Journalism Education Foundation Scholarships

Journalism Education Foundation of New England will award a number of $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors and college students in our six-state region who plan to pursue a career in journalism. This is a wonderful program that encourages and supports those who will staff and lead our news organizations into the next generation.

Students from your school are eligible for these scholarships - we urge you to encourage your aspiring journalists to apply! This program usually draws a modest number of applicants, so your students' chances of being selected are quite good.

Interested students can download the scholarship application from the New England Newspaper & Press Association website www.nenpa.com.  The deadline for applications is March 11, 2016.

The Champlain College Young Writers’ Conference

The Champlain College Young Writers’ Conference (CCYW), a residential writers’ weekend specifically for high school students, takes place this May 27 - 29 on the hillside campus of Burlington's Champlain College. For dedicated young writers, it is a chance to meet others who share their passion for telling the stories of their lives. It is also an opportunity to study the craft of writing with some of New England's most celebrated authors and teachers.

Participate in over ten hours of intensive workshops in fiction, poetry, songwriting, creative nonfiction, script writing, and environmental writing; exchange and critique manuscripts; listen to faculty readings; attend interactive craft sessions; and share work with the CCYW community.  On Friday, go to the good place with our keynote speaker, award winning poet & essayist, Ellen Bryant Voigt. Ellen is the author of CLAIMING KIN (1976), THE FORCES OF PLENTY (1983), THE LOTUS FLOWERS (1987), TWO TREES (1992), KYRIE (1995), SHADOW OF HEAVEN (2002), MESSENGER: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS (2007), and HEADWATERS (2013). A former Vermont State Poet, she has received the Emily Clark Balch Award, the Hanes Poetry Award, the Teasdale Award, three Pushcart Prizes, inclusion in Scribner's BEST AMERICAN POETRY, an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Merrill Fellowship, and grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. Ellen designed and directed the nation's first low-residency MFA Writing Program and currently teaches at Warren Wilson College and Breadloaf. In 2015, she received the coveted John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur fellowship.



And there's more: Friday evening, read to jazz with Michael Chorney’s celebrated jazz ensemble, or read poems and prose to open mike. On Saturday, slam the night away with our own in-house oracle, the renowned Vermont Slam Champion, Geof Hewitt. Later, become part of the Young Writers' Improvisational Theatre, and kick up your heels at The Spectacular Young Writers' Contra Dance.
Special note: high school teachers and writerly parents are encouraged to attend as chaperones. Chaperones participate in all events, and are invited to attend their own adult writing workshop.

Check-In Information

Out-of-state conferees are welcome to move into their dorm rooms Thursday, 5/26, after 7:00 PM. Students arriving early should notify us ahead of time, and must remain on campus, unless accompanied by a parent. We can offer transportation to & from the airport or train station, if you forward your itinerary.

For More Information:

Lesley Wright, CCYW Co-Director
802-865-8456
E-mail: ccyw@champlain.edu

Scholarship Request Forms for Transcripts

Seniors -

If you are planning to apply for a scholarship and need school information from your guidance counselor (transcript, letters of recommendation, forms completed, etc), you MUST provide your counselor at least one week's notice to prepare these documents. If the application requires the packet arrive in one envelope, please provide your counselor a stamped and addressed envelope with your completed application inside. We will mail the entire packet with the school forms enclosed.

Class of 2017 Updates

Register for the SATs and ACTs!

SAT (www.collegeboard.org)
Upcoming Test Dates:
March 5; Register by February 5
May 7; Register by April 8

ACT (www.actstudent.org)
Upcoming Test Dates:
April 9; Register by March 4, Late Registration March 5-18
June 11; Register by May 6, Late Registration May 7-20

Summer Programs

Emerson College Communication Disorders Institute - July 10-15, 2016 from 9 AM to 5 PM in Boston for students interested in a health care career within a clinic or school setting. This program is ideal for students who are focused on nursing, health assisting, and early education vocational tracks.

The Communication Disorders Institute will focus on workshops covering the following topics: anatomy & physiology, speech & language development, communication differences & disorders, assessment & intervention, and career exploration. For example, in the assessment and intervention workshop, students will explore how speech-language pathologists assess and treat communication disorders, Expert clinicians will talk about how they evaluate and treat clients  Hands-on experiences will be part of each workshop.

