High School Class of 2016/College Class 2020

[sjams]

Well my DD starts tomorrow(YES, AUGUST 10th)!! I 'view' her portraits on Wednesday. Ready or not (mostly not) here we go!

 

[Monykalyn]

Mine start Thursday-I agree that I am mostly not ready!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wow, you guys start early!

 

[luvsJack]

Dd started last week and turned 17 yesterday. A few mommy tears have fallen. Gonna be a tough year.

 

[Mom2DDs]

So..I'm actually having to drop the transcript release forms to my DD's high school today since she's working...it's starting to really set in that she's a Senior with this and now that I have her Senior Portrait hanging on the wall. Where did the time go?

She starts school on Sept. 3rd and just found out that she's the Captain of the Mock Trial Team, mentor to the Debate Team and with her being the President of the Theatre Council and her classes she's going to be one busy child

How's everyone feeling about the Seniors of Class of 2016???

 

[cabanafrau]

School won't start here until after Labor Day. DD is back up at school today already working for an event to get a jump on her NHS service hours. Not super excited about the year because things will heat up to so busy we cannot breathe in no time.

Truthfully I'm spending more time right now moaning about the fact that both of mine have to graduate at a time when the stock market is doing it's "four year correction cycle". Not happy days with another one knocking on the college door.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

DD seems to be ready - she's completed her summer work, has her notebooks ready, clothes, etc. Seems to be looking forward to it. DS doesn't want to talk about it yet, still wants to enjoy what's left of break. He's almost done with his summer work but still dragging his feet, lol. I don't think he's gotten notebooks or anything like that, he's all set for clothes. This is my first and last experience with senior year. I know it's going to go by quickly with lots to do. I guess I'm just along for the ride.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Nobody I know was happy with the senior portraits done by the company contracted by the school. I did one myself of DD and have to do one for DS (once his bad haircut grows out a bit), then send them in, then I guess that will be taken care of.

 

[MomofKatie]

School started for DD last week- I made the 2 1/2 hour drive over there yesterday to swap out her laptop already. She has had her laptop for less than a year and a half and it is already having major issues. We thought we got it fixed over the summer, but apparently not.

Fall trimester classes include: AP Psych, Southern Culture & Lit, AP Calculus BC, Intermediate Latin, and her chemical research mentorship. She seems happy with her classes and professors so far.

DD has been working on finishing her Common App as well as any supplemental essays, teacher recommendations, and scholarship applications. We have one more school visit in November, then we wait to get decisions. We will need to fill out the FAFSA and CSS to see what kind of financial aid will be offered- the only sure $$ we know about right now is that she qualified for a full tuition+ extra annual amount scholarship from Alabama (they offer very generous awards for out of state kids that have very high GPA and SAT scores). Nerve wracking!!!

 

[jetskigrl]

School doesn't start here until Sept 10th (we are always the last to go back) but DD did her registration today.

She will be taking:
AP English Lit
Physics
Econ (Government 2nd semester)
Creative Writing
School newspaper (2nd year, she loved it and was the only Junior to receive an Academic Award for her writing from the instructor so she is looking forward to another year)
Art 3

She is on track to apply to the Private Art schools she is interested in (finishing up her portfolio work) and is starting on her essays. She has a favorite school that she knows very well already and is willing to attend Community College for a couple years first and then transfer if she doesn't get in and/or the financial aid package doesn't come out well. Her second favorite is very hard to get into and would need some serious financial aid because she would need to live on campus. But she will apply anyway.

She will probably apply to a couple of state schools also but really isn't serious about them. But she is hoping for some options to consider if the others don't happen.

Senior pictures were last week and I'm waiting to get those proofs back (sniff, sniff).

 

[Monykalyn]

Goodness is it normal for our kids to be this busy senior year? Now it has been awhile ( a loooonngg while) since I was a senior but my daughter's schedule is crazy(as crazy as it seems most kids schedules are now)-she is a mentor(chose english comp and spanish lab here), tutor for her science teacher (from sophomore year) and also on his Lunar Research Team after school, then there is Key club, Spanish club (Spanish V this year) plus Marching band. She has 3 schools for sure she will apply to (2 in-state, one out of state) plus 2 more out of state schools she is interested in. We will try to visit the out of state school during their Honors college open house (she gets 3 days as excused absences to visit colleges). We are doing a headshot for yearbook soon and then full senior portraits once the color starts turning on the trees-she really wants fall portraits.

 

[luvsJack]

All that some of your kids are doing applying for schools seems so stressful! Hope they get what they are wanting as far as colleges go.
DD has some friends going through all of that and is so glad her first two years are decided. We will attend some recruitment events at some universities this year (she gets some college days and some of the events are on Saturdays). But she is just looking for her plans after comm. college.

Senior year has started off really well. She is especially enjoying Eng IV. Prior to this year, Eng IV has always consisted of a senior project, but no more! The Eng. department chair finally convinced the administration that it was a waste of time and resources. Getting rid of that has made it possible for the teacher to design her class to be much more comparable to an Eng Comp class.

She has really stepped up in choir too. She has always loved it and been an active member but as a senior I really see her becoming quite the leader and taking the freshman under her wing.

