SUPPORTING STUDENTS ON THEIR JOURNEY
Working Toward Postsecondary Goals In core partner schools, RISE summer college and career readiness academies support students as they begin their senior year and prepare for the transition to college, career, and beyond. Through these programs, counselors provide students with one-on-one support in completing milestones, such as the Common App, letters of recommendation, personal essays, and financial planning so that students have a head start on the postsecondary planning process and can continue this momentum into their senior year. At Middletown H.S., attendance in this program has grown steadily and has shifted to focus on first-generation students who may benefit from differentiated support. RISE has coached educators on strategies including setting an enrollment goal of 20% of each senior class attending and ensuring that at least five specific postsecondary planning milestones have been achieved by each student upon completion of the program.
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They gave me advice on what to do, and also how to do it. They walked us through the steps and made sure we knew they were there to help us.
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Bobbi-Jo Wathen, College and Career Counselor at Middletown H.S., embraced these goals when designing their Summer Bootcamp. Instead of just five milestones, she challenged her counselors and students to work together to achieve eight. She also employed four English teachers to help students workshop their essays and added mini-sessions focusing on specific aspects of the Common App. In describing her Summer Bootcamp experience, Hannah, a rising Middletown H.S. senior, said, “The thing I was the happiest we did was going through all the Common App questions. At first, it was overwhelming and then they slowed it down, and then I saw that it was not too hard, just a lot of information.” Nick, a fellow senior, said that his Middletown Summer Bootcamp counselors helped him greatly. “They gave me advice on what to do, and also how to do it,” he said. “They walked us through the steps and made sure we knew they were there to help us.”
14 • 2023 ANNUAL REPORT
