said.

Ginsburg emphasized that safety always comes first. "You don't allow your daughter to put her hand in the oven to learn it's hot," he said. "You don't allow a kid to be bullied when there should be systems in place to prevent bullying. "

4. Your son started college a month ago, and every time you call him he has a new story about his messy, party-loving roommate who distracts him from studying and interrupts his sleep. "I wouldn't mind as much if it were my own vomit on the floor," your son tells you. He says he'll just stick it out for the rest of the year.

Friedman and Ginsburg said they would not approach the college housing department and ask to have the young man moved, except in extreme or difficult circumstances -- such as if the child is in a special needs program and can't help himself, Friedman said.

"There's nothing wrong with asking open-ended questions to help your son figure it out," Ginsburg said. "It's OK to say 'Who can you talk to at the university to change your living situation?' What's not OK is to call the dean and say 'Move my son.' "

5. Always a technical genius, your daughter majors in electrical engineering and will surely become a pioneer of great innovations. But this semester, the last of her junior year, she failed her 18th-century literature class, which she took to fulfill the subject-area distribution requirements. This is going to look pretty bad on graduate school applications.

While the daughter can speak to the professor on her own, Friedman and Ginsburg said they would not intervene in this situation.

Special circumstances would be if the grade was truly unfair and there was real foul play involved, or if the professor was drunk -- but otherwise, Friedman said, "It's her F, it's not your F. I would do absolutely nothing."

6. Your daughter has been in the real world for a year, but she says she's not ready to keep herself afloat financially. For the third time this summer she asks for help paying the rent -- "phone bill would be extra nice," she adds. You also notice that she's got a new pair of Manolo Blahnik pumps, and an iPhone is sticking out of her purse.

Friedman said she would not allow this to come up a third time -- she would have made the daughter set up an automatic debit system early on so her child's rent comes out of the account when her paycheck is deposited. "By the third month, I would let her sink, but I'm not a helicopter parent," she said.

Ginsburg emphasized again the safety component: He would never want his daughter to become homeless. He would pay the first month's rent with clear expectations: She needs to learn how to make a budget, she can't spend money on other things until things like rent and food are taken care of, and she needs to know that this is a loan. "Seven months in a row: she needs to find a roommate," he said.

Finally, note that there are no villains here, Ginsburg said.

"The parents who we think do too much are still doing their very best," he said. "Real success involves resilience: the capacity to learn to bounce back on your own."

All AboutEducation • Parenting

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/09/17/helicopter.parents/index.html

Tip of the Day - Time Management

2008-09-16T10:54:00.001-04:00

Break it down!

Do you have an extensive assignment approaching, like your English research paper? Something so large can seem daunting, and you end up putting it off until the last minute. Break it down!

Outline the major due dates - topic, rough draft, bibliography, etc. Set dates for yourself on each part.

Is the required length 10 pages? Write a page a day for 10 days.

Little bits of success are motivating. Big disasters can ruin everything. Need help? Stop by!

Can Your Favorite Color Determine Your Perfect Job?

2008-09-16T10:39:00.000-04:00

By Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

Do you ever wish finding the perfect job could be as easy as one, two, three? According to new research, it might be as easy as red, yellow or blue.

That's right; by determining which primary, secondary and achromatic colors you prefer most and least, you can figure out a successful career path based on how you approach work, the types of workplaces where you work best and how you handle work tasks.

The Color Career Counselor (on CareerPath.com), powered by The Dewey Color System -- the world's only validated, non-language color-based career testing instrument -- uses color preferences to determine successful career paths. Dewey Sadka, author of "The Dewey Color System," says using colors instead of a questionnaire eliminates the chasm between self-perception and self-truth and reveals your core motivations.

"What if you misinterpret a [career assessment] question or the choices don't reflect your personality?" Sadka asks. "Color preference indicates your personality's best career fit. Preferred colors indicate passionate career pursuits; non-preferred choices establish workplace skills you least enjoy."

How it works

The Color Career Counselor is simple. First, you click your preferred primary color (red, yellow or blue). From there, you choose your preferred secondary (green, purple or orange) and achromatic (black, white or brown) colors.

"Your preferred colors determine how you attack each task. They indicate your talents -- what you prioritize first in order to be successful. They also highlight what you overdo, especially when you feel great," Sadka says.

For example, if you're partial to yellow, you're information-driven; blue preference people are idea-driven and people who prefer red are results-driven. If you favor green as your secondary color, you realistically evaluate situations; purple indicates you like fact-finding possibilities and orange signals that you scrutinize feasibility. Finally, if black is your choice from the achromatic colors, you consider value above all else; white shows that you like having options and brown confirms that you like implementation and accomplishing tasks.

On the other hand, your least preferred colors determine tasks and issues that you tend to forget.

For example, if your least favorite color is orange, sometimes you overcommit yourself by trying to do too much at once. If you dislike the color green, you try to fix everything for your colleagues rather than making them do it themselves. Or, if your least favorite is teal, you feel a deep need to prove you are competent.

In managing these areas head-on, Sadka says you won't miss the incidentals that could impede your success.

Put to the test

To see for myself if this "scientific" test was for real, I took the test three different times and got the same results each time, affirming that I am, in fact, in the right career.

I'm a "creator," says the Color Career Counselor. I'm "nonconforming, impulsive, expressive, romantic, intuitive, sensitive and emotional." It says I enjoy working independently, being creative, using my imagination and constantly learning something new.

For my suggested "creator occupations," I was given an extensive list of careers that included jobs I've considered (architect, interior decorator, English teacher), jobs people told me I should pursue (author, creative director, public relations) and jobs that I currently hold or aspire to in the future (reporter and editor).

What about you?

So are you a researcher, creator, social manager, persuader, doer or organizer? To find out what career path you should be following based on your preferred colors, here are a few examples of what certain choices say about you, and the careers and skills that complement them.

If you prefer yellow, purple and white: You're the communicator

You create profitable perspectives -- how to break into new accounts or be heard by other employees. By simply identifying a client's point of view, you develop strategies that open doors, even if they had already been shut. Your excellent communication skills can create problem-solving forums. Careers in corporate communications, marketing or religious occupations work best.

If you prefer red, green and black: You're the investor

You know the value of money and resources, as well as the intrinsic worth of each co-worker's contributions. Your supportive, yet analytical personality works best in finance, accounting, banking, manufacturing, property management, production analysis, investment, money management, consulting, product sales or teaching.

If you prefer blue, orange and brown: You're the activist

Your strong community beliefs and no-nonsense approach improve services for those around you. Occupations where you can improve existing specifications or impact social values work best for you. Consider careers in engineering, building, or developing new programs, companies or products. Also consider law enforcement, firefighting, social or government work.

These are only a few of hundreds of different color profiles. For your own free career evaluation, please visit: http://www.careerpath.com/

Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Copyright 2008 CareerBuilder.com. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authority.

Story Filed Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 9:57 AM

College students: Don't limit dreams with debt

2008-09-16T09:58:00.000-04:00

Huge school loans can hinder future growth. Think about potential income before signing the dotted line.

By Kathleen Connell

from the September 15, 2008 edition

A college education has long been viewed as a ticket to a better quality of life. It is probably the most important decision a student will make and it may have the highest rate of return in achieving life goals. Unfortunately, some students do not think clearly about this decision, buying the "hot" college brand and assuming large amounts of debt. By overinvesting, they destroy their chances for a brighter future.

"Excessive student debt, often made without an explicit decision on its impact on future life choices, not only restricts traditional career choices but the basic ability of young people to take risks – requiring them to defer their dreams," says Robert Shireman, executive director for the nonprofit Project on Student Debt.

Carmen Berkeley, a 23-year-old who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh last year, assumed a huge financial burden to attend a public university as an out-of-state student.

"My life is definitely impacted by my $80,000 college debt from the University of Pittsburgh," she says. "I really want to go to law school, but can't unless I get a scholarship. Though I believe my college education was a good investment, I doubt I will ever own a car or a house."

The nonprofit US Student Association, where she serves as president, contributes a $200 monthly stipend to assist in retiring her loans. Once she completes 10 years of public service, Ms. Berkeley will also qualify for loan forgiveness under the 2007 Higher Education Act for a portion of her outstanding federal loans. Even with the stipend and loan forgiveness, it will take her more than 20 years to repay her debt.

Berkeley did not consider future income before assuming her loans, although she anticipated always working in the nonprofit or public sector. Her choices confirm a recent survey by student-loan provider Sallie Mae that post-graduate income was not a factor for 70 percent of students and parents in determining how much to borrow to finance a college degree.

So after the glossy college brochures arrive in the mail and the visits to leafy college campuses are over, students need to ask themselves: Can I afford this school without excessive borrowing? How long will it take to pay off that wonderful four-year experience at the campus of my dreams?

Students, remember: You will be deferring other dreams for a cool car, well-furnished pad, weekend ski trips, summer beach vacations, and the latest tech toys.

According to the Project on Student Debt, the average 2006 graduate carried $21,100 in loans. But student debt has a disproportionate effect on middle-class families. Families with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 will borrow nearly $5,000 a year to pay for college. Those that make less than $50,000 will borrow on average $3,900, and families that earn over $100,000 will borrow $3,710.

To begin paying off those loans, graduates of the class of 2008 will receive an average salary of $36,400 according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Sounds great, until those graduates have to pay taxes, bringing net income to $27,500 or approximately, $2,300 a month. According to federal tables, they can expect to spend $1,800 to $2,000 a month for rent, utilities, out-of-pocket healthcare, car payments, gasoline, insurance and, entertainment. The remaining $300 to $500 a month may seem comfortable enough for the $230 a month needed to repay a $20,000 student loan at 6.8 percent over a 10-year period.

But repaying college tuition is only one part of the debt equation.

"Social debt is another concern as students face the pressure of keeping up with other students, hanging with the right crowd," says Sharon Fries-Britt, an English professor at the University of Maryland. "Credit cards are being overextended, and students are indebting their future, limiting their life choices."

For students who don't want to have daunting repayment obligations, consider these ideas:

•Know the average amount of debt that students carry at each of your potential colleges. Check economicdiversity.org for more information.

•Use the 2009 US News college ranking table that values schools based on debt load (usnews.com/sections/rankings/index.html).

•Remember, you may not qualify for a grant based on need if your family's income exceeds $100,000, so don't assume a grant unless you are certain you qualify.

•If short on funds, choose a cheaper route. Live at home for two years, attend a community college, and transfer to a state university.

•Check out your likely starting salary at naceweb.org – don't plan to borrow more than your first year's income.

• Dr. Kathleen Connell is a professor at Haas Graduate Business School, University of California, Berkeley.

