College GO! Week

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BRIEF SUMMARY

College GO! Week is an annual, statewide event to promote enrollment in two- and four-year colleges across Indiana.  College Go! Week 2022 is set for September 26-30, 2022.  Schools are encouraged to promote enrollment in college with a weekly scheduled of events, based on this theme, such as having presentations by college admissions representatives, trivia contests, and daily announcements.

KEY POINTS

  • College Go! Week is part of “College Go!” which takes place each August-November with information and resources designed to help Indiana students plan for education beyond high school. The official “College GO!” kick-off is always the last full week of September (September 26-30, 2022), and is known as “College Go! Week,” but you can incorporate College GO! activities and events whenever they fit into your calendar.  Some schools select their own week during this time period to do their “College Go! Week” so that it better fits into their school calendar.
  • The definition of college for College GO! Week includes other postsecondary options, such as apprenticeship programs.
  • There is a recommended focus for activities at each grade level: Elementary level recommendations focus on college awareness and why college is important. Middle level recommendations focus on high school diplomas, college degrees and career goals.  High school level recommendations focus on programs of study, finding the right school/program and the application process.
  • Learn More Indiana (http://www.learnmoreindiana.org/) provides many resources, activities, and a suggested schedule of events for College Go! Week.

SHARED WISDOM

  • Q: If you ask college-related trivia questions, can you please share what you ask?
    • A: In the past, I asked the staff where they attended college, then I made trivia questions based on that. For example: “This ACTIVE staff member attended Ball State where he learned how to run from class to class.” The students had to email me the answer and the first correct one received a prize from the “college prize table.” The answer was our PE teacher. Then I gave 3 facts about Ball State.
    • There are trivia questions and match the mascot sheets on counselor stop (below).
  • To have a fun, successful and energizing College GO! Week, it is best to plan in advance (even asking college admissions representatives months before hand to come and speak to students that week and asking them to send posters and pennants for your school-wide decoration), publicize the week and schedule of events by announcing in school newsletters and other school media and get the help of school staff and the school community in launching and planning your events.  For instance, getting teachers involved in door decoration contests, art students and/or student council members can make their own college posters, student groups can decorate and maintain a hallway or area of the school for the week, the school administration can read college related trivia over the announcements each day, etc.  Your PTO could help by hosting a parent information night on college admissions, scholarships, etc. or yo could ask your 21st Century Scholars representative to speak at a parent night and/or during student classes.
  • College GO spirit days:
    • Monday-Dress for success; dress for your future career
    • Tuesday-Military Appreciation Day; dress up in anything camouflage.
    • Wednesday- Hats off to higher education; wear your favorite hat.
    • Thursday- Off to college; wear your favorite college gear
    • Friday-Our future starts here; Support your Cougars by wearing orange & blue!
    • In the past we have done favorite college sweatshirt day, favorite college hat day, dress for success day- students intended career.  Students (and staff) love dress up days.
  •  There is usually an essay contest for a student scholarship during College Go! Week and it is best to get the word out about the topic, requirements, and deadline, well in advance.  There is also usually a grant that schools can apply for to further their college-going promotion efforts.  Both are sponsored by Learn More Indiana.
  • I have fun, college trivia questions over the announcements.  We have spirit days and kids participating get added to a drawing for free college swag.  I call many local, state colleges and ask for free swag (t-shirts, water bottles, lanyards, pencils, etc.)
  • I also had teachers put up a piece of paper with their picture, the college(s) they attended, and what they studied. This way, students can get to know their teachers better and if they were interested in whatever their teacher studied, it can be an opportunity for them to talk about that major with them and get a better feel for it. They could also talk about their college/university they attended with students that were interested in those places as well!
  • I create a bulletin board and have faculty/staff complete a template with their picture and where they attended so all students are exposed to that.
  •  We also made signs for each teacher’s door that had the name of the college they attended. We asked our first period teachers to talk 5 minutes about their college and what they liked. We had “wear your favorite college shirt” day as well.
  • We then did trivia contests on mascot names for Indiana colleges.
  •  We did a school-wide scavenger hunt one year.  Kids had to travel by homeroom to find clues (one grade level per day) to get to school locations and find the answers to info about colleges.  Their last “location” was the Guidance office.  The first class to finish with right answers got college prizes (pencils or pens).
  •  I did a door decorating scavenger hunt one year that the high school students loved.  The door was decorated with their teachers school background, and then I created random questions from the door and the kids were released the last day for 10 minutes to answer questions.  It was a hit at our school.  We are a small school so releasing them to walk the halls wasn’t an issue.  That could be difficult for large schools.
  • Last year I chose three days of the week and assigned students to random lunch tables. When they got to their table one day they had been admitted to a college, another day they had been given a job (entry level with not much training) and the last day they had enlisted in the military. Each sheet had information about that college/job/branch of the military and then students had to complete (as a table) a short questionnaire. Once they turned in their questionnaire I then chose winners at random to be given college swag or candy! I thought it was a lot of fun – the only thing the kids didn’t like was sitting at random tables with random people.
  • We’re doing school wide trivia, and college checklist bingo within classrooms this year. We also always enter students names into a raffle who participate by wear college swag (tshirt & jeans).
  • We are going to do a door decorating contest.  I will have the homeroom draw a college out of a hat and their door has to decorated related to that college/university.  We will have judges judge at the end of the week.  I will act two trivia questions over the intercom in the morning and I will collect the answer ballots after each morning. The 1st period, and homeroom, that win will receive a prize.
  • I find if you personalize announcements, they have more impact.One year I asked staff what it took for them to finish their college education.  I got a lot of responses and grouped them together into categories, such as focus, perseverance, determination, hard work, etc.  Then I put together announcements to share what teachers shared, such” Mrs. Bayliss said that it took a lot of perseverance to finish her college degree.  It took her 10 years, but she never gave up.  She is a teacher today because she had perseverance.”  Then I made a bulletin board with this same theme.I highlight a staff member each morning who has had an interesting path to their education career. For example this year I am highlighting a military vet, a teacher in transition who has his MBA in finance and a chemical engineering degree, a teacher from Kenya, a coach, and a teacher who owns her own business on the side. I think it is pretty interesting!We are spotlighting a grad who has completed their degree and moved into their career field each day.
  • For those who have inquired about bingo, here are the cards that were created through myfreebingocards.com: College Checklist Bingo.9.14.2018

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This post was created by ABCD ContentManager on August 7, 2016.