CruBlog

What do Admissions officers look for in an application essay? What’s the best way to find a college that will fit your needs? How can you build a resume that will get you noticed? Eleventh-grade Crusaders will get answers to all these questions and more at our upcoming Getting to College Conference on Friday, April 23.

We want you to be totally confident about embarking on the college application process next year! Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare. We’ll take you through every step of the application, and Admission reps from Salve Regina University, Bryant University, and Roger Williams University will guide you in a workshop on writing an effective personal essay.

More information about our Getting to College Conference will come in the mail soon, so keep your eyes open for it. You can also call us for details or talk to the College Crusade Advisor in your school to find out more. Save the date – April 23!

Attention high school Crusaders! Our schedule for college visits is heating up for April vacation this year. You can choose from among eight great campuses to visit, so watch your mail for the signup form. Check out the list below and make plans to get on board! (Above, Crusaders explore the beautiful campus of Salve Regina University during a tour last spring.)

Mon April 19
Salve Regina University, Newport RI
Wesleyan University, Middletown CT

Tue April 20
Nichols College, Dudley MA
Emerson College, Boston

Wed April 21
Newbury College, Brookline MA
Lasell College, Auburndale MA

Thur April 22
Merrimack College, North Andover MA
Regis College, Weston MA

To complete our spring schedule, two more visits are coming up in May:
Thur May 6 at Quinnipiac University, Hamden CT
Tue May 11 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester MA

See you on the bus!

Last week, during February school vacation, over 160 ambitious sixth-grade Crusaders took the government and business world into their own hands. They became residents of Exchange City, an interactive civics environment created by Education in Action and hosted by Johnson & Wales University’s Harborside Campus. They appointed a mayor, developed city rules and regulations, established and ran businesses, did their banking, published a newspaper, and even ran a radio station!

Everybody learned a lot about themselves and what it means to be part of a working community. Here’s what some Crusaders said about the experience:

• “You’re not going to always work with the people who are your friends - You’re gonna go through rough times” (Jaymi)
• “It’s very hard running a business (Daniel)
• “We all have to be connected in some way to function well” (Diomedes)
• “My part also affects the community” (Patience)
• “At first I was nervous and didn’t think I could do it” (Isayra)
• “I can concentrate when I want” (Kwame)
• “It is important to be friendly and take care and be fast” (Jennifer)
• “I learned I can do anything if I work hard” (Wendy)
• “I am creative” (Gina)
• “I am a good videographer” (Helen)
• “I like being an owner, but it’s hard” (Jessica)
• “You have to be responsible and respectful” (Sherley)
• “I like being the boss” (Leslie)
• “I had to sign a lot of stuff” (Damien)
• “I learned how to handle money” (Madeline)
• “I can help a lot of people” (Jharyd)
• “I like to work and someday I might work as a toy designer or toy maker” (Jessica)
• “I learned that I would like to work in a bank” (Alanis)
• “I’m really good at math” (Victor)
• “I learned I can do my best” (Richard)
• “I learned every job is unique no matter what” (Cassidy)
• “It takes time and honesty” (Alexia)
• “I can be a leader and not a follower” (Kendal)
• “I learned how hard it can be in a real job” (Gisselle)
• “Sometimes people don’t get along” (Ariel)
• “I should get a job that keeps me moving” (Keren)
• “I learned that I really want to be a reporter when I grow up” (Arianna)
• “I can accomplish anything I set my mind to” (Leandra)

So what did you do during February vacation?

A record-breaking crowd of nearly 300 eighth-grade Crusaders attended our annual Step Up Conference on January 23! They all met at Jorge Alvarez High School in Providence for a day of workshops – and learned how to get ready for the high school experience next year.

Above, student educators from the Women’s Center of Rhode Island pose with Crusaders Anthony Townsand (third from left) and Franklin Jette (lower left).

Many thanks to all our workshop presenters, who provided our students with loads of useful information:

Bullying
Kobi Dennis, Partnership to Address Violence Through Education

Dealing with Difficult Teachers
Matt Sciotti, language arts teacher

Healthy Choices & Relationships
Sheila Johnson & James Lawrence, Women’s Center of Rhode Island, with JWU volunteers Tasheena Davey, Brittnee Countrymen, and Edgard Hunt

What You Need to Know About High School
Elizabeth Fasteson & Yadi Garcia, guidance counselors from Shea High School and Times2 Academy

Keepin’ It Real
College Crusade high school Advisors

World of Work
Erika Read, RI Department of Labor & Training

On January 31, hundreds of high school and college students from all over Rhode Island got their FAFSA financial aid form filled out and submitted online as part of College Goal Sunday RI 2010. The Rhode Island Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators sponsored the event at six sites across the state. College Crusade staff helped coordinate activities at Woonsocket High School and Central Falls High School. Plenty of Crusaders came by with their families to take advantage of the opportunity!

