Scholarship Opportunities!

Looking for more ways to earn money for college? Check out these scholarship opportunities - they are all due in June, so keep the deadlines in mind!

Abbott and Fenner Scholarship Program: Available to all high school juniors and seniors, as well as all students currently registered in any accredited post-secondary institution.  To apply for this scholarship you will need to write an essay on the topic below. The essay should be between 500 and 1000 words. “Every generation faces new challenges and new problems. What do you think is the biggest difference between your generation and older generations? How do you think these differences will affect the future of our country and/or your career choice?” Visit http://www.abbottandfenner.com/scholarships.htm for more information.  Deadline: 6/14/14  Amount: up to $1,000  Submit to: scholarships@abbottandfenner.com

Brad’s Deals Scholarships: Write a 500 word essay explaining how your college experience is or will be enabled by remarkable frugality, ingenuity, effort or thrift. (Example: one of many other things the scholarship provider did at school was buy a router and wireless cards (they were cutting edge then!) and sell wireless internet access to others in his building.) You can also read about previous scholarship winners for an idea of the sort of smart shopping strategies that our scholarship judges like to see. Applicants are encouraged to discuss topics such as: student loans, other scholarships and grants, personal savings, working full/part time while in school, and other scholarships and grants, any other creative or remarkable approach to paying for college or saving money as a student. Make sure to break down your all-in educational costs (tuition, room, board, other) and how they are or will be paid. Essays will be judged on the creativity of the money saving strategies described, along with the overall remarkableness of the author's experience paying for school in the spirit of thrift. High school seniors and undergraduate students are eligible. Must be a US citizen or permanent resident with a 3.0 GPA. Deadline: 6/15/14  Amount: Five finalists will receive $2000

Financial Education Scholarship: Run a financial education workshop for your friends and you will be entered to win a scholarship. Arm your friends with mad money skills by running a workshop to teach them. Sign up and dosomething.org will give you 3 pre-made workshops to choose from. Everyone who runs a workshop and tells the website about it will be entered to win. See here for details: http://www.dosomething.org/user/login?destination=node/731098 Deadline: 6/19/14 Amount: $7500

BigSun Scholarship: any student athlete is eligible to apply for this $500 award, regardless of the sport they play.  The student must be a high school senior or must be attending a postsecondary institution.  Application consists of a short essay answering the following 3-part question: “What has your participation in sports affected who you are and how you relate to others?  Include the affects on personal relations with peers and others.” Essays should be submitted by email to athleticawards@bigsunathletics.com no later than 6/20/14.  More information is available at http://www.bigsunathletics.com.  Deadline: 6/20/14.  Amount: $500
The Akash Kuruvilla Memorial Scholarship: Must be accepted or enrolled in an accredited 4-year university in the US in the Fall and a 3.5 GPA. Complete an online application. Provide a personal statement, letter of recommendation, transcript, resume, and a 700-word essay answering the question, “What does the phrase ‘American Dream’ mean to you and how do you embody the American Dream?” See here for details: https://www.akmscholarship.com/ Deadline: 6/27/14 Amount: $1000

Digital Privacy Scholarship: The purpose of this scholarship is to help you understand why you should be cautious about what you post on the Internet. Please fill out the application and include a 140-character statement that completes this sentence: “I’m taking responsibility for my digital profile by…” Open to all high school, college, and graduate students who are US citizens. The top 10 applications will be selected as finalists. The finalists will need to write a full 500-1000 word essay about digital privacy. See here for details: http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-privacy-scholarship Amount: First place - $1500 Second Place - $500 Deadline: 6/30/14

Do-Over Scholarship: Applicant must be 13 or older, a US citizen, and be enrolled in a post secondary institution by Fall 2019. Submit a 250 word or less essay for the question “If you could get one do-over in life, what would it be and why?” See here for details: http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/our-scholarships/do-over-scholarship Deadline: 6/30/14 Amount: $1500

Prom Guide Cutest Couple Contest: Become Prom Guide magazine’s cutest couple! Register an account at promguide.com, activate the Cutest Couple section and upload your photo in JPEG format. The girlfriend must represent the couple in this contest. Only open to 11^th and 12^th grade students. See here for more info: http://www.promguide.com/cutestcouple.aspx Deadline: 6/30/14 Amount: $1000

AP Tests

The Walking Dead arrived at the school for the past few days.  Preparation for this event has been leading up to this final showdown.  As the smoke clears on the battlefield there is only one left standing...  As exciting as this sounds, it was only a imaginative dream concocted during my break in AP Testing.  For those in AP courses (Chemistry, Government, Statistics, English, Calculus, and Biology are the courses offered at JBHS), the focus all year has been on these tests. AP tests create a chance to score well enough to obtain a head start in college by earning college credit in classes corresponding to the test.  Most colleges will accept a score of 3 or above (the test scale is from 1-5).  The cost is $89 which at first seems expensive, but there is no comparison to the time and money spent on the actual college course. 

From the beginning of the test period, there is a pre-administration time when students fill out all their answer sheets and ultimately get a feel for how the test is administered.  The actual test is usually a week afterwards depending on the test being taken because each test is on a different day (some are doubled up on the same day).  At James Buchanan, the test is administered in the depressing, arctic weathered, noisy torture room known by the students as the wrestling room. The AP Exams are broken into two sections: multiple choice and free response.  Both sections average about an hour and half each and by the end students feel like they just walked off the set of The Walking Dead.