Find this article at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0915/p14s01-wmgn.html

Tip of the Day - Self-care/Wellness

2008-09-15T10:37:00.002-04:00

Are you getting enough physical activity? Exercise not alone keeps your body functioning at the top of its potential, but assists with stress reduction and can help you sleep. Thirty minutes a day, every day is what is recommended. What are your current levels?

Check out the following resources for more information:

Kids Health
Fitness for Youth

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

2008-09-15T10:34:00.002-04:00

Peterson's MyStudentEdge is coming!

This FREE resource will be rolled out to all Perry High School students this fall. It includes:

FREE ACT and SAT practice tests and test preparation classes
College searches
Career searches
College application help
Resume building
And much more!

A flyer will be mailed home soon. Watch for it!

One in five bosses screens applicants' Web lives

2008-09-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

Top concern: Candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs

Reuters

updated 11:34 a.m. ET, Thurs., Sept. 11, 2008

NEW YORK - Written references could become old hat for hiring managers with one in five saying they use social networking sites to research job candidates — and a third of them dismissing the candidate after what they discover.

A survey by online job site CareerBuilder.com of 3,169 hiring managers found 22 percent of them screened potential staff via social networking profiles, up from 11 percent in 2006.

An additional nine percent said they don't currently use social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace to screen potential employees but they do plan to start.

The survey found that 34 percent of the managers who do screen candidates on the Internet found content that made them drop the candidate from any short list.

The top area for concern among the hiring managers with 41 percent citing this as a downfall were candidates posting information about drinking or using drugs.

The second area with 40 percent of concern were candidates posting provocative or inappropriate photographs or information.

Other areas of concern to arise from social network sites were poor communication skills, lying about qualifications, candidates using discriminatory remarks related to race, gender or religion, and an unprofessional screen name.

But the survey found hiring managers scouring social network pages was not all bad with 24 percent of these managers saying they found content to help them solidify their decision to hire that candidate.

Top factors that influenced their hiring decision included candidate's backgrounds supporting their qualifications for the job, proving they had good communications skills, and having a site that conveyed a professional image with a wide range of interests.

"Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company," said CareerBuilder.com spokeswoman Rosemary Haefner in a statement.

"As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers."

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26658850/

Tip of the Day - Study Skills

2008-09-11T10:46:00.001-04:00

Flash Cards. Do they work for you? If so, USE THEM! But don't rely only on memorizing a vocabulary word or date. Learn the information in context. For example:

Learning Vocabulary - now you know the definition... learn the word completely by:

using it in a sentence at least once a day
find the word in context and define it on the spot
use the new word in a writing assignment

Learning "Data" (dates, periodic table elements, etc.) - So you can recite what is on the card, but can you:

Explain why the data is important?
Identify the information backwards?
Translate it to the larger concept (I know the periodic number of Gold... but what does that mean in relation to silver?)?

Flash cards are simply for learning arithmetic problems. Think of new uses.

Tip of the Day - balancing friends and schoolwork

2008-09-11T10:18:00.004-04:00

The grading period interim is here. Are your grades where they should be? where you want them to be? where your parents expect them to be? Many times the first grading period takes some adjusting. New year. New classes. New friends.

Are your friends getting in the way of your academics? Take a step back and see. Am I spending enough time studying? How long am I on My Space or Facebook every night? What are my goals for the future? Do I need to slow down on my social life?

Just because you aren't focusing on being social doesn't mean you can't be social. Form a study group - you get to spend time with friends, but you are also hitting the books.

A Study Group lets you:

be social
learn with -and sometimes from - others
have time to clarify your questions from people who speak your language
have fun while learning

Need help forming a group? Talk to your teacher or come down to the office and talk to me.

Agendas

2008-09-09T10:38:00.001-04:00

So, you're in class, and you really need to use the restroom. Your teacher asks for your agenda, and you've lost it. Remember - agendas are the only way you are allowed to move about the school - you have 4 pages of passes!

If you need a new agenda, you can purchase one for $6 from the main office.

Tip of the Day - Time Management

2008-09-09T10:33:00.003-04:00

So now you have several days of data on how you spend every minute of your 24 hours. Now it's time to analyze this time.

Make a second list for each day, this time grouping together like activities. For example, all of your classes should be lumped together - but NOT lunch. Are you in clubs or sports? Those activities should be together.

After you've divided up all of your time into these categories, rank them in order of importance. How do you determine importance? It will be different for everyone. However, be REAL! Do not put "Video Games" before attending school. Ask an adult to help you if you get stuck.

Once your activities are ranked, you should see time that is wasted in your day. Again, ask someone to review this list, because sleeping and eating times are not "wasted" - they are necessary for survival, and I would argue they are the most important items in your day. But if you spend 12 hours sleeping and 4 hours eating, that's another story.

Underclass Student Pictures

2008-09-08T09:43:00.000-04:00

Picture Day for all underclass students is Wednesday, September 10, 2008. Order forms will be distributed in sixth block classes.

Tip of the Day - Self-care/Wellness

2008-09-08T09:35:00.002-04:00

Are you worried about eating correctly? Check out the new government guidelines to ensure you are consuming a balanced diet. You can personalize the site since every person has different nutritional needs based on size, age, and sex. Check it out at www.mypyramid.gov.

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

2008-09-05T10:06:00.000-04:00

It's application time!

Seniors should be preparing for their Senior Counselor meeting (schedules will be posted on Monday). We will discuss: college/career plans, testing (ACT, SAT), applications, scholarships, etc. Be prepared for many questions - we want to make sure we're helping you as much as possible.

Sign up for a time ASAP! Schedules will be posted in the Senior Lounge.

Tip of the Day - Study Skills

2008-09-04T08:02:00.001-04:00

How do you prepare for a test? Do you wait until the night before and try to cram in all of the information? I admit, I once operated like this. Did I do well on the test? Yes, because I memorized everything. But did I learn the material and completely understand everything? No. I didn't. And it came back to haunt me when I had to apply the knowledge in a new situation. It wasn't until I was in high school that I learned new ways to study that helped me learn rather than memorize. My personal favorite is the note-rewrite.

Every night, read through your notes from class. When I would do this, I would notice that sometimes my thoughts in class were jumbled, and I would write them out again in a more concise fashion. I continued this every night, adding on the the clearer set of notes, and reading that from the beginning every night. When it came to preparing for a test, I found that I was so familiar with the information, and organized in class to ask clarifying questions, that I no longer needed to cram the night before and the material remained with me after the test.

If you think this might help you, stop by and I will show you what to do. At first it added about 5 minutes to my nightly homework session, but soon made things work faster.

Senior Meetings

2008-09-03T10:15:00.000-04:00

The Guidance Department in conjunction with Mrs. Meinen, our LEAF Advisor, visited senior English classes yesterday to begin the college application process. We will continue to meet with students who do not have an English class at Perry this semester (Auburn, PSEO, or 2nd semester English).

In addition to this classroom meeting, we will be scheduling appointments with every senior to go over their plans for the year. And if you do not have a plan, we'll help you develop one! Look for sign up sheets in the senior lounge and listen out for the morning announcements for more information.

Tip of the Day - Helping a Friend

2008-09-03T10:12:00.001-04:00

Are you concerned about one of your friends? Would you like help sitting down with them to make sure they are okay? Please remember that your counselor is available to help you with not only your problems, but with concerns you have about the health and safety of your friends. We have helped mediate through rough spots, developed scripts and helped prepared a student confront a friend, and, when necessary, jumped in and taken over a risky situation. If you are unsure of how to help, come see us. We have many resources that we can recommend.

ACT and SAT Registration

2008-09-02T11:56:00.002-04:00

The ACT and SAT testing schedules have begun for 2008-09. All seniors who are planning to apply to college need at least one test prior to submitting their applications.

** If you are a senior and have not yet take the ACT or SAT, take the Fall (October or November) test.**

Basic registration information:

ACT:

Go to www.actstudent.org to register, or pick up a packet in the Guidance Office.
Cost = $31; $46 with writing
Take the writing test at least once
4 parts: English, Reading, Science, and Mathematics
closest test date = October 25

SAT:

Go to www.collegeboard.com to register
Cost = $45
3 parts: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing
closet test date = October 4

Tip of the Day - Time Management

2008-09-02T11:54:00.001-04:00

Are you using your planner and still not getting everything done? still forgetting items? For three days, keep a list of everything you do. Yes, everything! From eating to going to class to riding in the car to sleeping, keep track of how long every item in 72 hours takes you to complete. After you have this three-day record, take some time to look it over and see if you have pockets of time that are not being used wisely. If you need help, stop by and I will gladly look at a day in your life and make some suggestions for increasing your productivity.

Tip of the Day - Self-care/Wellness

2008-09-02T11:49:00.002-04:00

Are you getting enough sleep? So many students are yawning as they enter the building in the morning. Sleep is very important for many reasons: concentration, health, healing, etc. Your goal should be 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.

Tips for sleeping well:

Develop a routine for your end-of-the-day tasks.
Go to bed at the same time every night.
Turn off the computer, cell phone, I-Pod, etc.
Wake up at the same time every morning.
Sleep in a dark, quiet room.

Perry High School Welcomes LEAF

2008-08-29T11:47:00.000-04:00

The Lake/Geauga Educational Assistance Foundation (LEAF) will be working with all Perry High School students to assist with post-secondary education and financial aid planning. Their mission is to link students to resources that open doors to higher education. LEAF fulfills their mission by encouraging all individuals to meet their highest potential through education through one-on-one counseling regarding post-secondary opportunities.

LEAF was founded in 1989 by a group of Lake County leaders who discovered that many students were not continuing their education because they believed they could not afford the cost of college. These founding members provided education on college access and financial aid, and continue to work with every public high school in Lake and Geauga counties to ensure that all students who wish to pursue post-secondary education have that opportunity. Since LEAF began counseling students, an average of 70% of all seniors has received counseling with an advisor, and there has been an 11% increase in the number of seniors reporting that they will continue their education after high school.

All students and parents are encouraged utilize the services provided by LEAF. Barb Meinen, Perry High School’s advisor, will be available for one-on-one appointments on Tuesdays from 8:00 AM until 2:30 PM to discuss four-year universities, community colleges, and vocational and technical programs, and how to finance these opportunities. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to receive specific financial aid information and assistance in completing financial aid forms (FAFSA, CSS Profile, etc.). Parents and students need to set up an appointment with the LEAF advisor by contacting the High School Guidance Office at 259-9306.

If you are unable to meet with the LEAF advisor during the school day, you may contact the LEAF Resource Center at 358-8045 to arrange for an evening or Saturday appointment. The Resource Center is located in the Technology Learning Center at 8221 Auburn Road in Concord, Ohio.

Tip of the Day - College/Career Prep

2008-08-29T11:27:00.003-04:00

Do you need some help figuring out a career or college path? See your counselor to learn more about the Ohio Career Information System (OCIS). OCIS is FREE and is open to all students. You can search for careers, college majors, colleges, scholarships, and more!

