Northeast Ohio Parent | High School Guide | November 2023

November 2023

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TEENS & CAREERS Future Steps

EDUCATION FOCUS

CLASS CHOICES What’s the Best Fit? AP or CCP

HIGH SCHOOL

Guide

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NortheastOhioParent.com

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What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

SETTING YOUR HIGH SCHOOLER ON THE RIGHT PATH

By Erin Sernoffsky “What do you want to be when you grow up?” A question many adults are still asking, even as they begin the process of helping their kids find the answer. During high school years this question takes on a new urgency as graduation looms large.

The best first step is having open and honest conversations, followed by taking advantage of the incredible tools and resources available, and exploring the various educational and training options for each chosen path.

BEGINNING THE CONVERSATION When’s the right time to begin helping kids find their career? According to Millicent Simmelink, chief engagement officer

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at Career Links in Rocky River, the time to start the discussion is earlier than you might think.

“In early to middle childhood, parents need to pay careful attention to what fuels their child’s curiosity and joy,” she advises.

“They need to encourage fantasy play that allows their child to assume different life roles as they do reality test work and practical life scenarios.”

Simmelink is the author of the forthcoming book “Set Your Sails to Reach! A Mindful Approach to Envisioning Your Potential and Navigating Your Career.” She recommends parents enter these conversations from a place of openness and curiosity, focusing on a child’s strengths and interests

as the most effective way of finding a meaningful career.

“It’s important to help your child recognize where their natural strengths lie so they can continue to build upon them in a productive and meaningful way,” she says.

Christina Fuller, guidance counselor and counseling department chair with Copley Fairlawn City Schools, also sees the benefits from this strength-based approach.

“Start with their interests,” Fuller says.

“What do they like to do, what don’t they like to do? While this might seem rudimentary, it really is the root to having a fulfilling career. Many students go into fields due to the money or prestige but get burnt out very quickly. Doing something you enjoy or that

you can find fulfillment in is our ultimate goal.”

As these conversations progress, it’s tempting for parents to shut down what they view as unsuitable or unrealistic. However, this tactic rarely leads to beneficial conversations.

“Common mistakes parents make when trying to guide their children through this process include not listening to what their child wants, telling their child what they ‘should’ do, projecting their own unfulfilled career dreams onto their child, wanting their child to follow in their footsteps,” Simmelink says.

Fuller also sees this play out firsthand.

“Parents, out of the desire to see their child succeed, often make the mistake of wanting their children to have a career that provides them with what they believe to have stability,” she says. “They often also think more about what they would rather see their children doing than necessarily what the child wants or is interested in.”

Instead, she recommends actively pursuing careers that directly align with strengths and interests for tangible benefits long-term.

“I would advise guiding your child to explore their interests and ways they could utilize those in a potential career,” Fuller says. “The more they understand about themselves and how their abilities can relate with potential careers, makes such a big difference.”

MATCHING STRENGTHS Matching interests and skills to a career is daunting, but there are many resources to help. Fuller recommends starting with a high school guidance counselor. “Talking with your school counselor regarding what career exploration software their school utilizes is

a great starting point. Many schools are also starting to incorporate internship and job shadowing as a requirement for students to understand better what opportunities are out there.”

Parents and students can also take time to explore Ohio Means Jobs, an online hub with resources for students at every level.

Here students can take a skills assessment which matches them to potential careers, learn about apprentice programs, find college planning tools, and more.

Other free online assessments include O*Net Online which matches assessment results with career opportunities.

Some libraries offer free coaching or career assessments, but families looking for a more detailed approach can consider a private career and college counselors.

HOW TO GET THERE Another difficult decision families face is whether or not a four-year degree is necessary to reach their career goals. For years an undergraduate degree, and even a post-secondary degree, have been seen as a mandatory requirement to making a comfortable living, however this is slowly changing.

“Right now, a four-year degree is still considered the gold standard in making sure kids have a meaningful and rewarding career, but sentiment is shifting. The rising costs of a four-year degree are concerning for many families,” Simmelink says. “In addition, many undergraduate degree programs are not easily aligned with employment needs.”

Whether or not a student plans to attend college there are more options than ever before for advanced training and career development that provide a specific path for career-seekers, rather than a blanket option for everyone.

Fuller works with many of her students to help them find these alternate pathways.

“Debt-to-income ratio has become a major concern for many students in today’s society,” she says. “Many students are opting to attend two-year universities or community colleges that cost less to get certifications; or to get credits at a lower cost to avoid going into as much debt. Many students are also looking into trade jobs as careers, due to the apprenticeship components, where you are paid while learning and then are guaranteed a job at the end. Others are focusing on outside certifications or training in the works, such as real estate, entrepreneurship, or moving up in the sales world. Anymore, a four-year college is not necessary to succeed financially in the world.”

