The North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence

All services provided are free!

• Financial Aid Information and Assistance
• Processing FAFSA Electronically
• Scholarship Information
• Academic, Personal, and Career Counseling
• GED Referral
• Career Workshops
• Information on Educational Opportunities
• Assistance with College Admissions

110 Thomas Street

Suite 106 South

Athens, AL 35611

256-233-1220

www.nacee.net

Berea College Scholarship Opportunities

More than 3,000 students have been nominated for a four-year tuition scholarship and admission to Berea College. Without Berea College, many students would not be able to afford the education they deserve. The type of student best served is:
Average annual family income: $50,000.00 or less
Rank in the top 20% of the class
ACT Composite: 20-30
Commitment to service

It's not too early...If you are a freshman, sophomore or junior and are interested in being nominated your senior year, sign up to recieve personalized information via the VIP pages at www.berea.edu/VIP. This tool can also be a great resource for career explorations programs.

Auburn University E-Day

Engineering Day (E-Day) is a program sponsored the last Friday in February. This event is an excellent opportunity for students to explore the vast range of opportunities available to them in the field of engineering. They can view exhibits, talk with faculty and meet students who know first hand what the study of engineering truly entails. More detailed information is to come!

For questions, e-mail to engineering@auburn.edu or visit the website at www.eng.auburn.edu.

Auburn University Samuel Ginn College or Engineering Programs for grades 8-11

Auburn University is home of the largest engineering program in Alabama, graduating approximately half of the state's engineers. The Samuel Ginn College of engineering continues to rank among the nation's top 35 undergraduate engineering programs at public institutions.

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will be hosting TIGERS camp for rising 8th-11th graders. These age groups have changed from previous years. The Senior TIGERS camp for rising 10th and 11th graders will be June 6th-11th, 2010. The Junior TIGERS camp for rising 8th and 9th graders will be June 13th-18th, 2010.

If you would like more information about any of our engineering programs, please visit our website at http://www.eng.auburn.edu/ or email engineering@auburn.edu.

Sci-Quest’s monthly Career Quest program

The November program – Nov. 3, 5:30-7:30 – will focus on careers in Health Care. We try to present a cross section of health care careers. The list of intended speakers includes a paramedic with HEMSI, a nurse/instructor with UA Huntsville, and representatives of local hospitals. I’ve requested a physician and a nurse practitioner.
There also will be representatives of educational & training facilities that can help direct the students on educational opportunities in this area for the focus career field. I know that Huntsville Hospital representatives are planning to bring a document that describes a number of health care careers -including the education necessary and the possible salary range.
All students in 11th & 12th grade are eligible to register for a $1,000 scholarship that will be given away at the May 2010 program.
There is no cost to attend this program; however, we do ask that students register so that we may plan accordingly. To register, please call 256-837-0606 Ext. 252.

http://www.sci-quest.org/

Limestone and Morgan county Youth Leadership and Career Development Program

The Limestone and Morgan County Youth Leadership and Career Development Program is an opportunity for students who have career interests in any field related to Agri-Science and/or Family & Consumer Sciences. Students who are interested in pursuing education or careers in such fields related to Family and Consumer Sciences (examples: Animal Sciences, Horticulture, Child Care/Child Development, Nutrition, etc.) are encouraged to apply. Students from Limestone and Morgan Counties will be selected to participate in hands-on leadership, educational, and career-driven opportunities.

This program is for 10th and 11th graders. Deadline is November 20, 2009. See Ms. Kirk for an application.

The Huntsville Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW)...

The Huntsville Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW), in coordination with the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (US S&RC) is excited to present as a public service, two venues that might be of interest to middle school through college level students as well as adults, particularly those having a penchant for history. We have room for up to 100 people at each venue on a first come basis (RSVP). Location is the US. Space and Rocket Center Education Resource Center (ERC) Auditorium (next to the Marriott). RSVP for each venue to Ms Traci Calvert, acalvert@knology.net, so we can account for names and organizations of attendees and remain within occupancy requirements.

Venue 1: Thursday, 5 November 2009 from 2:00-3:30 PM – President Teddy Roosevelt (Mr. Joe Wiegand) - Through stories, observations and persona of the man who became our 26th President, Mr. Joe Wiegand brings to life the Rough Rider President, Teddy Roosevelt. His website with more background information is at: www.teddyrooseveltshow.com Appropriate for middle school and up.

Venue 2: Friday, 6 November 2009 from2:00-3:30 PM – Mr Charles Wiley will present his moving and thought provoking presentation “Accuracy of Reporting in the Media”. Charles Wiley, a noted journalist, has lectured in 50 states and on 5 continents. While reporting from over 100 countries, his search for facts led to his arrest eight times by secret police, including the KGB, and imprisonment in a Cuban dungeon while he was a correspondent for New York City radio station WOR. Mr Wiley has covered 11 wars, four times in Vietnam including reporting for NBC, UPI, the London Express and numerous other U.S. and foreign news media. His freelance articles and photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and Time. He regularly speaks to college audiences and youth groups. Appropriate for high school and up.