Log on to: ocis.ode.state.oh.us

User name: PerryL
Password: ohiocis03

After you log in, set up your own account so that you can save and build on your information. Need help? See your counselor or Mrs. Meinen from LEAF.

Tip of the Day - Study Skills

2008-08-28T10:28:00.002-04:00

Look at your surroundings when you are studying. Is it loud or quiet? Do you have bright light, or are you squinting in the dark? Do you have all of your supplies? Here are some study environment suggestions:

Turn off the TV, radio, computer (unless you're using it to write a report), cell phone, I-Pod, etc. A quiet environment provides fewer distractions.
Turn on a light. Go into a room with good overhead lighting (like the kitchen). Proper lighting will make it easier for your to read and prevent eye strain.
Collect all of your supplies before you begin. Running around the house every minute or two to find something you need will take away precious time.
Don't multi-task! Yes, this is a skill we all need, but if you are studying for a U.S. History test, it won't help you to talk on the phone and watch TV at the same time. Concentrate on learning one thing.

Online Health

2008-08-28T10:20:00.001-04:00

Online Health registration is currently open in the Guidance Office. All students must take 0.5 credits of Health to obtain their diploma. If you have any questions, please contact your counselor.

Tip of the Day - Meeting New People

2008-08-27T09:31:00.003-04:00

The beginning of the school year is a great time to try something new. Join a club or sport that seems interesting, and you'll get more than just volunteer experience or exercise... you'll meet lots of new people and develop new friendships. Common interests join people, and by exploring your own interests outside of the classroom, you may meet people that you never expected to find. If you need some help finding a new club, see your counselor. We'd be happy to help you explore your options.

Here are some links to get you started:

Perry High School Clubs and Organizations
Perry High School Athletics
Perritech

Standards-Based Grading

2008-08-27T09:27:00.003-04:00

I have had several calls regarding our new Standards-Based Grading policy. For more information, please see the FAQ section on the district web page. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Mrs. Reigert, Mr. Mueller, or Mr. Eisler.

Tip of the Day - Time Management

2008-08-26T09:10:00.003-04:00

You know that nifty little red agenda we gave you on the first day of school? Use it! After scrolling through all of the Student Handbook information, there are several different calendars. The first is by month. The second, by week.

Use your monthly calendar to:

Keep track of evening events, like club meetings, presentations, or sporting events
List birthdays or anniversaries
Note days off of school
List due of dates of large assignments - final exams, research papers, presentations, etc.

Use your weekly calendar to:

Keep track of homework assignments
Plan out big projects - i.e. write pages 1-3 of English research paper on Monday, pages 4-6 on Tuesday, etc.
Make a "to do" list for the "others" in life - buy a birthday card, call your grandma, bring in lunch money, etc.

Once you get used to writing things down, you will develop a habit. Keep the lists going on paper so that you do not have to remember them in your head.

College Information Night

2008-08-25T11:22:00.003-04:00

College Information Night
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
7:00 PM
PHS Cafeteria

Presented by Becky Hoyt and Lori Reigert, Guidance Counselors

Please join us to learn more about:

The college search
Financial aid basics
Scholarships
College applications
The college matriculation process

The presentation is open to parents and students in all grades.
Seniors and juniors are especially encouraged to attend.

Please contact the guidance office at (440) 259-9306 with any questions.

Tip of the Day - Stress relief

2008-08-25T11:18:00.002-04:00

The biggest concern I hear from students and parents is the level of stress our students experience. I do not see this as a Perry-only occurrence, but instead a phenomena that is growing. To compete in our current world, we have to do so much more than in the past, and many people struggle with the balance that is required.

When stress is taking control of your body, here is a tip that helps many people... BREATHE! When your body experiences stress, many things happen, including increased heart-rate and reduced breathing. Take a moment, close your eyes, and concentrate on breathing. The increased oxygen will help you focus and regain control.

Extra-curricular eligibility

2008-08-21T14:53:00.002-04:00

Eligibility for ALL extra-curricular activities - including athletics - requires a 2.0 GPA from the most recent report card with no failing (F) or incomplete (I) grades. Students must also be enrolled in 5 credits for the school year. Because of our block scheduling, students must have 2.5 credits in the semester of eligibility at minimum.

Please review your schedule and confirm that you are, indeed, eligible.

Tip of the Day

2008-08-21T14:52:00.003-04:00

Beginning Monday, I will introduce a daily entry - Tip of the Day. I will rotate topic areas:

Monday - wellness and self-care
Tuesday - Time management
Wednesday - Relationships
Thursday - Study skills
Friday - College and career prep

First Day of School

2008-08-21T14:51:00.001-04:00

Congratulations on a great first day back to Perry High School! It was nice to see so many smiling faces and students eager to learn. I look forward to a great year!

Freshman/New Student Orientation

2008-08-12T14:54:00.001-04:00

Freshman and New Student Orientation is Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 6:30 PM in Goodwin Theatre. We will have new student schedules. You can tour the building, find your locker, and talk to staff and students about the transition to high school. See you then!

Schedule Changes

2008-08-12T14:53:00.001-04:00

If you need to make a correction to your schedule, you must call the office at 259-3511 to make an appointment. The only changes we are making are due to conflicts. You may not change what you requested this spring.

The approaching school year

2008-08-04T15:34:00.002-04:00

A few items in preparation for the 2008-2009 school year:

1. Schedules are being mailed today. The only changes that will be made are those where classes do not fit. Otherwise, you must take the courses you requested in the spring.

2. If you need to make a change, you must make an appointment. Contact the high school at 259-3511 to make an appointment.

3. Freshmen and New Student Orientation is August 14. Students will have an opportunity to walk through their schedule, find and open their locker, and discuss expectations with students (and parents).

More to follow as we near the first day of school (August 21). See you then!

Answering parents' MySpace questions

2008-05-16T11:32:00.001-04:00

Experts advise readers on cyberspying, older 'friends' and banning site
By Jasmin Aline Persch

While some parents are creating their own MySpace pages to keep up with their kids, many don't understand the social-networking site and its allure for adolescents.

Stories such as today's "Mom indicted in MySpace suicide case" and others that tie the site to sexual predators, cyberbullying and teen suicide can make this unfamiliar youth hangout all the more frightening for parents. Fortunately, psychologists say, most children don’t encounter trouble on social-networking sites. Many kids, they say, have beneficial experiences on MySpace, which can actually help children through the awkward stage that is adolescence.

That’s what I reported in a recent story, “MySpace can help bring shy kids out of their shells.” Being socially challenged can make an adolescent feel even more alien, but finding accepting pals can come easier online. Virtual relationships, in turn, can boost kids’ confidence and social lives, making life a little bit better in the real world.

The story generated about 70 e-mails from readers, ranging from parents who don’t sweat MySpace to those who swear it off. But I mainly heard from parents who are unsure about how to handle MySpace with their kids. Should they cybersnoop on their children? Should they forbid older “friends”? Should they ban MySpace altogether?

I took their questions to three experts for parental guidance. Larry D. Rosen, a psychology professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, recently authored a parenting book, "Me, MySpace and I," on the topic. Laurence Steinberg, a psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, wrote "You and Your Adolescent." C.J. Pascoe, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, researches how new media has become central to teen life.

The key, they say, to successfully parenting a MySpacer seems to involve striking a balance. Parents should talk to their children about safety, and also check their children's profile while sitting with them at the computer. But they should also grant young adults the freedom needed to develop into individuals.

Experts warn that taking MySpace away just makes the site all the more seductive for today's tech-savvy kids, who will find a workaround. Also, cyberspying driven by fear of MySpace, rather than a child's bad behavior, can break the trust between a parent and child and create a rift in their relationship.

Here's what the experts said to some of the questions that were submitted:

Forbid older ‘friends’?
“My older teens, I allowed them to go online and use their real photographs because back then it seemed like not that many people were online, so it didn’t matter. With my younger teens, I set up new rules. They could go online, but no real names ever, no photos, no older 'friends,' etc. I don't check and I hope it's OK, but my little one already met an older friend age 23; she's 13 and we are dealing with that. So obviously, it's not working.” — Susan, Fla.

Rosen: At this point, it’s time for a family meeting. I bet one of the things this mother hasn’t done is told the kid: "I have complete access to what you're doing. I can walk by the computer and ask what you're doing. If I discover you are showing me only part of what you are doing, here are the consequences." Consequences should start out small and build. They should be spelled out. The way you set consequences is by what’s really important to this person. Obviously the important thing to this person is being online: Lose half an hour, lose two hours. Also, where is the computer? It’s not a right to have a computer in the kid's room; it’s a privilege.

Pascoe: I would say, "I need to meet this person before you meet them offline." Unless you’ve seen a problem arise already, setting a rule of you can’t talk to a person of X age won't help if the child hasn't done anything wrong yet. Nothing bad might come of a virtual relationship. I see kids on role-playing sites or Harry Potter sites having inter-generational, productive friendships.

How to keep real-life friends?
"What if your child likes his MySpace, or in my kid's case, YouTube, persona so much better that he lets go of past friends at school? He has shrunk his life down to just YouTube because it's easier. How can this be healthy?" — Susin C., Framingham, MA

Rosen: Adolescent development requires real-life contact.That’s tough if the kid has given up all his offline friends. It seems like his behavior has reached the stage of an addiction. That’s really important for the parent to understand, why is my kid doing this? When MySpace use becomes addictive, you have to apply different rules. You can’t make somebody go cold turkey just like you can’t take cigarettes away from a nicotine addict. Addicts want to be rewarded with what they’re addicted to. Practicing the addiction in a public place tends to reduce the behavior. Much of addictive behaviors are done behind closed doors. It’s addictive because it’s done privately and exciting. And in public, it loses its allure.

Steinberg: It’s not as healthy for your social network to be an electronic one than a real one. But for a kid who doesn’t have any friends at all, YouTube offers some social contact rather than none. If your child doesn’t have any friends in the world other than those he met on the Internet, I would try to figure out why that is. Research says is that it's important for kids to have at least one good friend. If your child has one good friend in the real world and spends a lot of time on the Internet, I wouldn’t be concerned. One close friend is more important than being popular for mental health.

Cybersnoop on children?
"I am on [my daughter's] friends' list so I can read her bulletins, I also monitor who she's talking to and find out what is happening in her world. Sometimes this is the only way of knowing about what's going on with her because she is more likely to share with her friends and publish to the world than share with her parents. Is this normal? I just don't want to rely on MySpace to learn about what she is doing and problems she is facing. When should I step in and get her to talk to me instead — or should I?" — Anonymous

Steinberg: During early adolescence, it is perfectly normal for kids to want privacy as part of the process of growing up. That’s why they start closing their bedroom doors. Privacy is important because your child is struggling to develop an identity that is separate from you. Parents who don’t allow privacy, their kids are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. So a parent needs to find the right balance of being involved and being intrusive.

