Mount Vernon ninth graders experience life at Kenyon
Nick Mohar-Schurz
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: News
On Monday, Feb. 11, in cooperation with Kenyon College and Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Mount Vernon High School will be sending high school freshmen to campus to experience a regular weekday college routine. Both of the colleges will host about 35 high school students.
First implemented last year, the Team 9 College Campus Field Trip Project has been in the making for about four years, said Assistant Director for Residential Life Bryan Shelangoski.
From 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., the students will attend a presentation by the school's admissions office. Then, they will follow their host students to classes, labs or any other activities that make up their Monday schedules. At noon, the visiting students will have lunch, followed by a meeting with Senior Advisor to the President Howard Sacks at 1:15 p.m. By 1:45 p.m., they will return to their scheduled high school classes.
At the high school, Shelangoski said, this project is even more serious, as it actually entails homework preparation. The visitors, for example, are expected to have prepared at least 25 questions to ask throughout the day. He said that he hopes the ninth graders maintain relationships with their college hosts throughout high school, or at least feel that they have a person they can contact with questions regarding college life.
The program will probably boost local admissions, Shelangoski said, but that is not the program's main goal. The objective is to educate them about college, not to recruit for Kenyon, he said. Statistics regarding the project's effects on admissions cannot yet be calculated, as the event is still rather new, said Shelangoski.
Shelangoski said he hopes to bring the idea to other high schools. "It's a very worthwhile program," he said. This year, Kenyon will be giving away lanyards to the visiting ninth graders.
According to Shelangoski, the majority of the event is coordinated by the Student Affairs Office, but last year, Dean of Students Tammy Gocial and Associate Dean of Students and Director of Multicultural Affairs Chris Kennerly aided Sacks, he said.
The backup date, in case of inclement weather, is Wednesday, Feb. 13.
First implemented last year, the Team 9 College Campus Field Trip Project has been in the making for about four years, said Assistant Director for Residential Life Bryan Shelangoski.
From 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., the students will attend a presentation by the school's admissions office. Then, they will follow their host students to classes, labs or any other activities that make up their Monday schedules. At noon, the visiting students will have lunch, followed by a meeting with Senior Advisor to the President Howard Sacks at 1:15 p.m. By 1:45 p.m., they will return to their scheduled high school classes.
At the high school, Shelangoski said, this project is even more serious, as it actually entails homework preparation. The visitors, for example, are expected to have prepared at least 25 questions to ask throughout the day. He said that he hopes the ninth graders maintain relationships with their college hosts throughout high school, or at least feel that they have a person they can contact with questions regarding college life.
The program will probably boost local admissions, Shelangoski said, but that is not the program's main goal. The objective is to educate them about college, not to recruit for Kenyon, he said. Statistics regarding the project's effects on admissions cannot yet be calculated, as the event is still rather new, said Shelangoski.
Shelangoski said he hopes to bring the idea to other high schools. "It's a very worthwhile program," he said. This year, Kenyon will be giving away lanyards to the visiting ninth graders.
According to Shelangoski, the majority of the event is coordinated by the Student Affairs Office, but last year, Dean of Students Tammy Gocial and Associate Dean of Students and Director of Multicultural Affairs Chris Kennerly aided Sacks, he said.
The backup date, in case of inclement weather, is Wednesday, Feb. 13.
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