Football has started so Friday nights are set aside for thathigh school games. And now she wants to attend games at the cc and take in some of the state university games. Between that, choir practices and performances, school work and spending time with friends, she stays moving.

I already see her feeling like the time to say good bye to some of her friends is coming. Gonna be an emotional year!!

 

[Monykalyn]

She has really stepped up in choir too. She has always loved it and been an active member but as a senior I really see her becoming quite the leader and taking the freshman under her wing.

Don't you just love seeing that happen?? That gives you such a glimpse into the adult they are becoming!

 

[luvsJack]

Don't you just love seeing that happen?? That gives you such a glimpse into the adult they are becoming!

Yes! She is forever coming up with ideas for songs and shows for the groups. And now moving around at practice helping some of the younger members. They come to her asking if she will sit by them and help them get their part. I can't help but wonder if a new career choice may be developing!

 

[Pikester]

First Day of School here today! I can't believe my first born baby is a Senior this year.

 

[momof1princess]

DD started school on August 10th, and tomorrow night is the first football game, so Senior Year is REALLY starting to sink in. She's seeing a tutor on Saturdays for the ACT on September 12th; so, once that's done (again, this is the 4th time, I think, lol), she can get going on her college applications. I hope she's not getting behind-her band director up and quit a couple of weeks ago, so we've been in a total state of chaos while the parents try to get all the cleaning, altering and ordering of uniforms and t-shirts done, and get our concession stands ready for football season. We do finally have an interim band director, though, so that's a relief. We might get a new permanent one on September 8th, which is the next school board meeting. When DD brought home the letter from her band director a couple of weeks ago, she was absolutely destroyed-he's been her band teacher for 6 years, and she couldn't imagine him wanting to do anything else (he took a vice principal job at a middle school about an hour south of here). I'm very proud of all of the kids though-they gave him a proper send-off, they were very gracious, and they've really come together to get the show ready.

DD turns 18 next month, and wants to go to the University of Alabama, which is almost 3 hours south of us-I'm not sure what I'll do with her that far away (she's my only child), but it's what she wants, and she just has to raise her ACT score a couple of points to get a full scholarship. Goodness, my house will be far too quiet. I may have to rent a kid...lol.

 

[Monykalyn]

DD started school on August 10th, and tomorrow night is the first football game, so Senior Year is REALLY starting to sink in. She's seeing a tutor on Saturdays for the ACT on September 12th; so, once that's done (again, this is the 4th time, I think, lol), she can get going on her college applications. I hope she's not getting behind-her band director up and quit a couple of weeks ago, so we've been in a total state of chaos while the parents try to get all the cleaning, altering and ordering of uniforms and t-shirts done, and get our concession stands ready for football season. We do finally have an interim band director, though, so that's a relief. We might get a new permanent one on September 8th, which is the next school board meeting. When DD brought home the letter from her band director a couple of weeks ago, she was absolutely destroyed-he's been her band teacher for 6 years, and she couldn't imagine him wanting to do anything else (he took a vice principal job at a middle school about an hour south of here). I'm very proud of all of the kids though-they gave him a proper send-off, they were very gracious, and they've really come together to get the show ready.

DD turns 18 next month, and wants to go to the University of Alabama, which is almost 3 hours south of us-I'm not sure what I'll do with her that far away (she's my only child), but it's what she wants, and she just has to raise her ACT score a couple of points to get a full scholarship. Goodness, my house will be far too quiet. I may have to rent a kid...lol.

Oh that had to be really rough with the band director leaving! And good for the kids on pulling together-shows a lot of class!

 

[Mom2DDs]

momof1princess - I wish my DD would go to University of Alabama (I took summer classes there but go my degree from Jacksonville State Univ.) but she won't look at any schools in the South.

We live in NJ and her high school has just been named the #42 in the Newsweek Best High Schools in the Nation! Only looking at schools in DC, PA, NY, MA and here in NJ

 

[MomofKatie]

momof1princess - I wish my DD would go to University of Alabama (I took summer classes there but go my degree from Jacksonville State Univ.) but she won't look at any schools in the South.

We live in NJ and her high school has just been named the #42 in the Newsweek Best High Schools in the Nation! Only looking at schools in DC, PA, NY, MA and here in NJ

My DD is seriously considering Alabama because of their generous out of state scholarships. They have done a pretty good job of attracting high achieving students from all over the country in the past few years. If your DD has a good GPA and a high ACT/SAT score, she might qualify for a guaranteed full tuition scholarship. Might be worth looking into. DD attends a "top 25" academically rigorous high school, and Alabama aggressively recruits the students.

 

[Anne34]

My DD is seriously considering Alabama because of their generous out of state scholarships. They have done a pretty good job of attracting high achieving students from all over the country in the past few years. If your DD has a good GPA and a high ACT/SAT score, she might qualify for a guaranteed full tuition scholarship. Might be worth looking into. DD attends a "top 25" academically rigorous high school, and Alabama aggressively recruits the students.

My daughter has also put in her application for Alabama. It is the top of her list right now. She will qualify for the full tuition scholarship and wants to save as much money as possible because she's hoping to go to med school. We visited and it's an impressive school.