(From $tand by Me)
The $tand By Me program has launched a project to assist high school seniors to attend college.
$tand By Me has partnered with the Delaware Office of Higher Education to ensure that all high school seniors have a funding strategy to pay for college. Through a new College Funding Project, the organization is working with principals and guidance counselors in Delaware high schools to develop college funding information and resources for students and their families.
“We want to remove all obstacles that keep students and families from pursuing a college education. In this day and age, a college education is a game changer for young people, particularly for those from lower-income families,” said Mary Dupont, director of financial empowerment for the state of Delaware.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median weekly pay of full time workers with a four-year college degree was 55 percent greater in 2012 than the pay of workers attending some college but without a four-year degree.
Recently, researchers from the think tank Hamilton Project reported that looking at cumulative earnings over the entire career, the typical bachelor’s degree graduate worker earns $1.19 million, which is twice what the typical high school graduate earns. With the aid of trained professionals, the College Funding Project will:
• Hold events about the financial aid process, from finding and accessing financial aid to filling out the sometimes-overwhelming Free Application for Federal Student Aid – or FAFSA.
• Help students identify and apply for scholarships (including how to write winning essays.)
• Pair students with mentors who can help with enrollment. deadlines and assignments.
A recent study conducted by the Harvard Strategic Data Project found that 18 percent of college-ready students in Delaware did not apply to any college or university. Delaware wants to get that number to zero. And $tand by Me provides the guidance to students to show them how they can pay for it.
One reason why more students don’t apply for college is because the family income is not sufficient to pay the expenses. Some students think their grades or SAT scores aren’t good enough to qualify for financial aid. Not true, according to Dupont.
“But students whose scores are lower still qualify for financial aid in some form and amount. Even students coming from families that are not low-income likely qualify for financial aid,” she said. Schools or families interested in working with $tand by Me to coordinate a personalized plan, can visit collegefundingproject.org.
First State Military Academy taking applications
The First State Military Academy is now accepting applications for the 2015-16 School Year for Grades 9 and 10. The Academy is a tuition-free public charter high school, located in Clayton, Del. that will serve 200 cadets for the 2015-16 School Year for Grades 9 and 10, and will expand to serve 500 cadets in Grades 9 through 12, by its year four.
The school, modeled after then Delaware Military Academy, near Newport, will be the first combination of Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) and New Tech Network instructional design in the country.
In alignment with the high standards of personal conduct of the JROTC program, the Academy will employ the New Tech Network school design, a model that engages Cadets in hands-on, inquiry-based, technology-infused project-based learning and promotes self-directed learning, teamwork, respect, and responsibility, according to a release. With the New Tech Network, Cadets and teachers alike will have ownership of their learning experience and their school environment.
“We feel very strongly that the combination of project based learning with the culture of a Marine JROTC program offers our cadets the best foundation for a great start to their college or professional careers,” stated Scott Kidner, chairman of the Founding Board of Directors for First State Military Academy. The open enrollment period for the 2015-2016 School Year is now through January 14, 2015.
Speakers will include Freire officials; Hal Real, a Freire board member and founder of World Café Live; and Paul McConnell of McConnell Johnson Real Estate.
The public is invited to attend the event. For more information and registration, go to http://freirewilmington.org/ or call 302-521-0432
