On Tuesday, April 9th, at 6:30 p.m. in the McClatchy Media Center, a college preparatory presentation will take place to teach students and families about the benefits of taking community college classes and hear from speakers who can help them navigate the community college process.
“Adding community college classes to a high school class schedule can fulfill graduation requirements and, at the same time, enhance a student’s college application,” said group representative and C.K.M. parent Terri Hardy.
Speakers at the event will include Sacramento City College counselors, C.K.M. counselor Ms. Taormina, and current C.K.M. students who will share their experiences taking community college classes. All students within the Sacramento City Unified School District are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
This program, called Jump-Start Your College Career in High School, is to remind students of the amazing resource that Sacramento City College provides, said one of the parent group leaders, Bonnie Holmes. “High school students 16 and older can take FREE college classes to help with high school graduation, explore interests, build a stronger resume for college applications, or begin preparing to transfer to a four year college. Plus, the credits taken at SCC could help reduce the costs of college,” said Holmes.
Jump-Start Your College Career in High School is one presentation in a series of college preparation programs that the C.K.M. parent group will offer this spring. Future presentations will include workshops on standardized testing strategies (April 30) and crafting college essays (May 15).
The group is working to provide college access information to all SCUSD students to “complement the programs offered by C.K.M.’s College and Career Center,” said Hardy.
“On a personal level, I was inspired by going through the college application process with my daughter Bethany, who is now a sophomore at Oberlin College in Ohio,” said Holmes. “The application process was very challenging with lots of surprises. I learned so much by working with my daughter and I wanted to share what I had learned with other families.”
Holmes went on to say that the group hopes to “provide opportunities for students and their families to learn about the many college options available and to demystify the application process.”