For those students who are college-bound, taking advantage of programs such as College Credit Plus is an excellent way to earn college credits while still in high school.

College Credit Plus is free to all Ohio high school students and enables them to take online or in-person courses at public Ohio colleges and universities.

Often, high schools offer vocational training which can either be used on their own or in conjunction with associate’s degrees, certifications, or even a bachelor’s degree.

“One local high school student in my community completed vocational training in the culinary arts in high school before pursuing a degree in hospitality administration from Cornell University,” Simmelink says.

Setting your child on the path toward a meaningful, stable career is daunting. Building on their strengths, taking advantage of every resource, and learning all of the different routes to employment are all critical steps in building a career they can count on.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Check out these amazing tools to help guide your teen in the right direction for long-term success!

OHIO MEANS JOBS

O*NET ONLINE

Free to all Ohio residents, this interactive site offers skill and goal assessments college prep tools, and much more.

This free resource provides tools such as an Interest Profiler, Ability Profiler, and information on over 900 possible careers.

COLLEGE CREDIT PLUS

NATIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

ohiomeansjobs.ohio.gov/

highered.ohio.gov/

Open to any Ohio public school student planning on attending an Ohio public college or university, this program allows high school students to earn college credit at no cost.

ESC NEO WORKS

onetonline.org

ncda.org

escneo.org/CareerCenters Compacts.aspx A collaboration between area school districts to provide career-technical education and much more. Northeast Ohio Career Centers/Compacts provide services to the ESC of Northeast Ohio’s member school districts.

Families looking for more personalized support can find an accredited career counselor or advisor in their area. Prices vary depending on the practitioner.

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High School  Book Picks Miss. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience.

Sneakers

by Rodrigo Corral , Alex French & Howie Kahn An absolute necessity for design devotees and sneakerheads of all ages. Sneakers is a definitive exploration of the cultural phenomenon of sneakers, now 85-billion-dollar-ayear industry. This gift-worthy book features 320 pages of photos and interviews with industry gurus, sports legends, and celebrities in a stunning package created by celebrated designer Rodrigo Corral.

We Were Liars

by E. Lockhart A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies.

True love. The truth. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

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The Maze Runner

by James Dashner When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Outside the towering stone walls that surround them is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying: Remember. Survive. Run. Variant

by Robison Wells Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life. He was wrong. Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence, where video cameras monitor his every move—and where breaking the rules equals death. All Benson wants is to find a way out. But when he stumbles upon the real secret the school has been hiding, he realizes that escape may be impossible.

The Paper Girl of Paris

by Jordyn Taylor Sixteen-year-old Alice is spending the summer in Paris, but she isn’t there for pastries and walks along the Seine. When her grandmother passed away two months ago, she left Alice an apartment in France that no one knew existed. An apartment that has been locked for more than 70 years. Alice is determined to find out why the apartment was abandoned. With the help of Paul, a charming Parisian student, she sets out to uncover the truth.

The Mortal Instruments Book 1: City of Bones

by Cassandra Clare Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is introduced to the world of the Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to driving demons out of our world and back to their own.

The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

by Rick Riordan Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him?

Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he’s not even sure he believes himself. Until the Minotaur chases him to summer camp.

Who Moved My Cheese?

by Spencer Johnson A group of old school friends meet to catch up.

They end up discussing the unexpected, unforeseen changes to their lives, and one friend offers to tell a story about adapting to change.

The story he tells involves four characters, two mice named Sniff and Scurry, and two “Littlepeople” named Hem and Haw. All of them are in a maze, looking for cheese, which they need to survive. For the “Littlepeople”, cheese also has a larger, metaphysical connotation in the sense that it also makes them happy - their Cheese is thus spelled with a capital C.

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W

Advance Placement or College Credit Plus?

Helping Your high schooler maximize credits

By Rachel Abbey McCafferty

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hen it comes to setting a student’s schedule, there’s no one right or wrong answer.

It depends on what a student wants to do after high school. What they want to pursue as a career, whether they plan to attend school in or out of state and if they’re looking at selective institutions. For students considering Advanced Placement or College Credit Plus courses, the decision can feel even more complex.

Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus courses both offer Ohio students college-level curriculum while still in high school, as well as the chance to potentially earn college credits.

College Credit Plus, or CCP, is the state’s dual enrollment program where students can earn both high school and college credit for a course. They’re paid for by the high school, unlike AP exams that could carry a cost for families. Both options can help students prepare for post-secondary education — and save money by letting them start college with credits in hand.

