Advice to graduating seniors:

Many of you may be counting down the days until graduation. Before you know it, you'll be counting down the days until you start your first year of college. Both of these events may be overwhelming, but you're eager for them to to arrive. Your teachers and other staff members know how hard it will be for you seniors to pay attention in class, but I promise, hang in there, give it your all these last few weeks and you'll be glad you did. Here are 5 tips for graduating seniors:

1. Don't grow up too fast. While you're waiting for graduation, you'll soon be waiting to start college, then to graduate college to "start your life." A few years later, you may have a family, travel the world and before you know it, you'll be old enough to realize that maybe you shouldn't have been too eager to grow up. These next few years, into your early 20's really are the best years of your life. It's a time to have fun without having too much responsibilities, and a time to truly get to know yourself and your interests. Take advantage of that, because you have your whole life to grow up.

2. Take risks, don't be afraid to fail. Let's be honest here for a second. I know you've all backed out of something, whether it was a date, trying out for a sport, participating in the talent show or taking your permit test because you were afraid it wouldn't end well or you'd fail, right? Right. I know I have! But let me be the first to tell you that trying will be way better than never finding out what you're truly capable of. Don't let the fear of bad outcomes get in the way of what could be possible success or new hobbies. No professional ever got to where they're at now without trying and failing. In reality, that's what professionals do. They try, try and try again until they find a way to succeed. And if they succeed the first time, they work to find ways to improve.

3. Focusing on grades is a TRAP. Focus on your learning. I know for many of you, your grades will be your motivator in college. Here's a secret though: That "A" doesn't mean a whole lot if you didn't learn anything over the whole course. There are many students that do not do well in class due to test anxiety or learning disabilities, which may cause them to get below average grades, but they do learn a lot. So, don't let your grades define your learning, but also don't let that be an excuse to get bad grades.

4. If you want good friends, you have to be one. This is one of the things people have a hard time with. We all want that perfect friend that will bring us pizza and our favorite movie when we're down on a Friday night, but that friend won't ever exist if you're not that friend first. A good friend is someone who, when you call them saying you're in a deep trouble, they don't ask "is there anything I can do to help," but "where are you?"  A good friend will want to help you without you asking them to. Learn to be that friend and surely they'll be one to you.

5. ....And finally, leave something behind. Without the support from friends, family, mentors, teachers or any other person, you wouldn't be at where you are today. Graduation would have been short of impossible without these people to guide you down the right path. Leaving a legacy doesn't mean leaving thousands of dollars to show people you were successful, it's leaving behind your knowledge, the difference you made in peoples lives, the thoughtfulness and kind gestures you made on a day to day basis. Make a difference in this life you have.

Schools almost out, but that doesn't mean your learning has to stop.

We all know how it feels like when we enter the month of May, the days get sunnier, warmer and longer and your classes also seem to last longer than what they used to. While you're ready to check out for the sweet months of summer, colleges and high school opportunities are still looking at your transcripts, volunteer work and experiences gained outside of school.

There are many different opportunities that are available over the summer for high school students that can advance your learning and help out later when you're trying to get into college.

Here are some opportunities to get involved in during the summer that'll look great on your resume!

-Taking a GAP year: If you're not motivated to head to college right after you graduate high school, taking a year off school is a great opportunity for you to take some time to get involved in activities that'll help you decide what you want to study in college. Anything pro active is better than sitting on your couch.

-Summer Camps: Becoming a camp counselor enhances leadership skills and shows colleges you're willing to help others that need the help and interested in teaching and becoming a better leader. Plus, you get all the fun of being at a camp.

-Youth Programs/Mission Trips: Fun fact: if you help out a certain organization, sometimes they give you money to go to college! It's true! More Churches are getting involved in raising money to send their students and helpers to college or pay for mission trips for students to get the traveling experience. Experience in different places than your hometown makes you stand out above other students sometimes. Plus, you get to travel for fun and for a great cause!

Sports: Most high school sports continue through summer for training, practices and camps. If you're serious about a sport and wanting to play for a college team, sticking to summer sports to get the extra training will look great to those scouting potential players!

There are countless more opportunities, so if you're interested in something that may not fall in the categories above, feel free to ask your counselors! You'd be surprised of the opportunities there are...even for the craziest hobbies like underwater knitting!

Follow Up On SAT Workshop

           Thank you all who attended yesterdays (April 28th) SAT workshop! It had a great outcome and I was very pleased with the amount of faces I saw there!
   
            For those of you who missed out, there will be a mini session today Wednesday, April 29th during 7th period if anyone is interested. For those of you who attended yesterday, or haven't get created ab account, remember that the correct website to do so is www.collegeboard.org. NOT .com.

           Fill out the application and make sure you use a valid email address that you will be checking often. Collegeboard won't spam your email or send you emails every day, but it will have your registration conformation when you register to take your SATs and will also send you a reminder when the date is getting close. Please be sure to write down your username and password in a safe place because you will be needing it to get back on the site when you want to print off your scores for local scholarships next year and or send them to your universities you've applied to.

