Rollins College

My first stop today is Rollins College, just outside of Orlando.  Situated on the shores of Lake Virginia, a relaxing feel awaits students, but Orlando offers incredible opportunities for internships with Fortune 500 companies, for fun in the amusement park world, and for professional sports and artistic entertainment.  This small liberal arts college boasts a student population right at 1950.  The small class size, at just 17 students, makes it very easy to get to know your professors, where they handle 100% of the teaching duties (no Graduate Teachers Assistants).  Professors take a special intention in helping students to learn and focus on the development of “who the student wants to be in the world.”  For 23 consecutive years, Rollins has been named by US News and World Reports as being in the top two regional universities in the South.  The quality of this college is undeniable.

 Rollins College is the oldest residential private liberal arts college in the State of Florida, opening its doors in 1885.  Among famous alumni, no other carries the same notoriety as Fred Rogers- Mr. Rogers to all the moms and dads.  His ideals are reflective of what Rollins College’s mission is- to create students who are idealistically entrepreneurial.  Students who long to change their part of the world and have the personal willingness to step beyond their personal bounds will find a great home at Rollins.  As a Division II NCAA school, a wide variety of sports are available to student athletes.  As with many other colleges, travel abroad programs are encouraged, and 75% of students participate in the fantastic variety opportunities. 

typical classroom

A college like Rollins, with its rich opportunities that students have there, often times can be rather expensive.  Rollins is no different at $67,000 per year for the cost of attendance.  It is important to note that 85% of Rollins students find financial aid options that can greatly reduce the expense of attendance.  To find out what needs-based financial aid your student could qualify for, take a few minutes to use their financial aid calculator- rollins.edu/net-price-calculator 

shore of Lake Virginia

Rollins Profile for Admissions (25^th to 75^th percentile) is as follows-

GPA- 3.36 average core GPA

SAT 1220-1360

ACT- 25-30

To learn more about Rollins College and the admissions process, visit rollins.edu/admission

College Knowledge

It is June 9th, and I will be embarking on a six day professional development experience that is going to make me better at serving the students and parents of Social Circle.  Thankfully, I was the recipient of a grant to be able to have this experience and gain this knowledge.  I will be touring 14 different campuses in central and northern Florida including:

Florida Polytechnic University
Florida Southern College
Stetson University
University of Florida
Florida State University
Ringling College of Art and Design
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida A & M
University of Tampa
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Eckerd College
New College of Florida
Rollins College
University of South Florida

I will be posting pictures and things that I learn about some of these schools throughout the week that will allow you to experience and learn more about these schools.  Be patient with me as this Bulldawg tries to find positive things to say about UF, but I am going into it with an open mind!  Stay tuned to expand your knowledge of opportunities that your student can find south of the border.

Summer Reading

There is a summer reading assignment that you will want to go ahead and get started on, students.  Here is the link to the information:

http://schssummerreading.weebly.com/

Counseling Office Hours for this Summer

Mr. Kulp will be in and out of the office this summer.  Here are the days and times that he will be available in June if you need him.  Drop ins are always welcome, but folks with appointments will get priority.  If you want to set an appointment for a junior meeting, Dual Enrollment issues, help with transcripts (for example), you can schedule an appointment by emailing mike.kulp@socialcircleschools.org.  If you have a change to your schedule that you want to request, please send that to hs.schedules@socialcircleschools.org.  Thanks and have a great summer!

Good Paying Jobs Available in the Local Area

Students over the age of 17 and parents,

Here is an opportunity to be hired by a local industry for both summer and permanent work.  Open the attachment bellow for all the details!  Best of luck!!

MAU Workforce Solutions

Summer School Information

Did your student not pass a class this year?

Credit Recovery
If your student made at least a 65 in the failing core class (English, math, science, or social studies), he or she is eligible for Credit Recovery, to be held June 4th through June 14th.  Print out the application and return it to the front office no later than June 1st.

Summer School Application


Summer School
If your student made less than a 65 in a core class OR failed an elective (like Spanish) and you want him or her to retake this class again, summer school through Foothills in Monroe is the cheapest option out there.  $150 for the whole credit is the price tag for this experience.  If you are interested in this option, email mike.kulp@socialcircleschools.org to get more information and the registration form.

Observations from Honors Night

Last night, over 190 Social Circle High School students were honored for various reasons.  Most of theses honorees were seniors who collected accolades for high performance in the classroom, on the field of competition and in leadership roles.  Some seniors were able to walk out of the gym last night with scholarships that they won.  The Class of 2018 walked away with well over $200,000 in scholarships!  This is a testament to their hard work and willingness to go the extra mile.  While working the huge table of awards and listening in to the event, I was reminded of some important things, and I would like to share them on this blog.

1) Our community is GENEROUS!  There were 25 different organizations who came to this event last night to make an investment in the life of at least one (many of them gave multiple scholarships!) SCHS senior.  They worked fund raising events, gave personal money, begged friends and neighbors for contributions, all just to make an investment into the life of a kid with a dream.  I could not be prouder of this community and what its values are.  A huge thank you is well deserved!

2) Our students have HUGE HEARTS!  One of the coolest moments in the program last night was when a student from our senior class took the microphone and announced that a student-led organization made it their project this year to raise money for a scholarship that they wanted to give to a fellow student who has made a huge impact on many kids' lives here.  This is one of the greatest examples that I have seen of thinking more highly of others than self.  "There is no other act of love greater than this- that a man would lay down his life for another" is a quote I've heard said on several occasions, and in the world of honors night celebrations where we are most interested in "what did I win?" or "what did MY kid win?" this was a great reminder to me of this time-proven principle.  To those kids who did that last night- you taught me some good stuff and have given me a story to tell in this office to those who would come behind you.  Thank you.

3) We can do MORE!  While last night was great, we can do even more, Class of 2019, 2020, 2021...  Work harder in your classes than you want to.  Dare to take chances that put you in situations where you will be stretched as a person. Join a club; lead that club to do stuff that matters; seek to lead, than to be led; volunteer your time; create things/art/opportunity/ways to make your self better- just create!  Remember it is not just your classmates you are competing with- it is the rest of Walton County, the State of Georgia, The Nation and the world. Aristotle said "Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them."  Do everything to be worth of honor and it (honor) will surely come.

Students,
If I don't see you before school gets out have a great summer doing this stuff!