Both gentlemen are visiting Huntsville as key speakers for the 7th Annual MOWW Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) from 4-7 November 2009. The YLC is hosted by the MOWW Huntsville Chapter. More information about MOWW and the YLC can be found at the website: http://www.huntsville-moww.org/modules.php?name=YLC2009
Questions on MOWW contact Rick Makowski, rick.makowski@knology.net.

Working with Your Student's Counselor

Tips you can use to help build helpful relationships

One of the most important people you will come in contact with during your student’s high school career is his or her counselor, or in some cases, counselors. Whether you’re dealing with a guidance counselor, college counselor or career counselor, here are some tips you can use to help build helpful relationships.

Get to know them. Make an effort to get to know the counselors early in your student’s high school career. Make an appointment to talk to them, learn about their policies and procedures, and learn about programs they host at your student’s school. This will make future conversations much more productive.

Help them get to know your son or daughter. When you have your first meeting with your student’s counselor, give him or her some background information about your student that will help him or her understand more about your son or daughter, such as special talents, skills, or needs, any strengths and weaknesses, who their friends are, what their family situation is like and what challenges he or she might have overcome. The more the counselor knows about your son or daughter, the easier it will be for the counselor to assist you and your student.

Keep in contact. Don’t limit yourself to just one counselor meeting. Keep in touch with the counselor throughout the school year, whether through email, phone or additional face-to-face appointments. Having said this, your student is no longer in elementary school. Encourage the student to navigate the course of high school with the counselor. While you should never hesitate to ask your student’s counselor questions, you will be helping your son or daughter develop into a responsible adult by encouraging him or her to take charge of his or her issues.

Stay involved. Participate in as many parent activities as you can at your student’s school, including open houses, college fairs, college workshops, evening programs and/or financial aid workshops. The information you’ll receive at these types of events will help you become more knowledgeable about the types of educational, occupational and personal choices your student will be making about high school and life beyond high school.

Utilize counseling resources. Counselors do their best to make resources on a variety of topics available to you. Newsletters, websites, pamphlets and informational programs are all often available to give you more information. Take advantage of these resources.
By maintaining a good relationship with your student’s counselor, and by making sure your student is following through with the goals the counselor helps set, you can make the most of your son our daughter’s time in high school.

Brought to you by Making It Count!

Don't Stress Over Tests

Don't Stress Over Tests
There are things you can do to manage your test anxiety and keep the freaking out to a minimum

You walk into class and sit down at your desk. Your pencil is sharpened; you’ve done all your assignments and you’ve studied hard for a week. You think you’re ready for this test. The moment the test paper hits your desk, you panic. Your mind goes blank, and you don’t even remember what to write in the spot that says, “name.” You were so ready two seconds ago and now you’re giving new meaning to the term, “freaking out.” What is happening? It’s called test anxiety, and it’s something many students experience.

Don’t worry! It's normal to feel a little nervous and stressed out before, and sometimes during, a test. And it’s not always a bad thing – a little bit of nervous energy can keep you on your toes. For some students, that nervousness is so intense that it interferes with their concentration or even their ability to take a test at all. But there are things you can do to manage your test anxiety and keep the freaking out to a minimum. Here are just a few:

Study smart – and early! Don’t wait until the night before a test to start studying. As soon as the teacher announces there will be a test, start planning your study schedule. Study everything – your notes, homework assignments, textbook. Make flash cards and ask a friend or family member to quiz you. Whichever study method works best for you, start getting ready early! You’ll feel more confident come test day if you have been organized and preparing from day one.

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How to Help Students Stand Out in College Applications

Parents often ask what else they can do besides insuring their students make good grades and test well on the SAT and/or ACT to help their students look impressive on paper.
My answer is always about the student’s passion. What does the student enjoy doing? Colleges want to see well-rounded young people. They want to see a student demonstrate leadership, an interest in their community, involvement in activities that the students enjoy.
Colleges do not want to see extensive resumes of long lists of extracurricular activities and community service for the sake of building the resume. Students do not need to have so much to do that they do not have any “down time”. They need a select few activities they truly enjoy.

What is “depth”? Depth can be developed in many ways. For instance, if a student has relatively in other parts of the country or the world, being able to spend time with them and experience living for a week or more with them helps build depth because they are seeing how others live and handle the day to day activities. Any opportunity to live in a third world environment builds depth…this includes working for Habitat for Humanity or teaching Vacation Bible School in a poor area within Dallas or one of the suburbs.
“Depth” is what makes people interesting. Colleges are seeking students that will be interesting contributors to their campuses and their student population. Parents and students need to plan their summers beginning summer after 8th grade. Students do not need more than one to three weeks of “down time” where they do nothing. Students need to do the following every summer:

• Read - Create a reading list and set a goal of how many books can be read during the summer(this means more than the required reading)
• Community Service - Students need to spend at least 40 hours during the summer volunteering for a cause they believe in.
• Summer Programs - can be local, can be elsewhere: on a college campus studying for a few weeks either something in science, math, engineering, creative writing, history etc
•Travel - If at all possible, students need to travel during the summer – even if it is to see grandparents elsewhere in the US
•Work - If a student cannot do the summer programs or travel, they can get a job…if they are under 16, they can be creative and become entrepreneurial.

