February 2019

It’s a new semester and a new beginning! Remember that your grades matter for college admission and scholarships! More effort and good grades now will mean more doors open to you in the future.

Freshmen: Sometimes we hear from seniors who say “I wish I’d been more serious about getting good grades when I was a freshman.” Make every day count!

New Volunteer Opportunities (see Bob in ASPIRE for more information)

The organizers of the second annual “Earth Day on the Boardwalk” celebration in Florence are looking for student volunteers who can help with setup and closing activities and serve as runners during the day. They are also looking for students who would like to create and staff a booth. The celebration this year will be on Saturday, April 20. Contact Sandy Todd: sandy@pacific101.com.

Volunteer at the Rotary Club “Cool at the Coast” golf tournament in Florence. The Rotary Club is looking for students to volunteer for a variety of tasks. This year the tournament will be held on Saturday, August 3. Contact Meg Spencer: mspencer1818@yahoo.com.

The Heritage Players of the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum are looking for students interested in playing the part of a local historical person at various community events. This will involve some initial research about the individual. Costumes will be provided by the Museum. Contact Nancy Sobottka: towanda1249@yahoo.com.

Remember that a record of community service will increase your opportunities to receive scholarships and college admissions. And, it can be very rewarding to help others! Stop by the ASPIRE office for a list of volunteer opportunities in the community.

Rotary Club events

4-Way Speech Contest: Prepare and present a speech on Thursday, April 11 and you could win a cash prize (first prize $750, second prize $500 or third prize $250) and compete for higher awards. Your speech must relate to the Rotary “4-Way Test” (Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? and Will it be beneficial to all concerned?) Application forms are available in the ASPIRE and counseling offices.

Rotary Youth Leadership Academy: a six-day summer camp for students who will be starting their junior year in high school. The 2019 academy will be held at Grove Camp, Dorena, Oregon from June 22-27. Costs are paid by the local Rotary club. For more information see Bob in ASPIRE.

World Affairs Seminar: An annual event of Rotary International, scheduled for June 22-28, 2019 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The topic this year is social media. The cost is $695 plus transportation; scholarships may be available. See Bob in ASPIRE or go to worldaffairsseminar.org.

Youth Exchange: This is an opportunity to live in another country for up to one year while attending school and living with a host family.

Summer opportunities

Summer Academy to Inspire Learning (SAIL) at University of Oregon: learning experiences in various subject areas at the U of O. Free for those who qualify.

Law Enforcement Career Camp: a week-long camp for teens ages 15 to 17 that introduces them to various aspects of law enforcement. Held in Salem, Oregon in August; exact dates not yet announced. More information will soon be available at this link: https://www.orlegion.org/law-enforcement-career-camp.html.

You’ll find lots more summer opportunities at

sites.google.com/site/siuslawafterhs/jobs/summer-programs.

· Careers in in the health professions: Sign up for the April 25 half-day tour of PeaceHealth Riverbend Hospital in Eugene. The tour will visit all departments of the hospital and include hands-on activities with hospital professionals. Sign up in the ASPIRE office.

· How about a career in the timber industry or in engineering? Check the dates on this link for career fairs in those fields: https://elevatelanecounty.org/calendar.

· Elevate Lane County is developing job-shadowing and internship opportunities for high school students. Job shadowing will be in the fields of technology, food production, manufacturing, timber, medical and education. For more information, go to https://elevatelanecounty.org/student. This is a new program, so if you have questions, see Mr. Gerot or Bob in ASPIRE.

· Western Oregon University is holding a Criminal Justice Careers Day on Wednesday, March 6. The deadline to register is Friday, March 1. More information is available in the ASPIRE office.

· If you will be looking for job training after high school, consider the Job Corps. You can get free training in maintenance, bricklaying, carpentry, painting, plumbing, urban forestry, welding, office administration, culinary arts, forestry conservation, firefighting, nursing assistant, pharmacy tech, auto collision repair, security and protective services, and more. There are six job corps camps in Oregon (Roseburg/Glide, Newport, Estacada, Astoria, Portland, and Troutdale). Each camp is different, so be sure to check them out personally.

· Broaden your horizons: Oregon isn’t the only state with good colleges and universities. While the tuition is generally higher for out-of-state students, there are a couple of programs that could help: 1) Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) has partnerships with many public universities in the western states through which out-of-state students get a tuition discount; and 2) If you have a strong academic record and financial need, you might qualify for Questbridge which could send you to a top-level college or university with all expenses paid. Contact ASPIRE for details.

· Lane Community College now offers an International Bachelor’s degree in Business if you spend two years at LCC and one year at the Rennes School of Business in France! You can earn a Master’s degree after one additional year in France. For more information go to lanecc.edu/international/21-opportunities or contact the counseling office or the ASPIRE office.

· Juniors: It is a good idea to take the SAT or ACT in the spring of your junior year. If you score well, you can use those scores for college and scholarship applications. If you are not satisfied with your scores, you can retake the test one or more times in the fall. The next test dates are:

SAT Test date:

March 9 (registration deadline February 8)

May 4 (registration deadline April 5)

June 1 (registration deadline May 3)

ACT Test Date:

April 13 (registration deadline March 8)

June 8 (registration deadline May 3)

July 13 (registration deadline June 14)

Preparation is very likely to improve your scores. You can sign up for prep sessions in ASPIRE, check out a practice book from the ASPIRE office, or take online practice tests.

Community colleges don’t require the SAT or ACT, but you will need to take one of those tests in order to be eligible for some scholarships.

The SAT and ACT each cost $45 to $65 to register, but you may be eligible for a fee waiver. See the ASPIRE office or the counseling office for more information.

· Sophomores: You will be taking the PSAT in October. While it’s for practice, it’s still wise to prepare because it will help you to get better scores on the tests that count: the SAT and ACT. It’s not too early to start; see the ASPIRE office for details.

Not yet participating in ASPIRE? There’s a signup form on the back of this newsletter. Just fill it out, get it signed by a parent or guardian, and bring it back to the ASPIRE office. It’s that easy!

To all SHS students: have a wonderful second semester!