I am calling it AP Syndrome, a condition of the brain when the amount of brain power is focused on a single subject reaches its breaking point and shatters, but really it is not that awful.  Go to bed the same time as you are accustomed to because any fluctuation will cause a negative reaction by the body making you tired whether got more sleep or less.  Have confidence that your best effort will be placed on the exam.  Take pride in taking the test. Finally, always remember you are taking the test, the test is not taking you.

Colby E. Sites (took three myself this year)

Decision Day

Decision Day is a nationwide, annual event sponsored by the College Advising Corps. Each CAC school does something different, but the goal is still the same: celebrating the achievements of the current senior class. CIA Member Colby Sites reflects on the events of the JBHS Decision Day as well as what it means to make a decision about your future:

Na-Na-Na-Na... Na-Na-Na-Na... Hey Hey Hey GOODBYE! Decision Day is a celebration of the college and career choices this year's seniors have made.  The seniors have finally completed four years of high school and because of their accomplishments both academically and through extracurricular activities, their applications for college have been returned with a standout, "YOU'RE IN!"  While not an emotional type of school event, Decision Day is an inspiration to underclassmen who will one day be sitting on the other side of the gym awaiting recognition from their peers for their accomplishments.

Decision Day was held on Thursday, May 8th, but the CIA members were hard at work promoting Decision Day all week. Miss Loh went trivia-crazy, as she put college trivia on the announcements and the CIA played college trivia with students in the cafeteria. Students answered questions about weird college courses, the college process, and interesting majors in an attempt to win various college water bottles. Seniors also had the option of attending workshops on study abroad and study skills to help them transition to college.

On Decision Day, seniors got to miss 10th period and attend a special assembly. Seniors met with recent JB alumni and got to ask them what it is like to go to college or the military. Students had questions about balancing a job with homework, playing sports, and staying active on college campuses. It was an informative meeting. Afterwards, seniors received raffle prizes ranging from laundry baskets and dorm comforters to giftcards to Chipotle, Milky Way, and JD Market. The mystery bags, a new creation this year, were also some of the first items to go. 

The Decision Day Assembly then brings the whole school together. Seniors sit in their normal senior-bleacher section and underclassmen sit across from them. Mr. Burkett announced the name of each senior who is planning on attending college or the military, and each senior was applauded as they signed their name on the giant map. Each senior then got to toss out a college bag or t-shirt to the underclassman of their choice. 

For underclassmen, Decision Day may seem like just an assembly to receive free college apparel and skip out on class, but there is more to comprehend.  High school moves by fast, and next year I will be the one tossing the t-shirt to some random kid sitting among the study body.  It is fascinating to witness other students as they move on in their lives: going to prestigious schools or attending technical schools to learn a trade, staying in state, or moving halfway across the country, but the bottom line is one day we all have to make that decision ourselves.  No longer will mommy or daddy hold your hand as you send in your college applications. The pressure becomes placed on the student to start deciding what he or she wants to do with their life and they must figure out their talents and abilities and use them for the benefit of others.  

Congratulations to all the seniors for their accomplishments so far, and may the odds be ever in their favor.  Take note underclassmen: your time is arriving soon to start planning out your decisions.  One day, James Buchanan High School will be celebrating your decision to further your education.

Colby E. Sites

Alumni Panel

So many prizes!

Teachers could decorate their doors with a college-theme to win a prize for their HR. Here's the winning HR!

Signing the map

Senior Stars

Bulletin Boards

Mastering the SAT 2

So you’ve studied hard for the SAT, taken the test, and received an awesome score that you’re happy with. Maybe you’ve taken a few AP tests to earn some early college credits. You’re done with the toil of standardized testing now, right?

Possibly not.

College Board, the institution that manages both the SAT and AP tests, also runs a third program called the SAT II, or SAT Subject Test. These tests are designed to demonstrate your unique abilities in a specific subject. You can take a test to show your skills in Spanish, for example, or in chemistry or world history.

There are numerous benefits to taking the SAT Subject Tests. The most obvious of these benefits is that your scores will greatly strengthen your college résumé, especially if you take a test in an area that you are planning to continue studying in college. These scores are also useful for other résumés and scholarship applications. The subject tests are simply a way to showcase your abilities in a nationally recognized and trusted format.

I took the SAT IIs in Spanish and Literature less than a week ago, and there are two aspects of them that I really like. The first is that these tests are only an hour long, so, after taking the nearly 4 hour SAT, the process was a breeze. The second thing that I like is that you can choose which tests you want to take in areas in which you’re skilled; no more struggling over questions in which you’re disinterested or not experienced.

I left the testing room feeling really satisfied with my performance and eager to hear about my test results. As a student aspiring to work with Spanish for the rest of my life, it will be really exciting to be able to see the progress I’ve made through three years of study.

If you’re planning on taking an SAT Subject Test, I would recommend speaking with a teacher at your school who specializes in the subject (or a similar subject) a few months prior to the test. Your teachers will most likely have resources available for you to prepare so that you can perform your best. And they’re going to be very happy that they have such a studious pupil interested in furthering their studies outside of the classroom!

So why take the SAT IIs? Aside from being able to gauge your own ability in a certain subject, you will also be able to demonstrate your abilities to the colleges to which you intend to apply. Not only will these tests help to strengthen your résumé, but they’ll also help you to determine how much progress you’ve made in a certain field of study and how much more time you’ll need to dedicate to that study in order to stay on the right path for college. Those are a lot of benefits for just an hour of testing.

(Different colleges and universities have different requirements regarding the SAT subject tests, so it’s best to look at your favorite schools’ websites in order to determine which tests you may need to take. Further information regarding the subject tests can be found on the College Board website at http://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests/sat-subject-tests. Good luck!)

--Matt Schofield