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Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School juniors and their parents look over college and career information on March 17 during a meeting about what the students should expect over the next year.
CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE DALLAS POST
Junior Informational Day at Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School has taken a new twist. This year, students were invited.
Before, this year, the session was held just for parents in the evening. But after students approached their guidance counselors, saying they also would like more information, the school added an afternoon session for both parents and the entire junior class.
Guidance counselor Susan Ryan spoke to the juniors and their parents about what to expect over the next year.
The class of 2009 filtered in on the sides of the auditorium. Casey Robbins, of Sweet Valley, found his mom, Ann Robbins, and gave her a kiss before sitting down next to her.
Approximately one dozen parents attended the event.
Parent Holly Hennebaul, of Lake Township, came to the meeting to learn more about the career options available to her son, Nick. Nick is Holly’s first child going to college.
“He’s undecided because they change their minds so much at this age,” Hennebaul said of her son.
Hennebaul hoped to become acclimated with deadlines for paperwork and wanted to know more about the senior project her son will soon have to complete.
Ryan talked to the audience about what juniors should do this summer, encouraging them to develop a resume, decide on whether to attend college, seek full-time employment or go into the military and work on their senior project.
“Don’t let them lag behind and come back in September and not know what they’re doing,” Ryan told parents.
If a student wants to go to college, he or she should take both the SAT and ACT tests, attend college fairs, visit colleges and college Web sites, take virtual tours, request applications, look for scholarships and secure recommendations.
“Everything is geared online,” Ryan said. “I believe Penn State will only take online applications beginning this fall.”
That could be a concern to parents who don’t consider themselves technologically savvy.
“I learned a lot about how to get help online,” said Robbins, whose son wants to be a sniper for a SWAT team. Though Casey is the fifth of Ann’s six children, he is the first one planning to attend college.
Junior Marina Orrson, of Shavertown, hopes to become a nurse. She liked the program but now feels a little behind in the college process.
“I learned that I probably should have looked into the SAT and ACT more,” Orrson said. “I thought it (the information session) was helpful in the sense there are a lot of things that needed to be cleared up going into senior year.”
Parents were invited to an additional junior information session during the evening of Tuesday, March 18, at the school.
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