            If you need any help, have any questions or just want advice about college, please don't hesitate to stop by the counseling center to talk to your counselors or me and Stephanie, the other intern here. We would love to help as much as we can.

Thank you again, CHS!
Samantha Garcia
Counseling Office Intern
Western Oregon University Student

Interested in going to school but don't know where to start?

Many student's dream of going to college but do not have the resources or help from people who've experienced the process of applying to college. Thankfully, at Central High School, your teachers and counselors have expanded their arms to help you and your peers as much as possible.

As most of you already know, in order to get into a university you need to have completed 4 years of high school and or your GED, (General Education Diploma). What most of you don't know is that almost all the universities around the country require their applicants to have completed their SATs or ACTs.

The SAT/ACTs are important exams based on a students math, reading, writing and comprehensive skills. After you take these tests, they determine if you meet the level of proficiency that that university requires for their students to be at before they are admitted.

On Tuesday, April 28th at 3:20pm in Room 130, I will be hosting a SAT/ACT registration and how to apply to college workshop that is open and encouraged to all the junior class of Central High School. Even if you've already applied to take your SAT/ACT's, I and your counselors highly recommend you attend this for any questions and or advice you might be wanting for college, from  current college students.

I will be updating this post after that day for you students to look back at if you're still having questions. Feel free to bring your questions and all the friends you can gather and be ready to learn!


See you then,
Samantha Garcia

Counseling Office Intern
Western Oregon University student

There Is No Such Thing As A Broken Home

Insight from a college intern.

As most of us know by now, a home can be made up of different people. Being a teenager and growing into the adult you're meant to be can be challenging without another adult to help you when you're in need. From personal experience, I've been one of the new people in my group of friends to have both parents, and have both of those parents still be married. Growing up, I always felt embarrassed or bad about talking about my parents because so many of my friends didn't have parents or had parents who were not together anymore. I know it sounds silly, but that's just how I felt. 

When I moved to college and wasn't able to be around my family, I began to see things I had never seen before. My parents had been arguing more often than not, they didn't spend as much time together as they used to and the feeling inside my home was more tense than ever. When I asked my older brother and younger sister about this, they told me that they didn't know what I was talking about. Which was absurd to me because there was obviously a huge difference in my parents relationship. Turns out, it had been that was for a few years, yet since I was always around, I never really noticed. 

Although my parents love each other very much, they know that what they have isn't what it used to be. Their marriage became like a job and not something they enjoy doing without the feeling like they have to. Being older, it doesn't make me sad, but I still have a younger sister that is a junior in high school and my parents told me they feel guilty because they don't want to be the reason why she stops trying in school and then blames in on their separation. Which is common for students to do, by the way.

When my parents separate, I won't identify my home as a broken home. There is no such thing as a broken family. There are broken relationships, and people move out or in, but those are nothing other than changes. And changes for the best in the end. A family is made up of whatever you want it to be. A family is the people who check up on you, who help you with homework, drive you places, make sure you've eaten, and most importantly, love you. Although I have my parents, I also have my best friends, a mentor, my grandma and my uncle and his wife. My family isn't just my parents, and yours doesn't have to be either.

              

ASVAB- Why or why not?

The ASVAB is most commonly confused as strictly an entrance exam for the military. However, the program was also developed to increase student's self-knowledge and to understand how that information could be linked to occupational characteristics. Students who take the test are provided tools to learn more about career exploration and planning, in both the civilian and military worlds of work.

Recently re-designed to be helpful to virtually all students, whether they are planning on immediate employment or further education, the ASVAB can help students identify interests, clarify what is important and better understand their skills and abilities. In today's world, where there are hundreds of careers to choose from, it's a smart idea to spend some time looking closely at the options before you.

The ASVAB test covers eight areas including science, word knowledge, mathematics, and mechanical comprehension. It assesses a student's ability to learn new skills and is a predictor of success in training and education programs. Once completed, students will have access to an FYI code which provides them a 90-item interest inventory based on John Holland's widely accepted theory of career choice. When students complete the FYI, they have 3 interest codes to use with the OCCU-Find for further career exploration.

Why not take the ASVAB and check out some possible career opportunities with you?

If you're interested in joining the military, depending on your score, the ASVAB could qualify you for the position of your choice. And if you're NOT interested, there is an opt-out option to take you off of recruiter call-lists.
Life's a journey. Explore the possibilities.

Time Management

There are only 24 hours each day- what you do with those hours makes a difference!

If you don't already, start using a daily planner today! While high school students have 8 hours a day in school, it's likely to have much less as a college student. Getting "free" time under control and managed will help you with prioritizing your freshmen year of college and succeeding in your goals!

It's easy to over-schedule if we aren't careful, putting together a to-do list for each day or even each week will ensure that you spend your time wisely. Use a daily planner or even your phone to write down your to-do list goals. Time-management assists in using time wisely as well as achieving your goals!