Senior year is often thought of as the bridge to the unknown. It is an ample wasteland full of confusion and endless paperwork, and stress for most students (Dreis, Rehage). With all this dysfunction, often times schools forget that senior year is an essential link between child hood and the major responsibility of the future. A typical senior schedule is packed with electives with only a few minor core classes allowing students to slack through their last year no problem. This, however, does not prepare students for life. Generally, seniors are heard complaining about “same old” routines (Sizer). Senior year is an opportunity for school to make a change. Although some parents believe that seniors need a structured eight-hour schedule, senior year should be customized to each student to include, volunteering programs, internships, as well as more and rigorous classes. First of all, giving students the opportunity to impact their community during their senior year will benefit them in the future as well. Seniors will gain many useful life skills such as independence and problem-solving skills when helping in their community. Some projects, partner with local members of the community and have a specific aims, academically or otherwise. Overall, students have reported having a new sense of accomplishment and motivation when they realize they can do something worthwhile that impacts the world around them (Dreis, Rehage). Volunteerism also allows students to get outside of the school walls and really take a look at the world around them. They are then able to see what sorts of things their personal community needs and help out in their own way. Many seniors are reported to crave independence, opportunity to lead and give back, as ... ... middle of paper ... ...ividualized plan that includes, volunteering programs, internships, as well as more rigorous classes. Seniors are more than ready for a change of rhythm and new opportunities for success. Schools all over the country need to begin to allow them these experiences. Works Cited Dreis, Janice, and Larry Rehage. "Recasting the Senior Year." Principal Leadership Feb. 2008. Academic Search Premiere. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. Henriksen, Leasha , and Jim Stichter, and Jody Stone, and Bridgette Wagoner. "Senior Year Experience: Challenges and Options." Principal Leadership Apr. 2008. Academic Search Premiere. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. Sizer, Nancy Faust. "Reclaiming Senior Year." Independent School 2003. Academic Search Premiere. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. Wallace, Ava, and Rose Wynn. “Pro/Con: Eliminating Senior Year.” SilverChips.org. Silver Chips Online. 31 Mar. 2010. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
...ieve life goals. The community should encourage continued community service from college students that receive scholarships and or some type of financial aid to volunteer, with the existing programs. This could increase the amount of people available to these after school and summer programs, while saving the city some money. This could prove to be a major step in continuing to improve the city and make it a desired place to live and prosper.
Throughout the length of schooling, students go through various changes. In their first year of school, children are required to make the transition from being at home for the entire day to being in school for a number of hours a day. These transition periods happen many times through the schooling years, but the most drastic changes occur during the transition from high school to college, where students weather numerous lifestyle changes. While each individual student goes on their own journey, certain themes remain common between different students. Studies are done to look at these themes identifying the numerous differences and similarities.
... Reestablishing community goals and encouraging youths to engage in extracurricular activities will greatly improve outlooks on life and help them make the right choices for a better tomorrow.
Walking into Walnut Hills High School right now would have anyone thinking the just walked into the middle of a tornado. Everyone you look there are students running in and out of doors, in and out of cars, and most certainly either turning in missing assignments or retaking tests. There is only one way for you to explain all this ciaos, Senior Year, the year that all teens await with so much excitement and ambition and the year that every single hour long study dates pays off. For the class of 2021 this isn’t just their final year at Walnut Hills this is the year that friends separate and head off to their different university to follow their dreams.
Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for
One moment you’re entering high school and in the blink of an eye it’s senior year. The thought of college is becoming more and more prevalent in your mind as each day passes. You’re forced to make so many decisions about your future, even though you still feel like a kid. The idea of the future can feel so daunting, so unmanageable. There are so many different paths to take, whether it’s the most common one, or an entirely different one. The hard decisions lay outside your comfort zone and require drive and knowledge to choose. You can choose to take the clear-cut path or venture out on your own. I know that my path is college. In college there are so many opportunities for me to take my own path and become my own person, without letting the politics of high school get in my way. High school was a rough time for me, as it can have too much focus on the social aspect of things, rather than staying
Taking time to volunteer at the many nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, advocacy centers, philanthropic fundraisers, local schools and child care facilities in the inner city is not always at the forefront of young people’s minds while navigating through their college experiences. But, with a little push from student organizations, local nonprofits and passionate individuals, volunteerism and community change can start to take a front seat and become not just an opportunity, but also a priority in the lives of young people.
Being a senior to me means more that just one thing. It means my last ten football games, senior project and, graduating. It seems like yesterday that I was in eighth grade watching my brother play football on the same field I am now. Back then being a senior in high school seemed so far away that I never took the time to think about it or anything. Now that it’s here I wonder where the time went.
Throughout my life I have constantly faced challenges and set reasonable goals. Many of the goals I’ve set are short term and require multiple steps to achieve. One of those personal goals is to finish out the senior school year by taking advantage of as many opportunities as possible. As new chances come along throughout the school year, whether they be educational or extracurricular, my ultimate goal is to participate in as many of those activities as I can. My educational short term goal consists of the college process. The plan is to graduate high school with all the required forms and applications needed for college. All of these preparations have been inspired by the hope of a bright future and the idea that college will be much
...teer experience. I highly recommend volunteering to anyone, because of all the great things it will teach and because of the positive impacts it make on one’s life. Volunteering will teach an individual many of life’s greatest lessons, and lets an individual grow into a better person. Volunteering teaches to let go of their ignorance and false notions of world problems and lets the volunteer learn about the real, and sometimes unattractive, condition of people in the world. Many people think that one person cannot make a difference in the world, but volunteering teaches a person to at least try to make a difference in one person’s life and to build on that. Additionally, volunteering teaches a person to be leader who can inspire others to volunteer. Volunteering is an incredibly didactic experience that will forever inspire the volunteer to be a better person.
Volunteering is an important contributor to our society. It is also a great opportunity to learn different skills, especially young people, and they will become a part of who you are. Your future employers will thank you for it, as will any college or university that you decide to apply too. It is also a perfect way for everyone to meet different people and experience different things. Volunteering not only actively will help people; it also helps the environment. Most of all, it allows you to become a better person for what you have
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Raising community awareness to students will teach them the importance of being involved in the community. Students being able to give back to the community will prepare them for their journey to being a positive role model or servant leader.
Volunteerism creates a stronger community in several ways. Generally, volunteering creates a better life in citizens and instills happiness. Specifically, in a survey of 101 randomly selected districts in the UK including districts such as; Bristol,
Contrary to this opposing view, helping others is the best feeling that one could ever have. What is a volunteer? Volunteer: a person who does work without getting paid to do it (Merriam, Webster). The act of volunteering gives people a sense of responsibility and makes one feel needed and useful to society one way or another. Students should be obligated to give back to their communities through acts of community service. It should be viewed from the perspective of paying their dues back to the community, after all the education of these students is free and it is the community that pays for it. Community service should be a mandatory high school graduation requirement because it builds ones character, limits the rate of teenage delinquency, and establishes a path for a better future as an individual.