Workshops are taught by Emerson College faculty and students will have an opportunity to meet current undergraduate and graduate students to learn about the degree program. At the end of the program, students will receive a certificate of completion.

Interested students can apply at http://www.emerson.edu/academics/pre-college.
This program accepts a limited number of students, so apply early.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at Tori_Weston@emerson.edu or 617-824-8940.

Washington University in St. Louis Summer Scholars Program - Rising juniors and seniors are able to experience all the facets of college life. As a participant in this selective five-week program, students live on campus, enroll in courses, and study alongside undergraduates.
Session A: June 12-July 16
Session B: July 17-August 19
For more information visit: http://summerexperiences.wustl.edu/

Washington University in St. Louis High School Summer Institutes - choose from any of the following specialized noncredit courses: Pre-medical institute, pre-engineering institute, writing institutes, environmental studies and sustainability institute, philosophy, neuroscience and psychology institute, and leadership institute. For more information visit: summerexperiences.wustl.edu

Boston University High School Summer Term Programs
Pre-college programs take place in June, July, and August: choose from High School Honors, Research in Science and Engineering, Academic Immersion, Summer Challege, Summer Preview, and Pre-College Online Learning. Visit bu.edu/summer/highschool for more information.

Maine Media Workshops + College: 2016 Young Artists Camp and pre-College Program featuring one and two-week summer workshops. Photography, filmmaking, game design, screenwriting, alt pro, documentary and more. www.mainemedia.edu for more information

Post-Secondary Schools Open Houses
New England Institute of Technology Open House Tuesday February 2: 3 - 7 pm

Video on Possible Changes to College Admissions Process

Major changes proposed for the college admissions process

http://www.today.com/video/major-changes-proposed-for-the-college-admissions-process-604925507838

From test scores to A.P. classes and extracurricular activities, the pressure for high school students to stand out on college applications is greater than ever. But this morning, a new report sponsored in part by the Harvard Graduate School of education is calling for some stunning changes. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports for TODAY and we hear from M.I.T. Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill, who says he endorses several of the new changes proposed by the group.

Washington Post Article on College Admissions

On Parenting
To get into college, Harvard report advocates for kindness instead of overachieving
By Lisa Heffernan and Jennifer Wallace January 20 

As your oldest child begins to fill out her college application, it is hard not to feel a rising panic. For the last four years she has thrown herself into her school work, taken AP classes, studied for the SAT, worked on the school paper, played on the field hockey team and tutored elementary school children.
Yet as she methodically records her activities on the application, it becomes clear that this was simply not enough. There are 10 looming blank spaces and although her days have been overflowing with homework, activities and volunteering, she has only five activities to report. There are 15 spaces to record the four AP classes she was so proud of taking. 

You wonder who the kid is who can complete all of these blank spaces, and what has gone wrong that this is what applying to college now means. 

A new report released today by Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, takes a major step in trying to change the college admissions process to make it more humane, less super-human. 

Parents, educators and college administrators have long wrestled with the unintended negative side effects of the admissions process, like the intense focus on personal achievement and the unfair advantages of more affluent students. The report, entitled Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good Through College Admissions, aims to tackle these complex issues. It lays out a blueprint for addressing three of the most intractable challenges facing college applicants today: excessive academic performance pressure, the emphasis on personal achievement over good citizenship, and the uneven opportunities available to students of varying income levels and backgrounds. 

Many colleges have tried to address these concerns over the years but it takes a unified effort to make a big impact, says lead author Richard Weissbourd. More than 80 stakeholders, including admissions officers (like Harvard’s), deans, professors and high school counselors have endorsed the report. 

“It’s the first time in history that I’m aware of” that a group of colleges is coming together to lay out what is and what isn’t valued in the admissions process, says Weissbourd. 

“Yes, we want students who have achieved in and out of the classroom, but we are also looking for things that are harder to quantify, [like] authentic intellectual engagement and a concern for others and the common good,” explains Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale University, one of the report’s endorsers. 

