December 2019
INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS, GRADES 9-12:
Important message: If you receive a notice that you are scheduled for a meeting with an ASPIRE volunteer, it is very important that you either keep the appointment or notify the ASPIRE office that you are unable to do so. If an appointment has been scheduled for you, there is an ASPIRE volunteer waiting for you at that time in the ASPIRE office.
Auditions for the CROW presentation of Mary Poppins will take place on January 20th and 21st at 6:30 PM at the CROW center: 3120 Highway 101 in Florence. For more information go to www.crowkids.com/auditions
CROW (Children’s Repertory of Oregon Workshops) offers summer classes in acting, as well as occasional classes for adults (including high school students) during the school year. For details about summer classes, go to https://www.crowkids.com/summer-camp. For details about other CROW classes (none are on the calendar at this time) go to https://www.facebook.com/crowtheatrekids/
High school students who are interested in taking community college classes that are not offered through College Now may be able to enroll at LCC and take classes through the RTEC (Regional Technical and Early College) program. For information go to https://www.lanecc.edu/rtec or call 541-463-5521, or ask your ASPIRE volunteer.
There will be several opportunities in the spring and summer to take the SAT and/or the ACT. These are college admissions tests that are typically taken by juniors and seniors. Upcoming test dates are:
SAT:
· March 14, 2020 (registration deadline February 14)
· May 2, 2020 (registration deadline April 3)
· June 6, 2020 (registration deadline May 8)
ACT:
· February 8, 2020 (register by January 10)
· April 4, 2020 (register by February 28)
· June 13, 2020 (register by May 8)
· July 18, 2020 (register by June 19)
We strongly recommend preparing for these tests. There are several ways to do that:
· individual in-person prep through ASPIRE at SHS or MHS
· book prep (you can check out an SAT or ACT book through ASPIRE);
· Khan Academy (extensive online tutoring and prep at https://www.khanacademy.org
· Online practice such as that which is offered by the College Board (the organization that writes the SAT test) at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests or the ACT at http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation.html
The best ways to increase your chances of getting into the college of your choice and receiving scholarships are: 1) Work hard to get the best grades you can; and 2) volunteer for community service. For a list of volunteer opportunities, check with ASPIRE.
Interested in Law Enforcement? Check out these two summer camps:
FBI Portland Teen Academy: https://www.Tcm.act.org
Law Enforcement Career Camp: https://www.orlegion.org/law-enforcement-career-camp.html
INFORMATION FOR SENIORS AND JUNIORS:
The Siuslaw Regional Scholarship Application (SRSA) due date is March 13. Do not wait until the last week to prepare your application! The application is available on your Western Lane flash drive (check with ASPIRE if you don’t have one). There are four essays to write. You will also need two letters of recommendation, a resume and activity chart, and a transcript. You will need to select the scholarships for which you will be applying, from the list on your flash drive. See ASPIRE for more information.
Applications to the University of Oregon are due on January 15, and applications to Oregon State University are due on February 1. Also due on February 1: OSU application for scholarships (Scholar Dollars) and U of O scholarships (including the Diversity and Presidential scholarships); priority admissions for Western, Southern, and Eastern Oregon Universities (to be eligible for scholarships).
The Pride Foundation offers scholarships to LGBTQ students. The application deadline is Friday, January 10. See ASPIRE or go to https://pridefoundation.org/find-funding/scholarships/application/
If you are a junior with a strong academic record and an interest in attending a top-notch, out-of-state college or university, you may want to consider applying to the Questbridge College Prep Scholars program: https://www.questbridge.org/ (application deadline in March).
Juniors and Seniors are eligible to apply for the Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship. Applications are due on March 2. For details go to: https://www.oregonpsr.org/greenfield_peace_writing_scholarship
Now is the time to be working on your Path to Your Future Essay Contest application. Details are available in the ASPIRE office. The deadline is February 29. This is a local (Siuslaw region) application. Two winners will receive new laptop computers.
