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The month of May brings many celebrations of big decisions in our county!
Making a commitment to pursue post-secondary education is a decision that will open many doors to great opportunities! Senior class students are doing just that here in the county as they celebrate their accomplishments of graduating and choosing to continue their education after high school. May 1 is celebrated as National Decision Day and many high schools across the state are honoring their seniors for this important life decision with events through the month of May. In order to help foster a college going culture within our schools and community organizations, Muskegon Opportunity applauds the "Decision Day" events during the month of May that work to aid in celebrating the positive activities districts have implemented. College Advisers such as Kelsey Stewart working with Holton/Oakridge, Kristen Washburn working with Orchard View and Carlos Martinez with Muskegon Public have all planned memorable experiences for the seniors they serve during this month. Senior students are recognized by name and their post secondary plans announced. Whether it be larger universities, smaller private colleges, enlistment to serve their country and receive training courtesy of our military or staying close to home and pursuing schooling at Muskegon Community College or Baker College of Muskegon, we congratulate them all! Let our confidence in them shine!
My best to you always,
Megan Byard, College Access Specialist
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Announcements and Updates:
An introduction of Muskegon County's NEW College Advisers from the Michigan College Advising Corp
The University of Michigan and Michigan State University recruit and train a diverse group of recent U-M and MSU college graduates to work full-time as college advisers in underserved high schools throughout Michigan for one-two years. These advisers assist high school students in navigating every aspect of the college selection and enrollment process. They will work with school staff and their LCANs to foster a college-going culture within their schools and communities they serve. Beginning in August of 2013 Muskegon Opportunity will help welcome (3) new adviser members serving the districts of Holton, Muskegon Public, Oakridge and Orchard View.
Justyne Ortquist, MSU graduate - Orchard View HS
Lorrena Johnson, MSU graduate - Holton HS/Oakridge HS
Lola Lalwal, Univ. of Michigan graduate - Muskegon HS
FAFSA completion work in the county continues with a look at our updated efforts every 2 weeks!
As the new 2013 dashboard is created and released, statistics of our FAFSA completion rates will be highlighted as part of our Collective Impact action planning!
The following link can be very useful in getting updated information on all schools in our community.
http://studentaid.ed.gov/about/data-center/student/application-volume/fafsa-completion-high-school
Currently Muskegon County sits at a 47% FAFSA completion rate! A 17% increase from last year! Many kudos to those who worked to ensure our goals were surpassed.
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Muskegon Opportunity College Access Dashboard coming soon! |
College Application Week (CAW) is a national initiative with the goal to provide every graduating high school senior the opportunity to apply to college.
CAW began in North Carolina as a pilot effort at a single high school in 2005 and has since grown into a national movement led by the American College Application Campaign. Activities now occur in more than 1,200 schools in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Michigan joined the initiative in 2011, piloting our efforts with 37 high schools. In 2012, we nearly doubled the number of participating high schools to 73, six of which were here in Muskegon County. Muskegon Opportunity celebrates a commitment from 13 of our local schools to participate as host sites for the November 2013 event. Our goal here in the county for the statewide event is to ensure all seniors complete at least one application by the conclusion of CAW at host high schools. The week puts an emphasis on targeting low-income students, first-generation college going students, and those who would have not otherwise considered college.
Please visit the CAW website for more information:
Advanced Manufacturing Institute - Muskegon County
A dozen young men graduated in March as the first class of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Muskegon Community College. Area leaders and educators hope the start-up program will help prepare the area's workforce for new industrial jobs requiring more training than similar positions in the past. The Advanced Manufacturing Institute is a partnership between Muskegon/Oceana Michigan Works, the Employer's Association, the city of Muskegon, the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, Muskegon Community College and seven area companies. During the eight-week class, students cover a variety of topics as an introduction to advanced manufacturing. They learn things like things like reading blueprints, programming logic-controlled devices and logging quality control statistics. The Advanced Manufacturing Institute's next class is scheduled to begin Sept. 9, 2013. For information on how to apply, visit the Advanced Manufacturing Institute's website. |
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Upcoming Events and Opportunities for Growth:
As seen on our website...
Events on May 18, 2013
MayFest 2013 - FREE Family Activities!
Starts: 10:00 am
Ends: May 18, 2013 - 4:00 pm
Location: Muskegon Community College Campus More details...
Events on June 7, 2013
MO Executive Committee Meeting
Starts: 8:15 am
Ends: June 7, 2013 - 9:45 am
Location: United Way of the Lakeshore More details...
Events on July 5, 2013
MO Executive Committee Meeting
Starts: 8:15 am
Ends: July 5, 2013 - 9:45 am
Location: United Way of the Lakeshore More details...
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Professional Development Opportunities:
Supporting College Access and Affordability through Dual Enrollment and State Web-Based Resources
Date: Monday, May 20th
Time: 10:00am-11:00am
Description: Join Michigan Department of Education's Brian Barber and Brandy Archer as they provides an overview and of new dual enrollment law and policies in the state of Michigan.
Participants will walk away with an understanding of how the new Dual Enrollment laws and changes will effect our students. Additionally, the facilitators will share free resources that are available on Michigan's Career and College Ready portal. Plenty of time will be available for questions and answers.
Assisting Youth with Special Circumstances
Date: Wednesday May, 29
Time: 2:00-3:30
Description: Feedback provided following the High School Counselor Webcast has often brought up questions around assisting youth who have special circumstances. Join this webinar for four mini-sessions including the needs and available resources for special populations of youth. The special populations to be addressed include: unaccompanied, homeless, foster, and undocumented youth. Each section will explain another step in how to assist a youth in special circumstances access education programs post high school.
KnowHow2Go and ItsMiLife Revisited
Date: Monday, June 3, 2013
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
Description: Join Michigan College Access Network's Assistant Director, Lisa King as she provides an overview and refresher course of how best to incorporate KnowHow2GoMichigan and ItsMiLife into your Local College Access Network efforts.
KnowHow2Go is a national campaign launched in 2007 designed to encourage low-income and first-generation college-going students and their families to take the steps necessary to prepare for college. www.KnowHow2GoMichigan.org outlines the specific steps students need to take from grades 8-12. The It's MI Life initiative was launched in 2009 to help foster a culture of education in our state. Students, parents, teachers, school administrators, mentors, and business professionals are invited and encouraged to join in this effort. The site offers a non-intimidating, peer-to-peer conversational entry-point, while at the same time providing opportunities and resources for college and career planning. Students are encouraged to ask questions via the "Ask A Question" Q&A Forum, Facebook and Twitter. Visit www.itsmilife.com to get started!
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Creating a college and career going culture in Muskegon County. |
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