<p>My D has had little luck finding a job even in fast food. She’s kind of given up & will take French I at the local CC over the summer to keep busy. One of the very cool things about her Temple scholarship is that it comes with $4000 each summer for “enrichment”. So in future summers she will probably attend some music conferences/workshops. I believe she can even do something like get an unpaid internship & then pay herself from the stipend. We’ll have to learn more about how that works, but it’s a pretty nice thing.</p>
<p>Wow, I guess we are lucky in that the local retail stores (Freeport, Maine outlets) don’t seem to mind at all that kids are going to college. My D has been working at American Eagle since last fall and they are terrific about hiring back the college kids over winter break, too. The only thing is that they like to hire many kids, so no one gets full time. She’ll continue 2-3 shifts/week there and she’s been hired for 3/shifts week at another store that also knows she’s leaving for college.</p>
<p>It might help that the town is pretty seasonal, much busier during the summer and holidays. In any case she loves both jobs and will be working about 30+ hours/week. She needs to save $2,500 for her contribution to college this year (not including her work/study job that will cover personal expenses and books.) I am hopeful that having this much “skin in the game” will help her make the most of her college experience, and not squander it.</p>
<p>@gertrudeMcFuzz Wow, that summer enrichment scholarship perk is amazing!!! Very cool. I don’t know much about Temple. My daughter’s boyfriend is going there, though, so I should probably learn something about it!</p>
<p>Senior awards last night. Very nicely done at just over 2 hours. It is only the 5th graduating class for our school but there were some very interesting scholarships noted. Very exciting for all the kids. S14 got all kinds of items to wear during graduation. Most of his friends got similar items and a few had athletic scholarships. I’m so glad he found a good group of friends for his HS experience. I know he’ll miss them next year. I only got a little teary-eyed. I’m going to be a mess at the actual graduation, I know it. I’m so happy for all of them. </p>
<p>Pretty annoyed at DS school. They only have a daytime (parents not invited) awards ceremony. They had it when the track team was out of town, so my son didn’t even attend. He doesn’t know if he got any awards. He did get a ribbon for high placement on the National Greek Exam, because his teacher later told him. I don’t know if he got anything else. It is apparently the only time they recognize NHS members, which is annoying, because only 25-30 guys make it to senior year in good standing. The high school is selective, so academically many are eligible, but they require nearly a hundred of extra volunteer hours at very specific agencies, plus many more hours volunteering at school and attending meetings. They got no cords or lapel pins at graduation and weren’t announced nor identified in the graduation program. We just yesterday got a bent envelope in the mail containing old health forms, unofficial copy of his transcript, old permission forms, and scholarship certificates, including one he had no idea about. (To a school he isn’t attending, but still…) Even though he is a state athlete, his picture isn’t in the track team photo, because photos were scheduled during a required chorus practice, and he was excluded (no big deal) from graduation practice because they scheduled it during an AP test. These types of scheduling conflicts began the first week of freshman year, so it is an endemic problem at the school. I don’t know why I expected it to be any different for seniors…</p>
<p>Well, we don’t even have an awards program! No biggie though since I think most parents are kids are grateful to not have to sit through something long. It’s a high achieving school (145 National Merit finalists this year for example) so it would be a loooong ceremony if they recognized all achievements. The school does an excellent job of recognizing achievements throughout the school year so nobody is excluded. </p>
<p>DS’s team lost in regional semi-finals last night so we are all a bit down today. Just one win away from states but overall a fantastic season. The team over-achieved and performed well beyond expectations so once the sting wears off the boys will be proud of all they’ve accomplished. But last night was full of tears, from freshmen to seniors, managers, alums, and even coaches. All added to a long day for all, with a round-trip to Charlottesville and a 90 minute rain delay. DS didn’t walk in the door until 1 am.</p>