“Many of our CCP students receive associate degrees before the graduate from high school,” says Dr. Janice Taylor Heard, associate vice president of the College Credit Plus program at Cuyahoga Community College. “Many continue their enrollment at Tri-C post-high school for a summer to a year to complete their associate degree prior to transferring to a university. The end result is thousands of dollars in savings and decrease time entering a career field.”

AP courses and exams are national and standardized, overseen by the College Board, says Kelly MacLean, founder of the Kelly MacLean Achievement Center in Westlake. What she’s seeing is that they’re taking on more weight as colleges and universities move away from ACT and SAT scores.

As AP courses take on more importance in college admissions, institutions are taking individual circumstances into consideration, MacLean says. They’re looking at how many AP classes a student takes, but also how many they have access to at their school and at what grade level.

“The more data points a college has to prove that a student is ready for the rigor of college academics without oversight from a parent, without a parent running to the store for poster board for a project or doing their laundry and all of those types of things, the better they can predict that they’ll have that student for the entire year, not just one semester,” she adds. “An AP exam, because it’s standardized, is a great data point for them.”

CCP can be a good fit for students who know they want to attend college in-state, as CCP credits are guaranteed to transfer to in-state public schools.

Jennifer Collis, an associate provost at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland oversees their College Credit Plus program. She says students in the program have transferred to institutions across the country and they’ve been accepted to private schools in and out of state — including Ivy League institu-

tions, despite the misconception that CCP might not transfer to out-of-state or selective schools.

Collis says students have to earn a certain score on an AP exam to earn college credits. But students who pass a CCP class automatically earn that credit without another test. Also, CCP offers courses of different lengths, including half-terms, and in different locations, including online.

Shawn Grime, executive director of the Ohio School Counselor Association, says he’s always trying to talk to students about their “endgame.”

Grime, who is also a counselor at Archbold High School in Northwest Ohio, says high school courses should be used to prepare students for their next step.

And that applies to CCP and AP options, but also the subject areas students should be focusing on, based on their goals. “What are they ultimately looking to do?”

“In addition to meeting the state standards for CCP pertaining to GPA, standardize test scores, or placement in college-level English and Math, parents should consider their child’s readiness for possible exposure in a course to “mature content” or subject matter,” says Taylor Heard. “Students and parents should be prepared for a course experience that differs in pace and academic rigor than a high school course and require more study time outside of the classroom.”

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HIGH SCHOOL Guide Listings

FLEX HIGH SCHOOL

Are you looking for a high school that offers the FLEXibility you need? FLEX High School provides a path to graduation that is flexible, personal, unique, and completely free. We focus on providing a safe educational environment, so that you may focus on your goal of obtaining a high school diploma. Students love the quiet, one-on-one attention they receive from their teacher mentors. Enroll anytime (877) 494-FLEX (3539).

GILMOUR ACADEMY

As an independent and Catholic school, Gilmour Academy is uniquely able to develop the minds and hearts of its students.

Gilmour’s identity as an independent school reflects a commitment to rigorous academic programming, smaller classes and a variety of real-world opportunities.

Gilmour’s Catholic identity means students are learning in an environment that is inclusive, thought-provoking and rooted in the Holy Cross tradition. Gilmour empowers students of all faiths to grow spiritually.

Through its comprehensive curriculum, faith-based tradition, commitment to service and emphasis on leadership, Gilmour educates the whole person. gilmour.org

HATHAWAY BROWN

For nearly 150 years, Hathaway Brown School has educated and empowered girls.

The K-12 day school in Shaker Heights, Ohio is regionally and nationally recognized as a top girls’ school for their Learn for Life Signature Approach. Their model for education integrates distinguished academics, empowered girls, knowledge in action, and a celebrated community of students, alums, and faculty and parents.

Learn more at hb.edu

HAWKEN SCHOOL

Hawken School offers two high school options: the Upper School in Gates Mills and the Mastery School of Hawken in University Circle. The Upper School guides students to embrace the intrinsic value of learning by providing opportunities for student inquiry, analysis, agency, experimentation, and leadership. The Mastery School immerses students in real-world problem solving with a focus on personalized, project-based learning and an assessment model that leads students to learn deeply and persist to mastery. hawken.edu - CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 -

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HIGH SCHOOL Guide Listings

LAWRENCE SCHOOL

Lawrence School is a vibrant co-ed, independent K–12 school in Northeast Ohio designed specifically for students who struggle with reading, writing, or math. This can include learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and challenges with executive function.