In response to the report, Yale will be adding an essay question on next year’s application that asks applicants “to reflect on engagement with and contribution to their family, community and/or the public good,” Quinlan says. Yale will also “advocate for more flexibility in the extracurricular sections on both the Common Application and Coalition Application, so that colleges can more easily control how they ask students to list and reflect on their extracurricular involvement.” 

The University of Virginia is also in agreement with the report. “We support Turning the Tide because we philosophically agree with many of the principal points in the document, [like] promoting, encouraging, and developing good citizenship, strong character, personal responsibility, [and] civic engagement in high school students,” says Gregory Roberts, the school’s dean of admissions. 

Like Yale, several of the report’s endorsers have already modified their admissions efforts or practices as a result of these findings. Weissbourd said that over the next two years, Making Caring Common will work with college admissions officers, parents, high school guidance counselors and others to further implement the report’s recommendations. He hopes that many of these points will eventually be incorporated into the Common, Coalition and Universal applications as well.
Here are five highlights from the report, along with tips from Making Caring Common for how parents can help turn the tide: 

1. Reduce stress by limiting course loads and extracurricular activities. Admissions offices can reduce undue pressure by sending a clear message that “long brag sheets do not increase students’ chances of admission.” To make this point, the authors recommend applications provide room for only two to four activities or ask students to describe two to three meaningful activities in an essay. Tallying up a lengthy listing of AP credits should be discouraged in favor of more sustained effort in areas of genuine interest.
Parent tip: Help your teens by encouraging them to find activities, classes and volunteer experiences that are meaningful to them, but that do not create undue stress. 

2. Value the different ways students make contributions to their families and communities. Current applications often disadvantage students from less affluent backgrounds who may make important but overlooked contributions, such as working part-time to help support their families or taking care of a family member, leaving them no time for extracurricular activities or community service. Colleges need to clearly communicate the high value they place on family contributions and give ample opportunity for applicants to explain their role. By doing so, the authors hope to redefine achievement in broader terms.
Parent tip: If your teens help to run the household, babysit a younger sibling after school, or make other significant family contributions, make sure they write about it on their applications. 

3. Stress the importance of authenticity. At the heart the report is the notion that admissions committees are looking
for students who are authentic and honest about their interests and accomplishments. Students are encouraged to find the
right college fit by remaining true to themselves, keeping an open mind about their options and examining a broad range of colleges. It should also be made clear that over-coached applications can jeopardize admission. Confidence and integrity are best reflected in the student’s own voice.

Parent tip: College admissions officers can sense when an application is not authentic or trumped up. Help teens present themselves in their best light, while still staying true to who they really are. 

4. Alleviate Test Pressure. Some colleges have already taken steps to de-emphasize the weight of the SATs and ACTs by making these tests optional. Admissions offices can reduce the pressure surrounding standardized tests by doing this or clearly explaining the test’s weight in the admissions process.
Parent tip: Try to discourage students from taking the same standardized test more than twice, as it rarely results in a meaningfully higher score. Remind your children of that. 

5. Engage in meaningful community service. The report highlights a common misconception that volunteering for certain high-profile causes or traveling to exotic countries will make an application stand out. It will, but for the wrong reasons: namely that it looks inauthentic.
Parent tip: Help your teens find sustained community service opportunities that extend for a year or more where the student can be fully engaged in something that is important to them and, in turn, have a meaningful impact. Community engagement can take many different forms, from addressing local needs to serving in a soup kitchen to volunteering on a political campaign or making meaningful contributions at home. Look for opportunities where teens can work side by side with the people they are helping, instead of for them, which can sometimes feel patronizing and may not create as rich an experience. 

There will be some applicants who will try to game these new recommendations by engaging in community service in which they have no real interest and later writing insincerely about their experience. However, Weissbourd notes, even students who engage in community service with misplaced motivation may have a powerful learning experience. Research shows that for many students service activities are an opportunity for maturity and growth, even when they are mandatory or driven by the college application process. 

Lisa Heffernan writes about parenting during the high school and college years at Grown and Flown. You can follow her on Twitter and Grown and Flown on Facebook.
Jennifer Wallace is a freelance writer based in New York, where she lives with her husband and their three children. Twitter: @wallacejennieb.