For students, the junior and senior years of high school are filled with many critical decisions about the future. The College and Career Counseling Center at Byron-Bergen Junior/Senior High School works hard to make preparing for life-beyond-school easier for students and their families.
This is the second year for the school’s dedicated Center, led by counselor Rob Kaercher. The Center is busy in the fall with a full schedule of visits and special presentations from a wide range of regional and national two- and four-year colleges, trade schools, and military branches.
(A Financial Aid Night is scheduled on October 20 at 6:30 p.m., to help families from Byron-Bergen with the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application).
High School Principal Patrick McGee said, “Our goal is to provide a wide variety of opportunities for our students in the areas of college and/or career. I feel we are ahead of the curve in this area as our students now have a daily chance to identify a pathway and gain a much better sense of what their post-secondary plans will be.”
Students at the school not only have access to extensive in-person and online resources in the Center; they also get invaluable hands-on, one-to-one guidance from college-and-career expert Kaercher.
“This is a small school, and I can really get to know our kids as individuals,” said Kaercher. “I start as early as possible with them, so they have more options. I can help them find educational and career directions that match up with their interests and values. I enjoy working with them and their parents on financial aid, exploring scholarships, and completing their college applications. The commitment our district has to this initiative is extraordinary – kids at B-B can have a similar support experience to what they might find at a private school or with a paid independent college counselor.”
The College and Career Center has greatly expanded its services this year:
•Instant Admissions Week is offered November 7 through 10. Participating colleges include Erie Community College, Finger Lakes Community College, Genesee Community College, Monroe Community College, Niagara Community College, The College at Brockport, and SUNY Alfred State. “It is an exciting opportunity for kids to present themselves, have a short interview, and potentially get an on-the-spot decision from that college,” said Kaercher.
•Students will be ready for that interview thanks to another innovation the Center offers: virtual interviews with online avatars. The district’s teachers use an interactive professional development tool called Mursion, which employs practice with avatars to improve teaching technique. The Center has adjusted and expanded the program for students to use to develop better interviewing skills.
•The Naviance Family Connection, which was introduced to seniors last year, is now available to juniors, too. The online program helps students inventory their interests, research careers, search for colleges, create resumes, and submit applications. “Our current focus has been working with upperclassmen,” said Kaercher. “But as the Center continues to become established, more opportunities, including Naviance, will be available to junior high school students.”
•The Center has also increased its college and industry visits this year. “We have found these to be very important,” said Kaercher. “Students have the chance to make connections directly with the actual decision makers, the admissions counselors and company human resources directors.”
“This can be a difficult and confusing time if you are trying to navigate it all by yourself,” said Kaercher. “We want to help make the process much easier. We are reaching out to parents and families – we hope they will contact the Junior/Senior High School office to get more information.”
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