<p>Still unclear on the job situation for DS, but I am not pushing it. I would be irritated if it weren’t such a short summer for him. With only six weeks it’s kind of hard to find something meaningful. He’ll probably end up life guarding again. Or maybe even nothing. We shall see.</p>
<p>Our school had only 2 National Merit Finalists, one of them our son, and I sat through a two hour awards ceremony (during a work day) and they didn’t even invite him to come to the front for a handshake. He just was asked to stand up and I couldn’t even see him. We spent the rest of the ceremony counting up which of the six seniors from our street racked up the most awards. That turned out to be the (highly deserving) guy whose family didn’t realize how important it was to attend – his mom is racked with guilt that she wasn’t there to see him get five awards.</p>
<p>We had 5 or 6 students that were National Merit Commended. I didn’t know anything about NM before I read about it here. I don’t think our school really explains it well to the students or parents. Hopefully it will be explained better in the future.</p>
<p>We never have NMFs because only 2 or 3 kids a year even take the SAT. The school decides which 50 kids will take the PSAT and notifies them a week or two before hand that it is happening and when. Nobody prepares because they don’t even know it is happening. </p>
<p>Hi Everyone- I been busy with work and getting ready for my S graduation this Sunday. I Just tried to catch up on on a 100 plus post but wasn’t very successful. Congratulations to all the graduates and soon to be graduates! My S had a great time over the last two weeks doing his Senior Transition Project at a Neurology depart at a Major teaching facility. He had a unique experience job shawdowing Attendings and Residents, Monday he gave a presentation at his HS on his experience and now he is done! One more rehearsal tomorrow and Sunday is graduation day! We are having a small party about 25 close friends and family to help celebrate the occasion ! We decided to have it catered - simple luncheon - gourmet sandwiches ( picked by S ) salads, punch ( wine and beer for adults) , and cake, oh and sushi ! If my son had his way we would just have sushi! Lol …tomorrow I will be busy getting last minutes items for the party- decorations, party plates ,napkins ect…oh and a new dress ! …</p>
<p>Summer job! My son applied for a couple of jobs and had one interview. They checked his references over a week ago and he still hasn’t heard anything. I made him call the hiring manager and was told that HR was slow at calling and he should here in a couple of days. According to S, it sounds like he has the job but it would be nice to know definitively one way or the other. If this job falls through he will need to find something else. Hopefully, he will get good news tomorrow and he can relax for a couple of weeks before the job starts. </p>
<p>My job has been very stressful ( not working out in the long run) and this week I started working on my résumé and looking for a new job…I am totally in limbo. We were suppose to be getting our house ready to put on the market and relocate to RI but now I am not so sure…I share an apartment in Providence with another professional woman who is also married and lives in NYC with her husband when she is not in Providence. It has worked out very well for the last 6 month but now she needs to know what my plans are…she found another roommate who wants to move in Aug15 …if I want to stay longer that is fine but she just needs to know…I just don’t know what to do and really don’t need the added stress at this time. I had a " break down" earlier this week and wanted to just pack up and go back to Maine permanently…I am trying to be happy and upbeat for my son but it is really hard…maybe the party will lift my spirits! </p>
<p>My D has worked the past two years as a swim teacher/lifeguard for the city. Wonderful job but a lot of hours, plus it’s hard to change shifts because the little kids really like consistency and there aren’t that many certified instructors. This summer she transferred to Youth Sports and will be working half the number of hours for a little less pay (because you’re not saving lives!) She deserves this for her summer before college. I highly recommend working for summer youth programs, but the only catch is you need to apply in February or March, and most kids really aren’t thinking about summer jobs then.</p>
<p>@onlyonemom hugs and prayers for wisdom to know what to do about your job and the apartment. hoping for that summer job and have a great time at graduation!</p>
<p>@onlyonemom yes, hugs… sorry that is so stressful!</p>
