PHS College & Career Corner

Penncrest students do not need luck when it comes to their successes - they have work ethic, talent, and dedication to the areas that matter most to them! In the classroom, on the stage, on the ice or any other venue where our students are being recognized, it is their passion, compassion, and determination that truly show their strength of character. All success starts with a plan. This month, we're focused on planning: practicing for the sat/act, applying for summer programs such as Keystone State, finding extra time to participate in volunteer or work opportunities, getting support with finding the right fit, or filling out scholarships to make their next steps more affordable. Celebrating the now and looking ahead to what is next!

Thank you to the students and families who attended our Finding the Right Fit presentation this past Wednesday! During this busy time of year, it was nice to see families planning for their futures together. The information can be overwhelming, but having honest dialogue and creating checklists helps make the entire process manageable and, hopefully, enjoyable!

Link to slide deck: Finding the Right Fit Presentation

Link to PDF of slides: Finding the Right Fit Slides

Class of 2027 Parents/Guardians - please check your email for your invitation from SCOIR. Reach out to callen@rtmsd.org with any access issues!

The Going Merry Website shut down with less than a week's notice. We are working quickly to build a new site to share our Penncrest Scholarship Application as well as other scholarships available for Penncrest students that had been hosted on Going Merry. These will be up and running by Monday, March 16th, so please check your emails and schoology for updates!

Take advantage of this opportunity to practice the SAT & ACT and raise some funds for the junior class!

NEEDED: Volunteers for Glenwood's PTG Basket Bingo

• WHEN: Tuesday, March 24th evening (shifts start at 5:15)
• WHERE: Penncrest Cafeteria
• WHO: PHS Students
• HOW: Register at Glenwood Bingo High School Volunteers

Aptly name the Pacific Northwest 5, the following liberal arts institutions in Washington and Oregon offer students the same core liberal arts values:

• Encouraging students to think differently
• Having life agency vs. falling into things
• Recognizing the human aspect of learning vs. statistics
• Providing students with skills that are recession proof - critical thinking, strong communication, collaborative teamwork

..while retaining individual identities that would appeal to our students! Would you like to have a forest on campus? Hike by the gorge? Read on to see some highlights of these institutions:

• Lewis & Clark College - with a river otter as their mascot and one of the top rated beautiful campuses, nature exudes from LC while being the hub of Portland. A population of 2,100 undergrads, they ask students what it is to live a meaningful life and have a partnership with the Inside-Out Prison Exchange, semester-long study abroad often led by faculty, and classes led by students for co-learning experiences. Additionally, they offer a data science major, cyber security and AI grounded in ethics and human competence, and a career accelerator that guarantees internship opportunities. They also have the largest environmental law and animal law on the coast.

• Reed College - The most selective of this group, Reedies highly personalized experiences, a lack of hieracrchy, and professors as peers. Classes are capped at 24 students and there are no sports on campus, though they have. highly competitive ultimate frisbee team , a popular radio station, and Reed Canyon which cuts through the campus (students literally climb trees as part of their experiential learning lab). For a fun tradition, look up Paideia, and check out some of the unique classes taught during this week. Additionally, their education experiences translate to 4th in the nation for graduate school acceptance.

• University of Puget Sound - Nestled in the beauty of Tacoma, this school offers sanctuary with access to urban opportunities. Outdoors is a must, as students can rent gear for $10 and have several adventure trips to the coast, the mountains, and everywhere in between. Every student comes in undeclared, but a third of students end up majoring in the sciences and they had a 100% acceptance rate to PT, OT, MD, and DVM schools for their most recent reporting class. Academically, they focus on interdisciplinary learning and over pass/fail connection classes in freshman year to help students have a safe space to be "wrong" and make mistakes while starting college.

• Whitman College - Although all of these schools offer amazing environmental studies opportunities, with Walla Walla being at the foothills of the Blue Mountains (with 70 miles of hiking around the lake) students have access to study several ecological systems without traveling by car. However, explore they do through their Semester in the West, traveling 3 months to tackle regional issues with an interdisciplinary lens. They also take 3 week field courses to Yellowstone and other national sites, with outdoor trips build into tuition AND the opportunity for an outdoor scholarship There are no more than 10% of students in any major, with the newly designed brain behavior and cognition leading to success for their 1,600 students, 90% who are coming from over 200 miles away.

• Willamette University - Located in Oregon's capital (Salem, not Portland), Willamette provides students with opportunities to intern in state government situated across the street from campus, echoing the motto of 'not unto ourselves are we born', a call to service and action. Additionally, they have a 350 acre farm and forest named Zena, located just off campus that becomes a natural learning lab. New pre-health advising is producing strong outcomes for all students entering the profession and graduate school with a possible merger with The University of the Pacific to provide new accelerated graduate programs in law, business, engineering and healthcare fields. Free to students is their College Access Navigators, providing ASD and ADHD support.

All students are welcome to attend these visits, but must register in advance using the instructions below. Please note that ALL visits start and end within a single block, so you must check in with your teacher prior to attending the meeting.

• Details and registration links can be found under the College Visits tab in Naviance (you must be logged in): https://student.naviance.com/colleges/visits. You must register at least an hour prior to the scheduled visit.
  
• Visits will be held in the College and Career Center in the counseling office or Lecture Room A.Please view the location when registering.
  
• You will receive an email prior to the scheduled visit that will confirm your registration. Please show that to your teacher AND make a Minga pass to come to the visit! Attendance is documented.

Information about the counselors and links to schedule appointments with your counselors: Counseling Department Schoology Courses or scan the codes below!

Junior Meeting Information:Junior Meeting Instructions

Registration for College & Career Visits: Naviance (under student account only)

College Application Instructions and Information: PHS Class of 2026: Guide to the College Application Process or in the 12th grade counseling schoology course (tons of great information including links to videos and forms)

Penncrest Weekly Updates and College & Career Corner Newsletters: Archived PHS College & Career Corner Newsletters

Job Postings: PHS Job Opportunities

DCTS Application Information: DCTS Application Instructions - Start Here (NOTE: deadline has passed, waitlist opportunities available)