Thanks to Woonsocket site coordinator Maria Carvalho of The College Crusade, and team members Stacy Crooks, College Planning Center of RI; Jen Dutch, RI Student Loan Authority; Ed Maroney, Bryant University; Susan Moir, Bryant University; and Crusade Advisors Tanzeem Azmiri, Christopher Grant, Shelby Maldonado, Benjamin Ramos, and Ralph Toribio.

Thanks also to Central Falls site coordinator Gina Dimartino of The College Crusade, and team members Nelly Hoffens, RISD; Paul Langhammer, URI; Courtney McEntee, College Planning Center of RI; Linda Norton, Bryant University; Kathy Toro, National College Advising Corp, Brown University;  Enma Velasquez, College Crusade parent liaison; Gail Walker, RI Student Loan Authority; Shirley Wright, The College Crusade; and College Crusade Advisors Alexis Brown, Dwayne Clement, Jessica Rivera, and Stephanie Taveras.

Crusaders! If you missed College Goal Sunday RI, remember to file your FAFSA online by March 1 to qualify for federal financial aid and to see if you are eligible for a scholarship from the Rhode Island State Grant Program. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov. Don’t miss out on free money!

From top, just a few of the Crusaders who attended College Goal Sunday: senior Tracy Mendes of the Met; senior Keavin Smith of Woonsocket High School, with his mother Ann Smith; senior Emerson Toloza of Tolman High School, with parents Virgila & Guillermo Toloza; and senior Nicole Pomfret of Woonsocket High School, with her father Matthew Pomfret.

It’s been a busy season of college visits for high school Crusaders this fall and winter. So far, more than 200 students have participated. We’ve been to Northeastern University, University of Rhode Island, Providence College, Roger Williams University, Pine Manor College, and Connecticut College, touring each campus and learning all about academic majors and college life. Visits to Brandeis University and New England Institute of Technology are coming up in February, with more on the way!

The Admissions information session we attended at Pine Manor College featured a nice surprise – two of the student speakers were graduates of The Met, and one was a graduate of Central Falls High School. They had a lot of useful advice for Crusaders who were interested in applying for admission!

Above, from left: Leslie Urizar, Jasmin Francisco Ortiz, Dulce Quezada, Alliyah Phin, Khunnay Voeul, and Selena Gonzalez (seated) pose for a photo during their campus visit to Pine Manor College on January 14.

Crusaders at Mount Pleasant High School have been building their skills in public speaking! On January 20, College Crusade Advisor Dwayne Clement held an afterschool workshop to give students practice in presenting ideas orally in an organized and interesting way.

Joana Delva (at left) described her interest in photography and her plan to pursue a career in real estate. Kevin Acevedo talked about his interest in drawing and graffiti art and his plan to become an artist. Kitzler Bissereth spoke on the earthquake calamity in Haiti and asked why more was not being done for the suffering population. Ty’esha Forbes discussed the topic of teen sexual assault, arguing for more awareness of the issue and more education about how young men and women can show respect for themselves and others.

After each presentation, the students got feedback from Dwayne and critiqued each other. In past Life Skills workshops at Mount Pleasant, Crusaders have explored the messages in popular music, shared ideas on the topic of “you are where you live,” and created role-playing skits about conflict resolution. Congratulations to all the speakers!

Congratulations to middle school Crusader Cristian Estrada, who was featured in the Providence Journal today in a story about promising young chess players! Cristian is in the eighth grade at Central Falls Middle School. To read the story, click here.

A great article for parents written by College Crusade high school manager Maria Carvalho was recently published by the Center for Student Opportunity! The article, called “Be a Safety Net: How to Support Your Child During the College Application Process,” is currently featured on the CSO’s website in their “Ask the Experts” column. The article will also appear in print in the next edition of the CSO’s College Access & Opportunity Guide.

Congratulations, Maria!

So you want to be a DJ? Middle school Crusaders at Saturday Cru Club got a treat last weekend when professional DJ and award-winning science teacher Ulysses Gallman came to visit. He brought all his DJ gear – mixers, turntables, CD players, speakers, and microphones – and he even set up a light show in the classroom! He explained the difference between club jocks, street jocks, and radio jocks and described how DJs learn their craft over long years of practice.

Mr. Gallman’s main message to Crusaders was to always make options for yourself. He talked about discovering his interest in math and science as a youth and the years he spent teaching science in the Narragansett schools. (He earned two Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and was honored with a national Milken Educator Award in 2001.) He shared with Crusaders how he combined his love for teaching with his love for music by setting priorities and striving for success in everything he did. Then he showed them how to scratch records!

Thanks to Mr. Gallman for bringing all his cool equipment and talking with Crusaders about his two careers!