The Fayette Tribune, Oak Hill, W.Va.

Local News

Related Photos

  • Midland Trail High seniors are serving as peer leaders in helping prepare the school’s freshmen with College Summit lessons. Submitted photo

    mt peer 1

  • Midland Trail High seniors are serving as peer leaders in helping prepare the school’s freshmen with College Summit lessons. Submitted photo

    mt peer 2
December 10, 2012

Trail seniors guide freshmen in planning

HICO — Seniors at Midland Trail High School who attended a four-day workshop last summer to learn about the college application process and financial aid — called peer leaders — have been planning activities for the freshmen this school year to teach them about college.

Earlier this month, the peer leaders guided freshmen through the ‘Tower of Power,’ a dynamic activity which explains the different types of financial aid and teaches self-advocacy. Peer leader Lydia Bailess said, “I want to make everybody know about college and tell everyone about how they should be going to college.”

“Peer leaders are the foot soldiers fostering college-going cultures in their high schools,” said Jon Charles, executive director of College Summit.

The peer leaders began planning financial aid awareness activities for the freshmen more than a month ago and often serve as teachers’ aides in the freshmen classes to help with the College Summit lessons.

Kim Walls, an educator and ninth-grade College Summit advisor at Midland Trail, said, “I really see the benefit of the ninth-graders exploring careers and beginning to think about college. The freshmen have been able to find out what the requirements are for specific careers and how much they can earn if they pursue that career. It really gets them interested in what they can do after graduation.”

“I feel privileged to help Trail students, especially the freshmen,” said peer leader Ericka Hinte. “I want to help them understand that they can do anything that they put their minds to.”

Another peer leader, Chris Johnson, said, “I feel like it’s a reflection of me in the past. I feel like we are helping to build a better generation.”

Nikki Kinder, an alumna of the College Summit program and a student at Marshall University, helped out with the peer leaders last week. “It amazes me how receptive and thankful ninth-grade students are to learn about the process of applying to college,“ she said. “It is a wonderful thing that they are helping to prepare the students earlier, ensuring that they will be ready to apply and get accepted to the post-secondary program of their dreams.”

College Summit is a national nonprofit organization that helps high schools raise their college enrollment rates by providing all students with a course in post-secondary planning, training teachers and counselors to build college-ready culture, equipping the most influential students in the school to help their peers apply to college, and helping school leaders utilize data to manage the school-wide post-secondary planning and college enrollment process.

The local College Summit region serves more than 8,500 students in 11 counties in West Virginia and one school district in Pennsylvania. Nationally, College Summit works with 170 high schools in 12 states through partnerships with school districts.

 

Text Only
Local News
  • Wood graduates from military training courses

    Army National Guard Pfc. David A. Wood Jr. has graduated from One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville, Mo., which included basic military training and advanced individual training (AIT).

    May 18, 2013

  • 1A1 congrats .jpg Class of 2013 honored at WVU Tech

    West Virginia University Institute of Technology honored the Class of 2013 during the 114th commencement on campus this past Saturday.

    May 15, 2013 4 Photos

  • Commission works on getting facility up and running

    Now that the new downtown amphitheater is up, the City of Oak Hill is taking steps to get it running.
    At a council meeting on Monday night, members considered and eventually passed a rental contract for those who want to make use of the facility.

    May 15, 2013

  • Former Mount Hope man invites city government to engage in sports tourism

    A former Mount Hope resident says the town and the region are ripe to develop a sports tourism industry, given the potential of a unique stadium and gymnasiums at the YMCA building and the former Mount Hope High School.

    May 15, 2013

  • Judge rejects settlement, dismisses negligence claims in alleged school rape

    A federal judge has rejected a $65,000 settlement offer in a case involving the alleged rape of a young girl at the former Mount Hope High School, while at the same time throwing out negligence claims against one of the teachers originally listed in the suit.

    May 15, 2013

  • Nearly 300 graduate at New River CTC

    New River Community and Technical College as well as its nearly 300 graduates proved Samuel Johnson’s assertion that “Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance” during the college’s 10th commencement exercises Saturday at the Chuck Mathena Center in Princeton.

    May 15, 2013

  • 7A2 may group.jpg Garden club holds tree planting ceremony

    Woodland Oaks Garden Club met on May Day along the White Oak Rail Trail at the Depot for a tree planting ceremony honoring Brenda Moore, West Virginia State Garden Club President.

    May 15, 2013 2 Photos

  • Farmers Market open

    The Fayette County Farmers Market is open each Saturday in Fayetteville from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. The market is located in the parking lot of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at the entrance to Fayetteville. The market will be held every Saturday at that location through November.

    May 15, 2013

  • SALS to sponsor summer food program

    The Southern Appalachian Labor School announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program at the SALS Community Center in Beards Fork, Montgomery City Pool and the Historic Oak Hill School. In accordance with federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

    May 15, 2013

  • Page-Kincaid recognizes Grant’s 30 years of service

    Mary Grant, the bookkeeper/cashier at the Page-Kincaid PSD for 30 years, retired in early April. Mary started with the PSD in 1983 as the cashier, working with the PSD’s former bookkeeper Dorothy Jeffers. Upon the retirement of Dorothy Jeffers, Mary assumed the duties of bookkeeper and office manager in 2008. Mary also possessed a Class I water operator license and served in a back-up capacity to Bart Jackson.

    May 15, 2013