Pascoe: Kids do need their privacy, but they have to earn it. Spying on them without their knowledge is not the way to do it. It’s in general a bad idea. It’s not going to bring you closer. The trust and conversations have to start offline. You have to actually listen to your child.

Grant kids some privacy?
"I have a 12-year-old daughter who logs on daily. I asked her for her password, and she said she didn't want to give it to me. She is basically a very trustworthy, good girl, so I decided to respect her privacy. I told her she needed to be prepared for random audits, where I would have her log in, and I would check her comments, messages, and some of her friends' profiles. So far I have performed three or four audits. She has been very willing to log in whenever I ask, and I've never found anything questionable. Should I be concerned that she doesn't want to give me her password, or this just a normal desire for some privacy?" — Anonymous

Rosen: Developmentally, younger kids are not ready to handle a variety of issues they could encounter on MySpace. The brain of a kid is different than that of an older adolescent. The part of the brain that is primarily for making decisions and multitasking doesn’t completely develop until the late teens or early 20s. Being on MySpace, kids are always making decisions. A small amount of MySpacers are approached sexually or experience cyberbullying. All the research shows, when faced with somebody coming onto them, 95 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds do handle it well. But when something does happen, the younger the kid, the less adept they are at handling it. You have to do more monitoring and pro-active parenting than with older kids.

Pascoe: The password thing is such a hard one. Different rules may be appropriate for different ages. It might be more appropriate to watch a 12-year-old. If she proves herself responsible, she doesn’t have to share her password anymore. You can’t get their password and just go on without their knowledge. You have to have a conversation as a family. You have to promise not to rat out their friends to their friends' parents. Your child can’t get in trouble for what their friends say. That’s really humiliating for a child to be the kid whose parents ratted out everybody.

Friends with bad online behavior?
"My daughter has friends on her MySpace that have some inappropriate stuff on their own pages. I did request her to remove one of them. Just about all of her friend's pages are fine. Should I tell her to remove the ones I don't approve of, or should I just talk to her about what is inappropriate?" — Erin Sweet, R.I.

Pascoe: The mom shouldn’t have her daughter remove her friend. That can cause a huge amount of embarrassment for someone. You can’t hold your child responsible for what their friends do. Talk to them about why that content might be inappropriate, why she might be doing that and why your daughter is making good decisions for not doing that.

Rosen: If you tell your kid to remove a friend, they’ll find a way to get that friend back. Talk to your kid about what worries you. You might find out that your kid is just as appalled. Maybe your kid is getting something positive from that kid. I applaud this mother for considering the option of talking to her child. Ninety-nine percent of parents would just consider the first choice. If parents remove friends from their kid's MySpace, kids will add them on Facebook. You can’t stop kids technologically, but you can parentally.

Balance school and MySpace?
"My son has been failing in school and I think it's because he's been spending too much time on MySpace. I've tried taking away his computer, but he still manages to get online! How can I prevent him from being distracted from his schoolwork?" — Julie, New York City

Rosen: Using the computer should be contingent on his homework being done. If he completes an hour of homework, he gets X amount of time on the computer. If he’s getting on the computer anyway, it’s incumbent on the parent that he can only get on through the parent’s access code. This is a tough one, because kids sneak around. You need to make sure he understands if you find out he gets on, he’s going to lose some of that time. Kids are trying to tell us something, MySpace is really important to me. Parents who just yank stuff away, kids are going to hate them. Time on the computer has to be monitored and with a clock. The computer has to be shut down; if not, here are consequences. Don’t make the consequences yourself. Negotiate. Let them win a little.

Steinberg: Put time limits on it. The same way you would respond to TV, video games or butterfly collecting. School is the most important thing for kids at that age. Parents are not powerless to how kids spend their time. It’s more effective to agree to a certain hours a day. You have to get your homework done first;. you have to maintain good grades.

Ban MySpace?
“My son has not once, but on two different occasions, not only met his girlfriend online but has also traveled to see them. The first one was OK. About three months ago, he met this girl that stood for everything he had been taught to stand against. He is 18 so I was limited in what I could do. He bought a bus ticket and traveled to Florida to meet her. Bottom line, he almost went to jail three times in one day because of her. He is now about to come home and my first instinct is to cut all ties to MySpace completely. Do I just take it away from the 18-year-old? I'm not convinced he has learned a lesson from this just yet, so I don't think I can trust him.” — Anonymous, Baton Rouge, La.

Rosen: First of all, do not take Internet access away. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter if they’re 18 or 14. He’ll find a way to get on at a friend's house, a public place, an Internet café. The appropriate thing to do with an 18-year-old who could do whatever he wants is tell him: “You are living in my home, you are living by my rules.” There are different consequences for an 18-year-old than a 14-year-old. It depends on what kind of control you have. If the 18 year old is paying rent, the consequences have to do with money. “I’m going to charge you $500 to stay here, if I see you're doing X, Y and Z, I’ll raise or lower it $100.” Rewarding them for the kind of behavior you want is more likely to work. Couple that with punishment; the two work better than the parts. Create a behavioral contract in writing, a list of how behaviors are rewarded and punished.

Pascoe: The son's problems are pre-existing. Parents can’t fix problems by blaming the Internet. I don’t think forbidding kids from using the technology will, either. She can forbid him from using MySpace, but that’s not going to stop him from seeking out trouble. The son has poor decision-making skills. MySpace allows another arena from which to make poor decisions. They need to get at the heart of the problem.

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24507454/
MSN Privacy . Legal© 2008 MSNBC.com

Moms key to daughters' healthy body image

2008-05-12T13:47:00.000-04:00

Story Highlights
Advocacy group: As many as 10 million Americans have eating disorders
90 percent of anorexia nervosa and bulimia are female
Expert: Moms' negative talk about own bodies can hurt daughters' body image

By Judy Fortin
CNN Medical Correspondent

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Maggie O'Connor minces garlic for a Mexican lasagna while across the kitchen Melissa Thornton chops basil for a turkey wrap.

These aren't professional chefs. They're 10- and 11-year-old girls getting a lesson in cooking and healthy eating. They're also learning how to have a positive image of their bodies.

"I think you need to balance things," said Thornton, a fourth-grader from Atlanta, Georgia.

Not only is her mother peeking over Melissa's shoulder as she works, but so is clinical psychologist Dina Zeckhausen, founder of the Eating Disorders Information Network.

She gathered eight moms and their daughters on a recent Sunday afternoon at The Cook's Warehouse in Atlanta.

Zeckhausen's goal is to help the mothers be effective role models, especially when it comes to eating.

"These are just ordinary moms," Zeckhausen said. "A lot of ordinary moms these days have struggled with their own body image. They want to raise healthy daughters. They don't want to pass their own anxieties down to their girls."

The National Eating Disorders Association notes there has been unprecedented growth of eating disorders in the past two decades.

The group estimates up to 10 million Americans suffer from the condition. Ninety percent of those who battle anorexia and bulimia are female.

Zeckhausen urged the moms gathered in the kitchen to eliminate what she called "negative body talk." Health Minute: More on moms and body image »

"It's important that you don't put yourself down in front of your daughter," explained Zeckhausen. "She has an adult woman's body in her future and she's looking to you in terms of how to feel about that body. She's taking notes whether you know it or not."

Vicki Bratton knows that firsthand. She attended the class with her 8-year-old. "I realized so many things come out of my mouth that I don't expect. Everything we say, their ears are hearing and they are processing it."

Bratton said she was surprised she needed to start worrying about her daughter being at risk for eating disorders at such a young age.

"I hear stories of first-graders who are already afraid of eating cookies because they think they are bad," Zeckhausen said. "I heard of a 5-year-old who wouldn't put on her winter coat because she was afraid it made her look fat."

Zeckhausen put part of the blame on the media and pop culture. "Our daughters are comparing their bodies on the outside to what the girls look like on the Disney Channel and in the magazines. We want to help our daughters base their body image more on what their bodies do for them and how they feel, rather than how they look."

Zeckhausen urged the girls to resist peer pressure, particularly in the lunchroom where she noted some kids push away healthy food in favor of crackers and ice chips.

"If your stomach is hungry and the girl next to you is not eating, what should you listen to?" asked Zeckhausen. "We want to teach the girls to listen to their own bodies."

Kelly O'Connor stood behind Maggie as she chopped the rest of the garlic. As the mother of 8- and 10-year-old girls, she conceded, "I'm already trying to teach them about the dangers of being afraid to eat and making sure when they're hungry it's OK to eat and when they're not hungry just say 'no thank you.' "

That's just what Zeckhausen wants to hear.

"One cooking class may not make a difference, but if we are teaching moms a way of thinking about food and bodies which will help them negotiate what their daughters are going through ... then we are doing something really important."

All AboutEating Disorders

Senioritis: An Open Letter

2008-04-25T10:06:00.005-04:00

Dear Parents and Seniors,

Yes, the end of the year is near. Very near. In fact, I only have the opportunity to see you in our hallowed halls for 19 more days. While this fact makes me quite sad, I am certain that you do not feel the same. Indeed, seniors, you are excited and anxious and counting down the days (I see the signs posted in our halls). Parents, you are excited and anxious and counting down the days. While I see similar emotions and actions from both of you, I do not think they are being caused for the same reasons. Thus, I wish to address this open letter to you about "senioritis."

I have addressed this topic in the past. I hear about it daily from students and parents and faculty and staff. Do I feel it is important? Yes. Do I think it is real? Well, that depends.

Yes, seniors, you have spent almost 13 years working diligently towards the completion of your guaranteed education. I applaud you for your tenacity and dedication, and am so proud f all of you. But is this really the end of your education? Does a magical switch move to the off position on May 23?

Parents, I know you have worked very, very hard to get to this point, as well. The support and time and love and nurturing you provide is more important that anything I can do for your students. You have built the foundation for their futures; I have only had the pleasure to help decorate or mend a fence here and there. And I am grateful that you have granted me the permission to help you in this process.

This is just the beginning of your learning. I know you hear this over and over again, but I feel the need to say it again - this was the easy part. In school, you have the wonderful support of so many people and access to so many resources. In the "real world," this is not always the case. Many of you will continue your formal education and not see a change in this pattern. Some of you will see a difference when you enter another educational facility. And others who choose to directly enter the workforce may experience both scenarios.

What I wish for all of you is that you learned how to learn. This is the constant in all of our futures. Many times it will not seem as concrete and forward and directed as what you have experienced at Perry. Learning takes so many forms - you may not even know it is occurring. Once you leave our halls, the responsibility for learning shifts completely to you, students.

