HSoC Weekly Update
February 19-23, 2024
Quote for the Week
Don’t let your circumstances hold you back
The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.
– Mark Caine
Recent Graduates
February 13, 2024
ZAID ABUSA'AD
February 13, 2024
HELEENA NEVAEH PERALES
February 15, 2024
LENNON NATHANIEL BARNES
Graduation Timeline | Cap and Gowns Graduation Info |
Graduation Timeline
All HSoC students intending to walk at the graduation ceremony on May 24, 2023, will need to complete all coursework NLT (No Later Than) on May 12, 2023.
Questions concerning this can be addressed to Dr. Benskin @ abenskin@wisd.org
Cap and Gowns Graduation Info
To Date, Jostens has twenty eight (28) orders for cap/gowns. Parents and Students are strongly encouraged to place your orders now!
The deadline at current pricing is Feb 29th.
Students/Parents, the deadline to order your cap/gown at current pricing is quickly approaching. Please click on the below link to order your cap/gown and announcements for this year's graduation.
Any senior apparel ordered will be shipped to your address.
Cap/Gown and announcements will be delivered at school. The deadline to have your cap and gown delivered at school is February 29th.
Please get in touch with Jostens with any questions. 817-461-6837
Your Jostens Representative is:
Mr. Mike Humphreys
Jostens
2016 E. Randol Mill Ste 401
Arlington, TX. 76011
817-461-6837
Scholarship Guidance | College Financial Aid Award Letters | Two Key parts of a College Award Letter:
Scholarship Guidance
Below you will find a list of 15 Scholarship Programs that will give out more than 220 Individual Scholarship Awards during the 2022 school year. Students from your school district are eligible for all awards below.
*Weekly Scholarship Newsletter available here: https://scholarshipguidance.com/newsletter
College Financial Aid Award Letters
College award letters are often designed poorly. They use confusing jargon, omit important information, and fail to highlight what matters: how much you need to borrow or pay.
In 2018, the New America research organization analyzed over 500 award letters to find:
- 136 different terms were used to describe the same type of federal loan, with 24 of those terms not even using the word “loan”
- 15% of letters mischaracterized parent loans as student award
- More than 30% of letters didn’t include any information about the college’s costs, to help contextualize the financial aid offer
- 60% of letters didn’t calculate the amount students would need to pay out of pocket
But college is one of the most expensive decisions we can make, with lasting financial repercussions on your future. So in the next few videos, we’ll go through how college finances work and what you need to know.
Video: https://youtu.be/XZhpwKlYVco
Two Key parts of a College Award Letter:
Not only do financial award letters fail to be straightforward; they’re also frustratingly inconsistent. Yes, that makes it difficult to compare. But in all cases, you want to pay attention to two pieces of information:
- How much it costs to attend the college
- How much financial aid you’ll get
The “Cost of Attendance” should include ALL costs (not just “direct” ones like tuition or accommodation). It should also include the other “indirect” costs of going to collegeーlike paying for textbooks and supplies, transport to get back home for winter/spring/summer breaks, and other incidentals. Only about half of schools properly include all indirect costs too.
The “financial aid” package will include a blend of:
- federal government aid (if you filled out your FAFSA®)
- state government aid (if you filled out your state aid AND are attending school in-state)
- institutional aidー in other words, grants and scholarships from your specific college, normally funded by their endowment
Video: https://youtu.be/ZnrCm4YsEaA
Three types of financial aid: Grants, Work-Study, and Loans
There are really only 3 categories of aid:
Grants and scholarships (also known as “gift aid”): This is free money from either the government or your college. You do not have to pay it back.
Work-study: This is money you are guaranteed, as long as you work for it. For example, the federal government might offer you $1500 per semester in Work-Study. You’ll have to find a qualifying work-study job (there should be many on campus!) to earn that $1500. Different jobs may have different pay rates, so depending on what you get, it’ll mean a different number of hours before you max out on that $1500.
Loans: Loans should be your last resort, so only take what you need. But if you need to take them, max out first on the direct subsidized/unsubsidized loans offered by the government. (These have lower interest rates.) If that’s not enough, you might also be offered Parent PLUS loans which technically your parents must pay back, not you. These have closer to “market-rate” terms (meaning that they may or may not be better than take a private loan).
You’ll need to reply to your college to say what aid you accept or decline, so remember that while you should ALWAYS accept grants, scholarships, and work-study (if you don’t end up working, nothing happens)ーyou may choose to accept only part of the loans offered to you.
High School of Choice (HSoC)
We are an alternative high school designed to help at-risk students achieve their goals of high school graduation and beyond. HSoC supports students through rigorous, innovative, and engaging learning experiences. Every student will be empowered to fiercely navigate their world with resilience, purpose, courage, humility, and pride.
Academic Performance and Effort
It is an expectation that all High School of Choice (HSoC) students put forth the effort to reach their maximum potential. Academic excellence is achieved by challenging yourself to improve on every assignment or task you encounter.
WISD Vision: Our vision is to be a district where innovation thrives and growth is limitless
Email: hsocmail@wisd.org
Website: wisd.hsoc/
Location: 55 Northgate Drive, Waxahachie, TX, USA
Phone: (972) 923-4695