September 2019
ASPIRE is the office at Siuslaw High School that provides guidance to students regarding life after high school. ASPIRE volunteers meet with students individually to guide them through the college and scholarship application processes. ASPIRE volunteers also offer PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation, exploration of career possibilities and trade schools, tutoring as volunteer time is available, and more. If you have not yet signed up for ASPIRE and wish to do so, you may pick up an application form in the ASPIRE office upstairs next to the counseling office. We welcome students in all grades of high school.
Cindy Orr is on campus offering math help every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon beginning at the start of 7th period. She stays after school until 4:00 or 4:30. She is an experienced math teacher, able to help students with any math course from pre-algebra through calculus. She offers this service for free; you will find her upstairs on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at a table outside the ASPIRE office.
The Rotary Club of Florence is seeking applicants for the annual Rotary foreign exchange program. One student will be selected to study in a different country for a school year. Many of the expenses will be covered by the local Rotary club. Participating students must be at least 16 years old and not yet 18 by September 30 of the year they start the program. All interested students and their parents or guardians are invited to attend an information session on Wednesday, October 9 beginning at 6:00 PM in the Bromley Room of the Siuslaw Public Library.
The deadline is October 31 to apply for a Voice of Democracy scholarship through the Veterans of Foreign Wars. This scholarship contest is open to all students in grades 9 through 12. You could win $1,000 to $30,000 for college as well as a trip to Washington DC. This is an audio-essay contest. You will need to submit a written essay along with a 3-minute to 5-minute reading of your essay, on the topic “What Makes America Great.” See ASPIRE for details.
Many scholarship organizations and colleges look for students who have volunteered in their communities. A strong record of community service will help you to get scholarship money and get accepted to colleges. If you have not yet done any community service, ASPIRE strongly encourages you to get involved in one of the many opportunities to serve your community. On campus, you may join Interact or Key Club. There are also many volunteer opportunities in the community. For a list, see the ASPIRE office.
Your grades matter. Get the best grades possible in the early years of high school and you will have a better chance of getting admitted to the college of your choice and getting scholarships to help pay for it.
The U.S. Forest Service is accepting applications between now and September 30 for more than 1000 seasonal spring and summer jobs in Oregon and Washington. For more information, go to www.go.usa.gov/xVRjW.
Lane Community College now offers an online 2-year degree in Energy Management and Water Conservation. For more information call 541-463-6160 or email Roger Ebbage at ebbager@lanecc.edu.
Most students in grades 10 through 12 will be taking the PSAT or the SAT on October 16. The PSAT is a practice test. Please take it seriously, and try to identify areas of study in which you need more work; we can use that information to help you prepare for the SAT. The SAT is used by many colleges and universities to help determine who will be admitted. To help students prepare, Bob Orr will be offering sessions in the library during PRIDE on the following dates:
PSAT Review for grade 10:
Monday 9/30
Monday 10/7
Monday 10/14
SAT Review for grade 11:
Wednesday 9/25
Wednesday 10/2
Tuesday 10/15
SAT Review for grade 12:
Thursday 9/26
` Thursday 10/3
Thursday 10/10
Students who would like to have one or more individual review sessions should check with Bob in ASPIRE. You may also prepare on your own by borrowing an SAT review book from ASPIRE or using practice tests online. For official practice tests, go to https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat