Thinking and preparing for the future is not always at the forefront of every teenager’s mind. On Tuesday morning, over 400 juniors from Daviess County High School were focused on just that.
The Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club was transformed so that half of the gymnasium housed over 54 different college (and military) options. The other half offered table talks from over 60 local businesses where students could discuss the admissions process, financial aid options and how to be both career and life ready.
Mason Thompson, a junior at DCHS and a Young Scholars Scholarship award winner (scoring in the top 99 percent in the nation on the SAT), has a distinct plan for her future, but still found the day to be very beneficial.
“I was surprised to find so much information that I found useful. And a lot of the colleges I’ve been interested in — I haven’t able to talk to,” Mason said. “I can actually ask questions about what’s important to me. It’s a lot better than a website.”
David Stephens is also a junior at DCHS who has been narrowing down future college options. David said, when the idea was first presented, he just thought it was going to be like an ordinary college fair.
“It’s surprisingly cool,” David said. “They’ve got pretty widespread options. It helps me to see that there are more options out there than I initially thought.”
The planning committee responsible for the event was made up of DCPS College & Career Coordinator Amanda Jerome, DCHS College and Career Readiness Coach Trey Pippin, AHS College and Career Readiness Coach Kelly Spaw and other Family Resource and Youth Service Center coordinators.
DCHS is not the only local high school that will have this opportunity. After DCHS was done with their morning session, Jerome ensured that the 54 college and military representatives transitioned successfully to Owensboro High School.
Wednesday, Apollo High School juniors will be offered the same experience in the morning, before the representatives travel to Owensboro Catholic High School in the afternoon.
Keynote speakers for the DCHS event were Bart Darrell, president of Kentucky Wesleyan College and Miss Kentucky Katie Bouchard, a graduate of Daviess County High School.
The AHS keynote speaker will be local artist Aaron Kizer.
“To prepare them for life after high school is the primary purpose of this event,” Jerome said. “All of the juniors in the state will be taking the ACT on March 12. We are just trying to inspire them for what they could see in their futures.”
Jerome said, although each year she attempts to outdo the year before, this year’s participation from colleges, military and business owners was the largest they’ve ever had. Pippin said that was in great part to the support they had received from the community.
“We’re really trying to bridge the gap between the community and our students and what comes next,” Pippin said. “We’re really lucky that we have community partners that value student success like we do.”