Seniors and Graduating Juniors: If you have not yet completed the FAFSA, you should do so very soon. Some colleges and scholarship organizations will require it, and of course you could receive as much as $6,195 per year from the federal government Pell Grant program and $2,100 per year from the Oregon Opportunity Grant. You also need to complete the FAFSA to be eligible for Oregon Promise, which can provide up to $3,800 for each year of community college.
IMPORTANT: While funding for the Pell Grant from the federal government does not run out of money, funding for the Oregon Opportunity Grant is limited… so if you apply too late, you might not receive any of that state money.
Students who are currently enrolled in an EF Tours educational tour (such as Siuslaw students who are planning to travel with EF Tours to Europe) are eligible to apply for the EF Tours Global Citizen Scholarship. The deadline is December 31. For details and an application, go to: http://globalcitizenscholarship.hscampaigns.com/#rules
Looking for more scholarships? Here are a few scholarship search engines:
· College Board: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search#!searchresults
· Scholly: https://myscholly.com/
· Scholarship Owl: https://scholarshipowl.com/
· Scholarships.com: https://www.scholarships.com/
· Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com/
· Niche: https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarships/
· Cappex: https://www.cappex.com/
· Chegg: https://www.chegg.com/scholarships
· Scholarship Monkey: http://www.scholarshipmonkey.com/
Did you know that a few colleges do not charge tuition? Check them out here:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/slideshows/12-tuition-free-colleges. You can also receive valuable training in various trades for free at job corps centers.
Have you considered college online? There are now many colleges and universities (2-year and 4-year) that allow you to earn a degree or certificate that is 100% online. Here are just a few examples:
· Lane Community College: 3 AA degrees
· Portland Community College: 7 AA degrees and 13 certificates
· Mt. Hood Community College: 14 AA degrees and 18 certificates
· Southwestern Oregon Community College: 2 AA degrees and 2 certificates
· Oregon State University: 70+ online degrees and programs, some 100% online and others are hybrids
· Arizona State University: 200+ online degrees
Now that you are using one common application for most local scholarships, you may have time to apply for some regional and state scholarships. The deadlines for a few of them are listed below. See ASPIRE if you would like to get more information on what’s available.
January Deadlines:
January 1-3: SHS and MHS closed - winter break
January 1: Application period opens for SOCC Foundation Scholarships
January 6: SHS closed - professional growth, school closed
January 10: Deadline to register for February 8 ACT
January 10: Deadline for Pride Foundation (LGBTQ) scholarships
January 15: Future Farmers of America scholarship applications due
January 17: Late registration deadline to register for the February 8 ACT
January 15: U of O application deadline
January 20: SHS and MHS closed - MLK Day
January 23: Mapleton School District Science Fair
January 27-30: Exam week
January 31: Oregon Latino Scholarship applications due
January 31: U of O Diversity and Presidential Scholarship application deadlines
January 31: Elks National Foundation Legacy Scholarship
January 31: HMC Hispanic Ancestry scholarship
January 31: SHS closed – grading
February Deadlines (through February 15):
February 1: OSU application deadline
February 1: OSU scholarship priority deadline (Apply for Scholar Dollars as soon as you are admitted)
February 1: Application period opens for Questbridge juniors
February 1: OIT scholarship application early bird deadline
February 3: SHS closed - professional development
February 3: Al Forthan Memorial Scholarship application due
February 4: SHS start of third quarter
February 7: SHS closed - professional growth
February 8: ACT
February 11: PTA meeting at 4 PM
February 14: Registration deadline for March 14 SAT test
February 14: FBI Youth Leadership Program application deadline
February 15: Hispanic Scholarship Fund scholarship applications due
February 15: OSAC Early Bird scholarship applications due
February 15: Deadline to file FAFSA to be eligible for U of O Staton scholarship (for extreme need)