Thus, senioritis. Yes, the "end" of your education at Perry is near. But it is not over. And many, many seniors are acting as if it is. I implore all of you to consider your thought process. Your final grades and final exams will figure into your credits and grade point averages and, in many case, will impact whether or not you earn your diploma. And the reasoning I hear daily is, "Oh, I have senioritis."

To return to an earlier question, do I think senioritis is real? Well, that depends. It is very real to those of you who are experiencing a sudden decline in your performance, and who will use the word to support your action (or inaction, as it may be). Is it a diagnosis that can be given by a medical or mental health professional? No. Is it something that I will mention in conversations? Yes. Is it an excuse that I will, well, excuse? No.

Parents and seniors, please do not fall into this habit. As your many signs attest, we only share 19 more days of academics. Do not let your habits risk your diploma.

If you need assistance, please see your counselor. We can help. Or talk to a teacher or administrator. We have all witnessed how the end of the senior year seems to change our students' motivation. We have resources that can help. I do not want this process to become a habit that will be difficult to break in the future.

Again, I am so proud of all of you, and I am excited to shake your hand as you walk across the stage on June 1.

Wishing you the very best,
Mrs. Hoyt

Web resources:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1191831,00.html
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/02/03/loc_senioritis_can_cheat.html
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/the-application/8626.html

TIME CHANGE - Academic Awards

2008-04-25T09:45:00.002-04:00

The Academic Awards Night on May 27, 2008 has been changed... to an Academic Awards Breakfast! Due to very poor attendance for the evening event, we have moved the time to during the school day. Breakfast will be served to all award recipients at 8:00 AM. The Awards presentation will begin at 8:45AM. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend. A notification letter will be mailed home regarding your qualification for this event.

Report Cards

2008-04-25T09:44:00.001-04:00

Report Cards for the fifth grading period will be distributed Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Please contact the Guidance Office with any questions.

National Honor Society Induction

2008-04-08T12:21:00.001-04:00

The National Honor Society Induction ceremony is tomorrow, April 9. Good luck to all applicants, and congratulations to all inductees!

21st-birthday booze ritual gains popularity

2008-04-08T12:19:00.000-04:00

Survey: Drinking 21 shots is more common than previously thought

By Tara Parker-Pope

The New York Times

updated 8:49 a.m. ET, Tues., April. 8, 2008

The ritual of drinking 21 or more alcoholic beverages to celebrate the 21st birthday appears to be far more common than expected, according to new research.

Jesse Drews died in March on his 21st birthday after a drinking binge. It's estimated that more than four out of every five American 21-year-olds drink alcohol to celebrate the birthday milestone, which is the the legal drinking age in the United States. But a new study from University of Missouri researchers of 2,518 students shows that many young adults aren't just drinking to celebrate — they are drinking to extremes.

Among those students who drank alcohol to celebrate their 21st birthdays, 34 percent of the men and 24 percent of the women reported consuming 21 or more drinks, according to the research to be published in The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. The report is believed to be the largest study of the drinking ritual, which often involves shots of alcohol. The students in the study were followed for four years and asked a variety of questions about their drinking behavior over the course of their time in college. Although the findings likely can't be applied to the general population, the data likely do reflect the drinking culture at large, public universities, say researchers.

Based on the data, researchers estimated that half of the men and more than a third of the women who drank on their birthdays experienced blood alcohol levels of 0.26 or higher, the level at which a person is severely impaired and at risk for choking on vomit or suffering serious injury. While researchers say it's possible some students overstated how much they actually drank, the consistency of the answers suggests that students are consuming large quantities of alcohol when they celebrate a 21st birthday.

"I think a lot of people view this as a feel-good rite of passage and don't calibrate what a big risk it is,'' said Kenneth Sher, professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the study's lead author.

Alcohol researchers have been searching for ways to curb the extreme drinking common on the 21st birthday. One concern is that interest in the ritual appears to be spreading because drinkers who attempt or succeed at downing 21 drinks post videos and photos of the drinking binges on YouTube or Flickr or social networking sites like MySpace.

One of the biggest worries about the ritual is alcohol poisoning. The body's ability to metabolize alcohol depends on several factors, including gender, weight, the type of alcohol, whether the person vomits during the binge and the time period during which the alcohol is consumed. But in some cases, as few as 10 drinks can push blood alcohol levels to 0.30, the point at which the respiratory system slows enough that death is possible.

That appears to be what happened to Jesse Drews, a 21-year-old Fox Lake, Wis., resident who died on March 24, his 21st birthday. Although the death is still under investigation, it's believed he may have attempted to drink 21 shots to celebrate at a Waupun, Wis., tavern. A friend who brought him home said he had "10 or 12 shots,'' although his parents have since been told different stories about how much alcohol was consumed.

What is known is that his family found him unresponsive at 4 a.m., and a hospital test showed a blood alcohol level of 0.38, according to his family and the Dodge County Sheriff's Office. Waupun police chief Dale Heeringa said he couldn't comment on the details of the investigation until the medical examiner's report is finished. He said Mr. Drews did not finish 21 shots, although he did consume "a significant amount of alcohol.''

Jesse's mother, Jody Drews, said her son had been reluctant to go out that night but relented after friends persuaded him. He returned home around 1:15 a.m. and went to bed, and Mrs. Drews checked on him throughout the night, including around 3:30 a.m., when she heard him snoring and returned to bed.

"I never in a million years thought we would be in this situation,'' Mrs. Drews said. "Kids have to know about this risk. I hope anybody who goes into a bar and sees this happening will say something.''

Clayton Neighbors, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors in Seattle, is studying Internet-based interventions he hopes will convince more young people to moderate their drinking on their 21st birthdays. In one study of 316 students, to be presented at the American Psychological Association conference this year, those who were given Web-based information about drinking prior to their 21st birthday drank less than students who didn't receive the information.

Students in the intervention group were asked how much they planned to drink on their 21st birthday and how common they believed extreme drinking really is. The interactive tool then showed them that only a minority of students drink 21 or more drinks. It also calculated a student's blood alcohol level based on the amount he or she planned to drink. Giving students extra information about drinking appeared to result in blood alcohol levels that were about 25 percent lower than the group that wasn't given the information, he said.

"One of the problems is a lot of these kids don't realize that 21 drinks in an hour can kill you,'' Dr. Neighbors said.

One group, Be Responsible About Drinking (B.R.A.D.), was started by family and friends of Michigan State University student Bradley McCue, who died from extreme drinking on his 21st birthday. The group sends out birthday cards prior to the 21st birthday warning people about the dangers of alcohol poisoning. The site also includes numerous charts showing how various numbers of drinks affect blood alcohol levels. For a more detailed look at the 21st birthday drinking binge, see an earlier story by my colleague Kate Zernike.

Tara Parker-Pope writes about health for the New York Times "Well" blog.

URL: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/24004376/

PSEO Meeting Rescheduled Again

2008-03-06T14:31:00.001-05:00

Due to yet another snow day... the PSEO Information meeting has been rescheduled for WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2008 at 6:30 PM in the PHS Cafeteria.

What Stresses Out Pre-teens?

2008-02-29T08:54:00.001-05:00

Totally Stressed Out

Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer

Parents sometimes view stress as the sole domain of grown-ups, because we associate it with money worries, balancing families and work, and the ups and downs of married life. We might wonder, what do kids have to be stressed about? The truth is, a lot. Childhood stress is very common, especially today.

Your tween's world is full of demands and expectations that can trigger stress. There are the competitive pressures to do well in school; the societal pressures to have the "right" possessions; the peer pressure to fit in and perhaps take uncomfortable risks; and the social pressure to be part of a gang, to avoid being bullied, to look good, and to act older, in terms of independence or sexual awareness, than he may truly feel.

An apparently small thing in any of these areas can easily tip a child from coping into despair. Because children of this age are still learning to give words to feelings, they still tend to communicate distress initially through their behavior. Here are some signs to watch for. Notice whether your child:

wants to see friends less and spend more time alone
becomes more dependent or clingy
loses his appetite or snubs favorite foods
gets down on himself, especially about his looks or ability
tries to avoid going to school, using odd excuses or claiming strange pains
becomes more attention-seeking

How to Help
Children suffering from stress need lots of support. These actions will help you comfort your tween and help her deal:

Understand your child's feelings and be tolerant of tears. Children have child-size problems and exaggerated fears. It's unfair to dismiss a reaction as an overreaction just because you know the "crisis" will soon blow over.

Be reassuring about the future. "I can see how hard this is for you, but I'll bet Rob has forgotten about it already." "I know you and your friends will sort this out."

Keep familiar routines going to provide stability. For example, keep up school attendance, but ask the teacher to be sensitive to any untoward behavior.

Encourage talk, but don't force anything. Always give permission to refuse. "I wondered if you might be ready to talk about this. Is now a good time?" is a gentle opener to gain trust and attention. Recounting your childhood problems could encourage a wary child to open up. Boys may prefer to talk while busy with something else, rather than face to face.

Take the pressure off elsewhere. If there are problems at home, forget the grades or big friendship upsets, and sideline tidiness.

From Parent & Child magazine

PSEO Meeting Rescheduled

2008-02-28T14:45:00.002-05:00

Due to yesterday's snow day, the PSEO meeting has been rescheduled for WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2008 at 6:30 PM in the CAFETERIA. We hope to see you there!

Officials: Ecstasy is back, and it's laced with meth

2008-02-20T14:24:00.001-05:00

From Kevin Bohn and Kelli Arena
CNN

ALBANY, New York (CNN) -- Nick, 16, says ecstasy is rampant in his high school, with kids often mixing the drug with meth and other substances.

More than half of all ecstasy seized in the United States last year was laced with meth, authorities say.

"You just have to know the right person. It's about as easy as any other drug. You just gotta ask for it," says Nick, who asked that his last name not be used. "It's easy to get."

Law enforcement officials say stories like these highlight a disturbing trend they're seeing across the country. Most alarming, they say, is not only is ecstasy back after years of decline, but most of the time it's laced with meth.

More than 55 percent of the ecstasy samples seized in the United States last year contained meth, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, compared with 44.5 percent the previous year. And the drugs are coming in at rapid pace from Canada. Watch ecstasy's pipeline into U.S. »

Almost 5.5 million pills of ecstasy were seized in the states bordering Canada in 2006 (the most recent year for which full statistics are available) -- an almost tenfold increase since 2003, top drug enforcement officials say.

"They drive them in. They bring them in by boat. They bring them in by plane. They bring them across by people just carrying them across their back much like the southwest border," says Ed Duffy, an assistant special agent in charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration's northern region.

Because meth is less expensive than ecstasy, mixing the two saves producers money, but it also makes it more dangerous, officials say.

Ecstasy can cause sharp increases in body temperature and can result in liver, kidney or heart damage. When laced with meth, officials say, the combination can cause more severe harm because meth can damage brain functions, as well as lead to an increase in breathing, irregular heartbeats and increased blood pressure. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says meth -- or methamphetamine -- is a "very addictive stimulant drug."

