January 2019

    • A recruiter from the U.S. Air Force will be in the library during PRIDE on Wednesday, January 16. Please see Bob in ASPIRE if you are interested in attending the meeting.

    • On Friday, February 22, there will be a “Future Forestry Workers Career Day” in Eugene. Participants will learn about careers in forestry, reforestation, logging, trucking, diesel mechanics, operating heavy equipment, and wildland firefighting. See ASPIRE or the counseling office for details.

    • Interested in a career in marine science? There will be an all-day field trip to the Hatfield Marine Science Center for “Career Day” on Tuesday, April 2 (our first day back from spring break). Registration will open in January; tell Bob in ASPIRE if you are interested in participating.

    • If you are planning to attend a community college, be sure to apply for scholarships through the foundation for that college. Some, like LCC, have large foundations with a variety of scholarships.

    • Check out our new videos! Go to: sites.google.com/site/siuslawafterhs/videos. You’ll find explanations of our website, FAFSA, CIS, and more. It’s a work in progress so keep checking for new videos.

    • Scholarship application season is rapidly approaching. You should be working on scholarship essays and arranging for letters of recommendation. You will need at least two letters; one scholarship requires three. Don’t wait until the last minute!

    • The importance of volunteering: students who have volunteered in the community are often favored for local scholarships. If you haven’t done much community service yet, it’s not too late to get involved in one or more activities before you start submitting scholarship applications. See the ASPIRE office for volunteer opportunities.

    • More new scholarship: The Florence Regional Arts Alliance (FRAA) is now offering a visual arts scholarship. It is for students with an art background who will be pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, arts, or math. The Florence Police Department is preparing a new scholarship for graduating SHS students. Details will be available soon. There is also a new Oregon scholarship from Clear Alliance for students who have been drug, tobacco, and alcohol free.

    • If you have not yet completed and submitted the FAFSA, get it done as soon as possible. You will need to have submitted the FAFSA in order to apply for some scholarships and Oregon Promise (which helps to finance your community college expenses).

    • Did you know? College graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher will earn as much as $1,000,000 (yes, that’s 1 million dollars!) more over a lifetime than those who have only a high school diploma. (Georgetown University, 2015). Another study found that college grads between ages 25 and 32 typically earn $17,500 per year more per year than those with only a high school diploma (Pew Research Center, 2013).

    • If you are preparing a resume and activity chart on CIS, you may want to work on them at home. Go to oregoncis.uoregon.edu. Username: siuslawcis. Password: cisviking. That will get you into the SHS ASPIRE account where you can then access your own account.

    • The annual Rotary Club “4-Way Speech Contest” will be held in April. All students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to enter. To participate, you will need to write and present a 5 to 7-minute speech on a subject of your choice that applies the Rotary 4-Way Test. Cash prizes are awarded to the winners at the district level; the top prize is $3,500. The local contest will be held on April 4. For more details see Ms. Osbon in the counseling office or Bob in ASPIRE.

    • If you need to boost your GPA for any reason, the month of January provides you with an opportunity to complete missing assignments, devote extra time to studying, and score well on midterm exams. Remember that Oregon Promise requires a GPA of at least 2.5. Showing improvement in grades will also be important as you complete scholarship applications.

    • Not yet participating in ASPIRE? Sign up with a simple form, or schedule an appointment with an ASPIRE volunteer. If you are participating in ASPIRE but have not met with a volunteer recently, please don’t hesitate to ask for a meeting time.