“Depth” also occurs during the school year. Students need to participate in their community both at school and outside of school. If a student does not enjoy sports, they do not have to be on a school or club athletic team. They do need to find something else that they can commit time and put effort into doing. Students must demonstrate leadership. They can do this gradually during high school. If a student joins the school newspaper in 9th grade, surely by their junior or senior year, they can be editor of a section or the whole paper or they can be the advertising chief. If a student enjoys sports, the student can work their way into being captain or co-captain of the team by their senior year.

Brought to you by: The Apple

Auburn Pulp, Paper and Bioresource Program Oct. 28

The International Paper Courtland Mill is working with Auburn University to
provide information to high school juniors and seniors about the Auburn
Pulp, Paper, & Bioresource Program. In conjunction with this program, the
Auburn Pulp and Paper Foundation (APPF) offers undergraduate academic
scholarships for students attending Auburn University and specializing in
one of the pulp, paper & bio-resource options in chemical, electrical or
mechanical engineering. These scholarships are offered to the best and
brightest students who are interested in a career in the pulp, paper &
bio-resource industry. Graduates of this program are uniquely qualified to
work in the pulp and paper industry and continue to be in strong demand.
In addition to the scholarship opportunities available through APPF, the
mill will be awarding one student the fifth Courtland Mill Auburn Pulp and
Paper Foundation Engineering Scholarship. Scholarships are awarded
strictly on merit and cover one half of tuition costs for the first year
and could be increased for subsequent years depending on academic
performance. To qualify, students need to have high scores in math,
chemistry, and physics and have an ACT score of 26 or higher.
To learn more about these scholarship opportunities, we would like to
invite qualified seniors or juniors and their counselors to the Courtland
Mill on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Auburn University
faculty and Courtland Mill employees will conduct the program. Lunch and a
tour of the Courtland Mill will be included. The program will conclude by
1 p.m. The day’s event will be business casual and we ask that everyone wear long pants or jeans and closed toe shoes as a safety precaution for touring our manufacturing facility.

If you are interested in attending this event, please contact Ms. Kirk no later than Oct. 22 to reserve your seat!

Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen Pageant

To compete...

• Contestant must be a minimum of 13 years of age on the first day of the State competition
• Contestant may not have graduated from high school before the Miss America's Outstanding Teen National Finals, except for 16 year olds (or younger) who graduated early
• Contestant may not turn 18 years of age on or before July 31 of the year of the National Finals in which she will compete
• Contestant may not be eligible to compete in the Miss America Pageant the year they compete in the Nationals of the Teen Pageant

If you are interested in competing for the title of Miss alabama's Outstanding Teen, the only teen program associated with the Miss America/Miss Alabama System, for an application and complete details please visit our website at: http://www.outstandingteen.homestead.com/ or you can call 205-223-5127. Deadline for applications is 12/10/09.

There are many scholarships awarded to the competitors of this program!!!!!

UA's Third Annual Capstone Leadership Academy

The University of Alabama has many rich traditions, not the least of which is providing leadership opportunities for young people.

The Capstone Council, the Office of the President, and Honors College will be hosting the 3rd Annual Capstone Leadership Academy April 15-16, 2010.

Each nominee will be asked to write an essay of one of three curriculum themes: values, a shared vision or finding your voice. An official high school transcript as well as two letters of recommendation will also be part of the application. An overall minimum GPA of 3.0 is highly recommended.

Ardmore High School will be nominating 2 outstanding sophomores to represent the school. If you are interested in being considered, please see Ms. Kirk as soon as possible. The deadline to be nominated is 10/28.

UAB Night in Huntsville

The UAB Office of Undergraduate Admission invites you and your parents to
UAB Night in HuntsvilleTuesday, October 20th6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Huntsville High School 2304 Billie Watkins Street SWHuntsville, AL 35801. Get information on UAB academics, student life, admission requirements, scholarships, housing, financial aid, and more! Pizza will be served. Please RSVP by October 20thwww.uab.edu/uabnight 205-934-9098(800) 421-8743 toll freeUndergradadmit@uab.edu

APT's Alabama Young Heroes Award

Nominations for Alabama Public Television's 2010 Young Heroes Awards will be taken from Sept. 15-Dec 18 2009.

Do you know a student in grades 9-12 who has excelled in academics, given of himself/herself through public service, overcome adversity, or inspired others through deeds and strength of character? If you know someone who you think should be recognized for these accomplishments, Alabama Public Television would like you to notify your high school guidance counselor to request that he/she be nominated. Five Alabama students will be honored this year.

Nominees must be Alabama residents who are not more than 18 years old and are still attending school. The children's parent/guardian must give permission for the nomination, along with permission for Alabama Public Television to use the child's name or likeness on the air. All entry forms and supporting material must be received by 12/18/2009. The winner will be announced in April.

For more information, see Ms. Kirk.