Law enforcement officials say European countries cracked down on ecstasy production in the early 2000s and manufacturing moved to Canada. And now, Asian gangs in Canada have been smuggling the chemicals needed to make ecstasy from China and India, officials with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police tell CNN.

Finished pills are then pushed in vast quantities into the United States, a flow that's difficult to stop because of the vast, largely unpoliced border, officials say.

Those on the front lines in Canada and the United States say they are working closely and sharing intelligence to try to stem the flow. Canadian officials also say they have a good relationship with Chinese law enforcement.

The Mounties have created teams across Canada focused on identifying the criminal organizations producing ecstasy and meth and say they have shut down 17 labs in the past year.

"The labs that we're finding now are what you refer to in the United States as super labs. We call them economic-based labs," says Raf Souccar, assistant commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Each lab produces more than 10 pounds of ecstasy in one batch, he says. "It's not your mom and pop operation. It tells me that it is criminal organizations that are, yes, more sophisticated and producing it for profit as opposed to producing it to fuel their habit."

It's then finding its way into schools, like Nick's in Albany, New York.

"I have been seeing an increase in pill use among the teens in general," says Greg Reid, a counselor at Equinox Community Services Agency, which sponsors drug counseling and other activities for youth in Albany.

"They do something called 'pharming' where they throw a bunch of pills into a bowl and kind of choose or take out the pills they want."

Ecstasy pills are often among the drugs of choice in the bowl.

"I have seen that increase in the past two years," Reid says. "Ecstasy ... can be very dangerous, especially if you don't know what it is getting mixed with."

National Endowment for the Arts Announces New Reading Study

2008-02-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

Follow-up to Reading at Risk links declines in reading with poorer academic and social outcomes

November 19, 2007

Contact:
Sally Gifford
202-682-5606
giffords@arts.gov

Washington, DC -- Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announces the release of To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence, a new and comprehensive analysis of reading patterns in the United States. To Read or Not To Read gathers statistics from more than 40 studies on the reading habits and skills of children, teenagers, and adults. The compendium reveals recent declines in voluntary reading and test scores alike, exposing trends that have severe consequences for American society.

"The new NEA study is the first to bring together reliable, nationally representative data, including everything the federal government knows about reading," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "This study shows the startling declines, in how much and how well Americans read, that are adversely affecting this country's culture, economy, and civic life as well as our children's educational achievement."

To Read or Not To Read expands the investigation of the NEA's landmark 2004 report, Reading at Risk. While that report focused mainly on literary reading trends, To Read or Not To Read looks at all varieties of reading, including fiction and nonfiction genres in various formats such as books, magazines, newspapers, and online reading. Whereas the earlier report assessed reading among adults age 18 and older, To Read or Not To Read analyzes reading trends for youth and adults, and readers of various education levels. To Read or Not To Read is unique for its consideration of reading habits alongside other behaviors and related outcomes including academic achievement, employment, and community involvement.

Among the key findings:

Americans are reading less - teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time compared with other age groups and with Americans of previous years.

Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from 20 years earlier. Among 17-year-olds, the percentage of non-readers doubled over a 20-year period, from nine percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.¹
On average, Americans ages 15 to 24 spend almost two hours a day watching TV, and only seven minutes of their daily leisure time on reading.²

Americans are reading less well – reading scores continue to worsen, especially among teenagers and young males. By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved.

Reading scores for 12th-grade readers fell significantly from 1992 to 2005, with the sharpest declines among lower-level readers.³
2005 reading scores for male 12th-graders are 13 points lower than for female 12th-graders, and that gender gap has widened since 1992.⁴
Reading scores for American adults of almost all education levels have deteriorated, notably among the best-educated groups. From 1992 to 2003, the percentage of adults with graduate school experience who were rated proficient in prose reading dropped by 10 points, a 20 percent rate of decline.⁵

The declines in reading have civic, social, and economic implications – Advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages. Deficient readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas.

Nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension "very important" for high school graduates. Yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in this basic skill.⁶
American 15-year-olds ranked fifteenth in average reading scores for 31 industrialized nations, behind Poland, Korea, France, and Canada, among others.⁷
Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.⁸

"This report shows striking statistical links between reading, advanced reading skills, and other individual and social benefits," said Sunil Iyengar, NEA Director of Research and Analysis. "To Read or Not to Read compels us to consider more carefully how we spend our time, since those choices affect us individually and collectively."

While no single government agency or entity can solve the problem of declining reading rates, the NEA national reading program, the Big Read, is one response to these findings. The Big Read is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. In 2007, nearly 200 communities nationwide are participating in the Big Read, reading one of 12 classic American novels such as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. The NEA presents the Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. For more information, visit www.neabigread.org.

To Read or Not To Read assembled data on reading trends from more than 40 sources, including federal agencies, universities, foundations, and associations. Primary sources include the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the University of Indiana, Bloomington, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

NEA Office of Research and Analysis
The NEA Research Division issues periodic research reports and briefs on significant topics affecting artists and arts organizations. To Read or Not to Read is available in print and electronic form in the Publications section of the NEA website, www.arts.gov.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

_____________________

1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
2. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey (2006)
3. U.S. Department of Education, NCES, The Nation's Report Card: Reading 2005
4. U.S. Department of Education, NCES, The Nation's Report Card: Reading 2005
5. U.S Department of Education, NCES, National Assessment of Adult Literacy (2007)
6. The Conference Board, Are They Really Ready to Work? (2006)
7. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Learning for Tomorrow’s World: First Results from PISA 2003
8. National Endowment for the Arts, The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life (2006)

http://www.nea.gov/news/news07/TRNR.html

Registration for 2008-09 courses is open

2008-02-08T11:12:00.000-05:00

Attention classes of 2009 - 2012:

Registration for next year's courses is now open. You must register by Feb. 20, 2008. You must turn in a printed copy of your course request that is sign by you AND your parent/guardian.

For more information, please log in to your Infinite Campus account or go to the high school web page for details.

If you have any questions regarding which courses to take, your current accumulated credits, and/or the registration process, please contact your guidance counselor or one of the building principals.

A Dangerous Transition: High School to the First Year of College

2008-02-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Increases in young women's drinking during the transition from high school through the first year of college can have dangerous physical, sexual and psychological implications, according to a report out of the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.

The good news is that during the first year of college, when many young women increase their drinking, the majority (78 percent) of the 870 incoming freshmen women who participated in the study did not experience any victimization. The bad news, however, is that among the 22 percent of women who were victimized, 13 percent experienced severe physical victimization and 38 percent experienced severe sexual victimization.

The research results were published in the January 2008 issue of the prestigious Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

"This is the first study that we know of that has compared risk for physical and sexual assault among college women based on changes in drinking during this transition period," said Kathleen A. Parks, Ph.D., principal investigator on the study. "Clearly, abstaining from drinking is a protective measure. However, young college women should be aware that becoming a new drinker or increasing one's drinking during this transition increases the likelihood of victimization."

The study showed that among women who drank alcohol during the first year of college, rates of physical and sexual victimization were substantially higher compared to women who did not drink. In addition, the odds of first-year college sexual victimization significantly increased with each pre-college psychological symptom (i.e., anxiety, depression) and each pre-college sexual partner a woman reported.

Interestingly, researchers found that the changes in drinking patterns during the high-school-to-college transition influenced risk for physical and sexual victimization in different ways.

About one fourth (27 percent) of the women reported that they abstained from drinking in the year prior to entering college. During the first year of college, only 12 percent continued to be abstainers. Among these abstainers, less than two percent reported physical victimization and seven percent reported sexual victimization.

Compare this with drinkers, seven percent of whom reported physical victimization and 19 percent, sexual victimization.

Being a new drinker during the first year of college (15 percent of the women) increased the likelihood of physical, but not sexual, victimization. The researchers speculated that new drinkers' social and physical inexperience or lack of tolerance for alcohol and its effects may increase women's impairment when drinking and subsequently, their vulnerability to potential perpetrators or dangerous situations. Perhaps, the physically disinhibiting effects of alcohol for new drinkers may cause them to be more reactive, possibly verbally aggressive, or more likely to call attention to themselves, thereby putting themselves at risk for physical aggression in social drinking situations.

Continuing drinkers were defined as those who drank the year prior to college and during the first year of college. Of these women, more than half (57 percent) increased their drinking during the first year at college. They drank considerably more than new drinkers on multiple measures of alcohol consumption, including heavy episodic drinking -- four or more drinks per occasion -- and were at greater risk for sexual victimization.

Of the continuing drinkers, 26 percent reported decreasing their drinking and 16 percent reported not changing their level of weekly drinking.

These findings suggest that a later onset of drinking may be protective against patterns of heavy episodic drinking and some of the associated negative consequences.

"Young women who had a history of physical victimization and greater psychological symptoms, and who began drinking during the first year at college had an increased likelihood of experiencing physical victimization," explained Parks. "Women who had a greater number of psychological symptoms, more sexual partners and increased their weekly drinking had an increased likelihood of experiencing sexual victimization during the first year of college."

Parks is a senior research scientist at RIA and a behavioral psychologist with extensive experience studying women's substance use, misuse, and victimization. The other research team members included Ann M. Romosz, project director, Clara M. Bradizza, Ph.D., senior research scientist at RIA and research assistant professor of psychiatry in UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Ya-Ping Hsieh, Ph.D., data manager and analyst for the study.

Incidents of sexual victimization were predicted by different factors than incidents of physical victimization. According to Parks, "The significant predictors of sexual victimization were psychological symptoms during the first year at college, number of consensual sexual partners and increased drinking. Women who have more consensual sexual partners are more likely to encounter a sexually aggressive individual and are more likely to experience sexual victimization. At the same time, women who increased their drinking are more likely to be behaviorally and cognitively impaired and less likely to recognize, avoid or defend against sexual aggression. "

Women who increased their drinking experienced nearly five negative alcohol-related problems during the first year at college. Those problems included a variety of consequences such as inability to do homework or study for a test, passing out or fainting suddenly, engaging in consensual sexual activity that was regretted afterward, physical assault, sexual assault, theft or robbery.

Parks encourages development of prevention programs that emphasize the risks of drinking and heavy drinking in social situations for women. Women with a history of drinking before entering college are at greatest risk for escalating their drinking and experiencing more negative consequences and sexual assault.

The study was funded by a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The Research Institute on Addictions has been a national leader in the study of addictions since 1970 and a research center of the University at Buffalo since 1999.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

http://www.buffalo.edu/news/9136

College admission decisions

2008-01-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

Do not fret if you still have not heard from a college regarding your application. Here's what you should do:

1. Confirm the date that everything was mailed by your guidance counselor.
2. Call the school to confirm that your file is complete. If it is not, ask to see if they have completed opening mail. Many schools are still opening mail from late December. See this Washington Post article for details.
3. a. If your file is complete, ask for an estimated date for a decision. Do not pressure them, do not discuss other answers you have received. Then the waiting continues...
3. b. If your file in incomplete and they have opened all of their mail, contact your counselor to resend the missing pieces.