Lawrence School serves over 350 students in 90+ communities while maintaining a 9:1 classroom ratio. For over 50 years, Lawrence has been the school of choice for students who learn differently to achieve personal and academic success.” lawrenceschool.org

MAGNIFICAT

Magnificat High School is a girls’ Catholic, college-preparatory high school that prepares young women to learn, lead, and serve in the spirit of Mary’s Magnificat. Students with diverse backgrounds and aspirations are given the tools to reach their academic goals as well as the flexibility to discover new interests and talents. Hands-on learning, service, faith formation, and leadership opportunities enrich the educational experience, along with engaging advanced electives, extensive club opportunities, and competitive athletics..magnificaths.org

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- SPONSORED CONTENT -

SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST

16 th STOP THE HATE SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS 6th – 12th Graders Invited to Submit Essays on Stopping the Spread of Hate Through the generosity of a donor, $100,000 is awarded in support of standing up and speaking out against hate.

Who are the students who are participating?

Northeast Ohio 6th through 12th graders living in or attending public, private, or home school in one of the following twelve counties: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne counties.

How can a student enter the Stop the Hate contest?

Students are invited to pen a personal essay in 500 words or less about bias they have witnessed or experienced and share what they have done or will do in response. Essays can be submitted by an individual independent of their school’s involvement.

How can a teacher bring a school group for a Stop the Hate tour?

School groups are invited at a discounted rate of only $3 per student. CMSD schools are admitted at no cost, with preregistration. For details, and more information, please email tours@mmjh.org.

Are there other ways for schools to get involved?

A classroom-based group competition invites classes to tour the museum and then participate in a free workshop with Roots of American Music. Working with a teaching artist, the class will pen an original song. This song becomes the class submission to the contest and is judged by a panel of music experts selected in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Winning classrooms will receive anti-bias education grants for their school.

Also new this year is the opportunity to apply for one of three Stop the Hate Anti-Bias Community Grants of $5,000 each for schools in the participating 12 counties. For more information on applications, please contact ckrieger@mmjh.org.

Deadlines are in February. For complete details, visit Learn.MaltzMuseum.org.

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- SPONSORED CONTENT -

19600 North Park Boulevard, Shaker Heights HB.edu

OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION: Parent previews are held monthly starting in October.

More information at HB.edu/Admission

❝

“HB’s motto is to “learn not for school, but for life.” From kindergarten to senior year, students are immersed in opportunities that apply concepts learned in the classroom to the real world — uniting learning by thinking with learning by doing. HB gives students the tools they need to succeed in the world beyond our walls.”

❞

— Head of School Dr. Fran Bisselle

H

athaway Brown is an all girls K-12 day school in Shaker Heights.

Since 1876, HB has educated and empowered girls with the Learn for Life Signature Approach that integrates distinguished academics, empowered girls, knowledge in action, and a celebrated community of students, alums, and faculty and parents.

The Signature Approach allows students to take ownership of their education with outstanding experiential learning opportunities such as the Storyline model in the Primary School, the Academies in Middle School, and the Fellowships for the Applied Studies in the Upper School.

The Signature Approach, facilitated by an incredibly impressive and engaged faculty, empowers girls to rise boldly to the challenges of the times, achieve their goals and reach their utmost potential.

The school’s distinguished academics are nationally recognized and are valued by families, top colleges and universities, and employers.

Seventy-one percent of HB teachers hold advanced degrees.

And each faculty and staff member participates in deep and profound racial equity training.

HB’s beautiful 16-acre Shaker

Heights campus houses a fourstory glass-paneled atrium, visual and performing arts spaces, an IDEA Lab and Upper School learning commons. Furthermore, there’s an onsite adventure learning course, various dynamic classroom configurations, a working television studio, an aquatics center, tennis courts, and turf playing fields.

Hathaway Brown is home to 12 varsity athletics teams, along with the first e-sports team in the country established at an all-girls school. It also has a large and consistently excellent speech and debate team, an award-winning robotics program and several performing arts opportunities.

When girls graduate from Hathaway Brown School, they join an alumnae network of more than 4,000 women who live in 49 states and 27 foreign countries. Ranging in age from 17 to 105, HB alumnae are a celebrated community of civically engaged, trailblazing women who hold positions in every professional industry there is. Many were the first women to complete particular college degree programs or to earn executive-level positions in their respective organizations.

For more information, visit HB.edu or contact the Admission office at (216) 320-8767.

All-girls K-12, Coed Infant & Toddler Center and Early Childhood Program Enrollment: 828

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Grades served: Toddler-12th

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Average Class size: 15

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Tuition: $23,700 - $38,600

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