Hi everyone! I've been reading through this thread for the last couple of days and I'd love to join in. What a great place to share information and resources and joys about all things related to the Class of 2019 and just generally support each other! I also was really interested to see how things are done differently in other places. So, about us...
My DD is 15 and will be 16 the end of June.
About her school--She attends a K-12 STEM public charter school in Texas that has about 90 ish students in each high school class. It is open enrollment by lottery selection. It has about 90% minority enrollment. Just like a previous poster talked about, there are ridiculous discipline problems in my DD regular classes, but the AP and pre-AP classes have the more serious students and are a pretty good learning environment. Also, it was great in 5th grade and junior high because they put all the GT and highest grades kids in one section and allowed them to take advanced classes and really pushed them academically. I am really awed and humbled to say that currently she is number one in the Sophomore class.
Activities--
At school she participates in track, National Honor Society, UIL Academics competitions (she is doing Prose this year), various science and engineering fairs and competitions, and a program at school called CRLP (if invited by the administration to participate, the kids meet every Saturday for SAT prep and then with their teacher mentor for their small group of five or six students. They also attend two weekend retreats a year. And a weeklong STEM Camp. It is supposed to help with college readiness, learn about opportunities, help with grades accountability, and promote leadership.)
Re: finding jobs--we are really lucky in that she was offered a job when she turned 14 coaching gymnastics. It is perfect because she coaches level 3 compulsory team kids, so no weekends, and the gym is usually closed all holidays and spring break for those compulsory team kids and the class kids. And they are also very understanding if she needs to occasionally take off a work day for a school event. She does work year round, 2 nights a week for 3 1/2 hours after school during the school year and 5 hours 2 days a week in the summer. They want her more but when she started at 14 she was limited by law to 10 hours per week during the school year, and with her AP and dual credit classes (and she has still been doing PT 2 nights a week for recovery from shoulder surgery in August), I don't want her to do more. She used to be a competitive gymnast and when she had a career ending injury at 13, it was so nice of the gym owners to offer her a coaching job. It allows her to be in the gym and see her old teammates, even thought she can no longer compete. Plus I love that now she has her own spending money and savings account, AND I'm not paying out thousands any more TO the gym. LOL
We started looking at colleges the summer before her freshman year. So far her number one choice is Rice. This Saturday she is attending a prospective students daylong event at SMU. She got an invitation to it, and it's 30 minutes away, so she is going to check it out.
Looking forward to taking this journey with you all!!!