Remember - all colleges have different policies regarding notifying students of admission. Some do so on a rolling basis, some have a set mail date (e.g. April 1). Do your research on your individual schools so you are aware.

Report Cards

2008-01-25T12:41:00.000-05:00

3rd grading period report cards were sent home with students on Wednesday, January 23. If you did not see a copy, please contact the Guidance Office and we will send one home.

You are able to access student grades online at any time. Go to the district web site to find out more information.

Millions of youths use cold meds to get high

2008-01-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

Number who abused OTC medications similar to LSD use, officials say MSNBC News Services
updated 9:07 p.m. ET, Wed., Jan. 9, 2008

WASHINGTON - About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 to 25 — or about 5 percent of the age group — have used over-the-counter cough and cold medicine to get high, a U.S. government survey found.

In large doses, cough syrups and cold pills can be used to induce hallucinations, “out-of-body” experiences or other effects, officials said.

This type of abuse has been known for years, but the 2006 survey, conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA, sets out the best numbers to date quantifying the problem, officials said.

In recent years, the Drug Enforcement Administration has cited the rising popularity of cough syrup cocktails — prescription codeine-laced cold medicine mixed with soda or sports drinks. With names like "Syrup," "Purple Drank" and "Lean," these concoctions first gained fame in Southern rap circles. As the trend spread to fans, teens started using the more readily available over-the-counter versions of cough suppressants.

Today's report, based on interviews with almost 45,000 people ages 12 to 25, provides a snapshot but don't show whether this type of drug abuse is rising, falling or staying the same.“The survey tells me that parents need to be very concerned about the over-the-counter medicines that they have in their medicine cabinet,” Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, said in a telephone interview.
“And young adults need to be concerned about the effects that over-the-counter cold medications and cough medications have on their functioning.”

The abuse was highest among whites — at levels three times that of blacks. Overall, the level of abuse of these drugs is comparable to levels of use of LSD, methamphetamine or the drug ecstasy in this age group, the agency said. Among those ages 12 to 17, abuse of these drugs was most common among girls, while it shifted to young men among those 18 to 25. Nearly 82 percent also had used marijuana, the agency said.

Among those surveyed who said they had misused one of these cough and cold medications in the past year, about 30 percent said they used a NyQuil brand product, 18 percent used a Coricidin product and 18 percent used a Robitussin product.

The cough suppressant DXM is found in more than 140 cough and cold medications available without a prescription. When taken in large amounts, DXM can cause disorientation, blurred vision, slurred speech and vomiting.

"While increasing attention has been paid to the public health risk of prescription drug abuse, we also need to be aware of the growing dangers of misuse of over-the-counter cough and cold medications, especially among young people," said Terry Cline, the agency's administrator.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

College Drinking Games Lead to Higher Blood Alcohol Levels (HealthDay News)

2008-01-07T14:10:00.000-05:00

Women at themed events also drank more heavily than male peers, field study finds
-- Madeline Vann

SUNDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The first on-the-scene study of college drinking behavior shows that parties with drinking games result in higher blood alcohol levels, while themed parties encourage college women to drink more heavily than men, new research suggests.

Previous studies of college drinking have relied largely on individual behavior and self-reports of drinking habits. Researchers at San Diego State University and the University of Michigan have determined that environment and party activities also affect drinking behavior.

"Most studies use survey methods that require people to recall their drinking behavior -- days, weeks or months prior -- and such recall is not always accurate," corresponding author J. D. Clapp, director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services at San Diego State University, said in a prepared statement. "By going out into the field and doing observations and surveys, including breath tests for alcohol concentrations, we were able to mitigate many of the problems associated with recall of behavior and complex settings."

The team observed 1,304 young adults (751 men, 553 women) at 66 college parties over the course of three semesters. The parties all took place in private residences close to an urban public university in southern California. The team noted party environment, surveyed attendees and collected blood-alcohol concentrations.

The researchers found that playing drinking games, having a personal history of binge drinking, attending a party with many other intoxicated people, and attending a themed event all predicted higher blood alcohol levels. The researchers expressed surprise over the finding that women at themed events drank more heavily than their male peers.

Students who attended parties with the intention of socializing and people who attended larger parties drank less alcohol.

"From a methodological standpoint, our study illustrates that is possible and important to examine drinking behavior in real-world settings," Clapp said. "It is more difficult than doing Web surveys and the like but provides a much richer data set. Secondly, environmental factors are important. Much of the current research on drinking behavior focuses on individual characteristics and ignores contextual factors. Yet both are important to our understanding of drinking behavior and problems."

The team plans to expand its research to other environments, including bars.

The study was published in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

More information
To learn more about alcohol abuse, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Sending out transcripts

2008-01-04T14:15:00.001-05:00

Seniors, please remember that it can take up to five school days to process a transcript, and that you MUST turn in a transcript request form. If you have any questions, please talk to your counselor.

Final Exams and semester Early Dismissal

2008-01-04T14:06:00.000-05:00

Reminder for all students:

January 10 - Final Exams during blocks 3 through 6
January 11 - Final Exams during blocks 1 and 2; Early dismissal immediately after second block (11:00AM)

FAFSA 2008-09 now open

2008-01-03T08:24:00.000-05:00

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2008-2009 school year is now open. To complete the form, visit the FAFSA web site at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you prefer to mail in your form, you may print out a .pdf version at http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/docs/en-bwPDF_FAFSA_20071818.pdf.

The Guidance Office has paper copies of the worksheet, but not the form that can be mailed in to the federal government.

If you would like assistance completing your FAFSA, please contact the Guidance Office to set up an appointment with our LEAF advisor.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-21T14:39:00.000-05:00

Have a safe and happy holiday season. Enjoy your time away from school. I will see you when school resumes on January 3, 2008.

Eating Habits and the Holidays

2007-12-21T09:10:00.000-05:00

As I look at the plate of cookies and two doughnuts on my desk, and think about the three packages of truffles at home (all of which are gracious holiday gifts, and I am very appreciative), I can't help but consider how much weight I will add to my frame over the holidays. We all hear about weight gain during this time of year as we celebrate and indulge with our family and friends. Keep in mind that having your weight continually yo-yo is not healthy. During your teen years, develop some healthy habits that you can carry with you into adulthood.

Here are some resources:
Kids Health - Healthy Eating
Ask the Dietitian
Make Healthy Eating a Habit
Caring for Kids - Promoting Healthy Eating Habits
WebMD - Children's Health
Readers Digest - Healthy Eating Habits for Kids
Healthy Holiday Eating Habits

Teen Driving Safety

2007-12-20T09:53:00.000-05:00

Teenage drivers have some of the highest accident rates. As we begin to see the white stuff hitting - and sticking to - the ground, please practice safe driving.

Do NOT use your cell phone while driving.

Do NOT text message while driving.

Keep the radio volume to a low level so that you can hear things happening outside of the vehicle.

Scrape off ALL of your windows and defrost them COMPLETELY before pulling out of your parking space or driveway.

Just because it doesn't look icy doesn't mean it isn't. Learn more about black ice.

Here are some resources to help our students become better drivers, especially in Ohio winters.

National Safety Council - Family Guide to Teen Driver Safety
Child Development Information - Driving Safety for Teenagers
Teen Driving
CDC - Teen Drivers Fact Sheet
Edmunds - Teen Driver Safety Series
American Academy of Pediatrics - Parenting Corner - Teen Driver
I Promise Program
Allstate - Help Your Teen Become a Safe Driver
Ohio Teen Driver Coalition
Weather.com - Driving in Snow and Ice
Ohio Winter Driving Safety Tips
ODOT Winter Driving Tips

FAFSA .pdf available

2007-12-19T15:17:00.000-05:00

If filing online for financial aid is not for you, the .pdf version that can be printed and mailed in is now available. Check it out!

http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/fafsa_options.html

Scholarships

2007-12-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

Are you looking for alternate ways to fund your college education? Make sure you check the list of scholarships available through the Guidance Office. A printed copy is available; you can also check online.

Do not limit your search to the scholarships we receive. Check out Fastweb or Broke Scholar or one of the many other scholarship search programs on the Internet.

Do NOT pay for a scholarship. If you think it's too good to be true, it probably is. If you are concerned that the scholarship may be a scam, come see me and I will help you investigate. For more information on how to spot a scam, go here.

College Deposits

2007-12-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like... college decision letter time. When you receive an acceptance letter, many times the schools will request that you mail in a deposit to confirm your attendance. This can be a confusing situation, especially as you receive numerous letters, and I will attempt to clarify some of the points.

1. Do NOT deposit at multiple schools. Perry HS is a member of the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC). We agree to follow their ethics codes (Statement of Principles of Good Practice), which states a student will not deposit at multiple schools. From a different perspective, this can get very expensive.

2. You do NOT have to deposit before May 1. If a college requests your deposit by a different deadline, TELL ME. They are in violation of the ethics codes if they do not grant an extension until May 1. You may have to request an extension in writing, which I suggest you do so that you have a copy for your records.

3. You must deposit by May 1. If you do not, the school may give your spot to someone else.

4. If you deposit before May 1 and change your mind, you may request in writing prior to May 1 for a refund of your deposit.

Still confused. I bet. It can be a very confusing process. Come see me or call me, and I will help you with your individual questions.

PSAT scores are in

2007-12-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

If you (sophomore or junior) took the PSAT, your scores are in the Guidance Office. We've had the news on the announcements and made an announcement during lunches, but still have many in the office. See your counselor to receive your test booklet, score report, and a lesson on how to read and use the information.

Having Boys as Friends Can Boost Young Girls' Drinking Risk (HealthDay News)

2007-12-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/addiction/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100184658&gt1=10710

Study in twins finds a strong link
-- Robert Preidt

MONDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) -- For girls, especially, having friends of the opposite sex during adolescence can raise the likelihood for alcohol use.

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University analyzed data on 4,700 twins in Finland.

They focused on the association between friendship characteristics and alcohol use and the extent to which genetic and/or environmental factors influenced similarity in drinking behaviors among adolescents and their friends.

"Our findings suggest that girls may be more susceptible to their friends' drinking and that having opposite-sex friends who drink is also associated with increased drinking," corresponding author Danielle Dick, now of Virginia Commonwealth University, said in a prepared statement. Dick was an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis at the time of the study.

"Furthermore, genetically based analyses suggest that the correlation between adolescent/friend drinking was largely attributable to shared environmental effects across genders," Dick said.

Parents need to be aware of their children's friends and how they spend their time together. "This awareness is particularly important for girls, and when the friendship group consists of members of the opposite sex," Dick said.