<p>Okay- I know you guys warned me that these things are emotional but GEEZ. Yesterday was the awards ceremony - all seniors in their caps and gowns and marching - and I totally started crying the minute the music started!!! And then when the kids I knew (including but not limited to my own!) got awards, more tears. D got an academic award she had not idea was coming, it was very sweet to see her surprise and pleasure.</p>
<p>I had to stop at Rite Aid to buy some waterproof mascara on my way home. I am totally going to need it for tonight’s Candlelight Ceremony and Sunday’s Graduation!!!</p>
<p>We’re still three weeks away from graduation and I’m already feeling pretty sad. I need to discipline myself to stop looking at old pictures. </p>
<p>Our school is small and rural, so we don’t have many job opportunities. It is especially hard that graduation is June 28 and D has to report to college August 22, and we want to take the whole family camping the week after graduation. D mows lawns and hopefully will pick up some babysitting work. She could maybe go work at some of the local farms, but we’ll see. Not to sound too wimpy, but that’s pretty grueling labor and I don’t have the heart to make her do it when the scholarships she’s earned are covering 99% of her expenses for next year.</p>
<p>Our awards ceremony was two days ago. We had one NMF (my D ) and they did call her up to get her certificate. She went up 6 more times, great fun for us. </p>
<p>How did this come so quickly, though? It always seemed so far away, until it wasn’t.</p>
<p>@onlyonemom Hang in there – job stress sucks. I’ve been on a roller coaster myself, have a job interview next week overseas, but maybe things will work out where I am. Except for the commute from hell which I’m not sure how much longer I can endure. And I have to consider my S16, my H, and the $10K/year scholarship for S14 we’d lose from his current work.</p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom How sad that your school doesn’t promote these important tests. Lack of resources? Do they focus on the ACT instead?</p>
<p>@onlyonemom, hang in there. I liked the phrase “This too shall pass good or bad”, nothing stays the same. </p>
<p>@crowlady, I have been there before, job stress can kill every bit of enthusiasm in us. </p>
<p>D took the AP tests, but she has been told that it is better to retake Physics again, because she wants to go into engineering. She wants to skip Calculus but not so sure about Physics. Did you hear about retaking physics? </p>
<p>My take on skipping intro classes - don’t do it. First semester/year can be a time of transition for these kids. When you load them up with really hard classes out of the gate that can make it even worse. I also think college science/math is taught differently than the ap’s and missing out on the foundation can sometimes be a dicey proposition. My son chose to do an honors calc series which was proof based so he had to start at square one. Engineering can be very work intensive and a shock to a lot of kids.</p>
<p>@onlyonemom
I can completely relate. Hang in there. Maybe after your kid’s graduation you have more time to reflect on your next move.</p>
<p>My D is also looking for a job. She never have a “real” job before. She’s also one year younger than most of her classmates (she’s only 17). She made some good money throughout her second semester of senior by tutoring. At one time she had 4 kids and averaging 8 hours a week. She charges twice our state’s minimum wage. Yesterday she was happy to report that one of the kids that she tutored lifted his grade from a C- to an A in Chemistry. The mom is a happy and satisfied customer that she gave her a graduation present. She also saved and gave it to my D the newspaper page that published all the val/sals in our district. SO really nice of her.</p>
<p>@eyemamom my husband, a mechanical engineer with 25 years of work now, would agree. He remembers about half of his engineering major cohorts changed majors or left school after one year because it was tougher than they expected. The kids (his words, I’m sure they’d call him the old man ) being hired now are not always ready for the demands of the workplace. He said they expect the new hires will need about 6 months to get up to speed, and it’s a rough 6 months. And those ‘kids’ who opted to retake calc and physics at the college level are better prepared. </p>
<p>My D is also only 17, and it’s excluding her from some jobs. We are hopeful about the one she interviewed for yesterday. However, as much as they liked her, they would also like someone who could stay through Labor Day. Her first day of orientation is Aug. 19, so 2 full weeks before Labor Day. </p>
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