The study is published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"Those who design and implement [drinking] prevention approaches should take gender into account as a potentially critical moderator of prevention outcomes," Kenneth J. Sher, Curators' Professor in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri, said in a prepared statement.

"We need to better understand the 'why' of sex differences in risk in order to shed important light on the nature of risk processes," Sher said. "For example, are girls potentially more 'vulnerable' to peer-related effects at this stage of life because they are likely to be more intimately involved with their closest friends that are boys? That is, does gender simply serve as a 'proxy' of a variable such as intimacy or closeness during this time of their lives?"

The Nemours Foundation has more about kids and alcohol.

FREE Scholarship Search Book

2007-12-17T12:44:00.000-05:00

The Student Loan Funding Network has put a FREE ebook on their website - Scholarship Search Secrets. You can print the book using the Adobe Acrobat reader. Go here to check it out:

http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/ebook/

January 2008 - Events and Dates to Remember

2007-12-17T11:31:00.000-05:00

Jan. 1 - Winter Break - No School
Jan. 2 - Winter Break - No School
Jan. 3 - First Day Back to School
Fall OGT scores posted
Jan. 4 - ACT Registration Deadline (for Feb. 9 test)
Jan. 10 - Freshman (class of 2012) registration evening
First day of semester exams (3-6 blocks)
Jan. 11 - First semester ends
Second day of semester exams (1-2 blocks)
Students dismissed at 11:00AM
Jan. 14 - Staff Development Day - No students
Jan. 17 - Sophomore (class of 2011) registration evening
Jan. 18 - Report cards distributed
Jan. 21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School
Jan. 23 - Open House
Jan. 26 - OMEA Solo/Ensemble Contest
Midwest Talent Search - SAT
SAT Test
Jan. 29 - SAT Registration Deadline (for Mar. 1 test)

Divorce and the holidays

2007-12-17T08:38:00.000-05:00

Planning holiday gatherings can be difficult in the best of situations. When a divorce has occured, it can complicate things even more. Students do not frequently speak up about the stress of the holidays, particularly those students who travel between different parent's houses for the holidays.

Here are some resources on divorce that I have used when working with students.

Children and Divorce
Counseling Corner: Children and Divorce
DivorceInfo.com
Helping Children Through Divorce
Kids in the Middle
The Ultimate Divorce Guide

See my past blog on working with kids and holiday stress.

Study: All-nighters Hurt Grades

2007-12-14T15:25:00.000-05:00

"Students who rely on working at night to improve their grades might want to sleep on that strategy: a new survey in the U.S. says those who never study all night have slightly higher grades."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22259233/

Financial Aid Night

2007-12-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who attended my Financial Aid Information Night last night.

If you were unable to attend, do not fret! We recorded the presentation, and it will air on Channel 22 beginning next Thursday. Check the listing information for times. We are also turning it into a podcast and will put a link on the Guidance Home page. I will let you know when that is complete.

I refer to several handouts in the presentation. Copies are available in the Guidance Office.

Leadership Development Opportunity

2007-12-13T10:26:00.001-05:00

The Lima Family YMCA is pleased to offer teens finishing 9th grade to 12th grade a two-week service learning experience June 12-26, 2008 on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. The program is designed to promote leadership development through service, youth-to-youth interaction, and cultural experiences with the Lakota people. An informational meeting will be held Thursday, January 29 at 7:15. Please see you Guidance Counselor for more information.

Facebook and MySpace

2007-12-12T12:58:00.000-05:00

I read an article yesterday on the CNN web page about a group on Facebook that worries me. This group encourages women to post pictures and videos of themselves when they are inebriated and, many times, in not-safe situations. When I viewed the group closer (yes, I have a Facebook account - I'm not that old), I came across pictures of high school students. For fear of seeing a picture of one of my students, I stopped viewing the page. But I can't stop thinking about what I saw.

Please consider the following:

1. The web is PUBLIC. IF you post to a public page (and most Facebook and MySpace groups are public), ANYONE can view the information. Before you post, please think: what would my parents think? my grandparents? my employer? my children? There are sites that archive everything on the Internet. Don't think that just because you erased something it can no longer be viewed.

2. Employers and Colleges are on Facebook and MySpace. They read your postings. Indeed, they can - and do - Google your name. I have read about students who are not getting into college because of their postings. It is not an urban legend. Refer to #1 - it is PUBLIC.

3. There are predators on Facebook and MySpace. We say this over and over again. Protect yourself. Do not give detailed personal information. Set your pages to private. Do not add friends just because they sent you a request.

4. Our student handbook (pages 39-43, 48, 81-83) outlines that cyber-bullying is punishable. We know that there are and have been groups that target other students. Again, refer to #1 - it is PUBLIC and ARCHIVED. If we see it, we are obligated to pursue it.

So you have/want a Facebook/MySpace page and want to make sure you are safe with the information you post.

1. Do NOT put identifying information in a public place. This includes your last name, address, phone number, IM, and/or email address.

2. Before you join a group or post anything, consider what someone who does not know you would think if they saw the information, particularly a college admissions counselor or an employer.

3. Read what people post on your wall/comment spaces/bulletins frequently. Remove offensive and/or questionable items. Ask the sender to stop posting them. If they don't, remove them from your list of friends. A lot is gleaned from looking at your associates.

4. Consider the pictures that you let people take of you. Would you want everyone on the planet to see it? If not, don't be in the picture.

5. Think before you hit "send" for a text message, IM, or email message. This information is easily posted by other people.

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. I understand the draw to social networking sites, and enjoy them. There are safe ways to participate, and I can't help you make these decisions.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

2007-12-10T08:46:00.000-05:00

We have a great variety of scholarship applications available in the Guidance Office. A list is available in print and online. Scholarships are not the only form of financial assistance available. To find out more about financial aid, please attend our Financial Aid Information Night this Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 7:00 PM in Goodwin Theatre.

College Application Reminder

2007-12-10T08:45:00.000-05:00

Seniors - if you have an application that needs to be mailed prior to January 4, you must turn it in NO LATER than Wednesday, December 12.

College Mail

2007-12-07T10:17:00.001-05:00

Are you still waiting for information regarding your college applications? I have had many students come down to say that they have not heard anything from their colleges.

You are not alone! The volume of mail received by colleges during November and December is astounding.

For example, this is from Holy Cross:

This is a picture of the mornings mail being opened and sorted. Look at the pile! And look at the recycling bin.

Or from Dartmouth - and this is just Early Decision!

This is the box that an admission counselor at Johns Hopkins plans to take home to read:

Please do not worry if you have not heard anything. If you would like to contact the office of admission at your college, first see your counselor to find out the exact mail date of your application.

Anger Management Strategies

2007-12-06T15:45:00.000-05:00

We see lots of students who have a difficult time managing their reaction to their emotions, particularly anger. It is natural and healthy to experience and express anger. However, many students have not learned how to express their anger acceptably.

Here are some strategies for expressing anger:

Relax before reacting. Think about the situation. Breathe deeply, from your gut. Count to 10.
Don't jump to conclusions. Improve your communication skills so that you know you understand the other person before you react.
Move. Go for a walk. Leave the room (with permission if you are at school). Do something creative, like paint or play your musical instrument.
Talk to someone who is not in the situation, like a counselor or a friend to sort out your feelings.
Script a response. Having this written out can keep you from saying something you do not mean or that you would regret.

Resources:
American Psychological Association - Controlling Anger Before it Controls You
Mayo Clinic - Anger Management

Holiday Coping Tips

2007-12-05T11:40:00.000-05:00

As we enter the winter holiday season, the excitment builds - time with family and friend, gift giving and receiving, good food, and, of course, time away from school. While many students look forward to the holidays, there are some who dread the season because of the accompanying stress. Just as adults feel stress when "change" enters their life, children can experience difficulty adjusting to the many changes that accompany the holidays. Children need to be taught how to adjust to the different daily schedule and the rush of new people in their environment.

There are many resources to learn ways to help students cope with the holiday rush.

The Mayo Clinic - Stress, depression and the holidays: 12 tips for coping
Psych Central - Nine Ways to Beat the Bah-Humbugs
Psych Central - Holiday Coping Tips
American Psychological Association - Coping with Holiday Stress
Coping with the Holidays After a Death of a Loved One

If you or someone you care about needs help working through the stress associated with the holidays, please seek out a counselor. We are available to help, and can refer to outside agencies if additional help is needed.

College Applications

2007-12-05T11:38:00.000-05:00

The last day to turn in college applications to guarantee they will be mailed prior to winter break is December 12. We will NOT be processing applications over break. If your application due date is between December 21 and January 4, you MUST turn your application in by December 12. If you have any questions, please see your counselor ASAP.

Cleveland Clinic Summer Internship

2007-12-04T08:35:00.001-05:00

Are you interested in a career in science or healthcare?
Are you a current 10th or 11th grade student who will be 16 years old on or before June 1, 2008?
Do you have a strong interest in science and math or the arts?
Is your GPA 3.5 or better?

If so, see your counselor regarding the Cleveland Clinic Summer Internship. The 9 week PAID internship will give you insight into a career in healthcare as you work alongside a Cleveland Clinic health care professional on meaningful research projects. We have had several students participate in the past, and they have had great things to say about the experience.

Applications are due February 8, 2008. You must apply online at:

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/CivicEducation .

Tips for Taking the ACT

2007-12-03T14:25:00.000-05:00

Tips for Taking the ACT
(from actstudent.org)

Carefully read the instructions on the cover of the test booklet.
Read the directions for each test carefully.
Read each question carefully.
Pace yourself—don't spend too much time on a single passage or question.
Pay attention to the announcement of five minutes remaining on each test.
Use a soft lead No. 2 pencil with a good eraser; do not use a mechanical pencil, ink pen or correction fluid.
Answer the easy questions first, then go back and answer the more difficult ones.
On difficult questions, eliminate as many incorrect answers as you can, then make an educated guess among those remaining.
Answer every question. Your scores on the multiple-choice tests are based on the number of questions you answer correctly. There is no penalty for guessing.
Review your work. If you finish a test before time is called, go back and check your work.
Mark your answers neatly. Erase any mark completely and cleanly without smudging.
Do not mark or alter any ovals on a test or continue writing the essay after time has been called or you will be dismissed and your answer document will not be scored.

Internship Opportunity

2007-12-03T12:31:00.001-05:00

Attention 10th and 11th grade students who will be 16 on or before June 16th:

If you are considering a career in healthcare and/or are good in science and math with a 3.5 g.p.a. or higher, please see your counselor for information about the Cleveland Clinic Summer Internship. This is a 9 week PAID summer learning experience!!!! Students work 40 hours a week and can earn PSEO college credits through Kent State University. Application deadline is Feb. 8, 2008.