The Connection
Educational Talent Search is located at the:
University of Wisconsin-Stout – 13 Harvey Hall – Menomonie, WI 54751
(715) 232-5010
www.uwstout.edu/ets
FALL 2007 EDITION
Welcome Back to School
The ETS staff hopes you all have had a relaxing and restful summer.
During this past summer, our staff has been busy planning new ideas for the
upcoming school year.
The Menomonie and Wittenberg-Birnamwood schools sent students to precollege programs hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Green Bay
and Stout. The camps gave students the opportunity to explore and participate
in a college environment for a week at no cost. The students lived in residence life
halls, ate their meals with other students in the Student Union and participated in
classroom activities throughout the day. Fun evening activities were planned, and
an off-campus field trip took place during the week. The majority of the students
that decided to attend have never been on a college campus before. The exposure of
college life is exciting and challenging for all of our students. Our ETS students
come back with a better understanding of a college campus environment and met
many new friends.
The graduates from June 2007 are all set for their first year in college.
They have selected their semester courses, found out where they are going to live
and have probably met their roommate for the year. The graduates are busily
getting their textbooks and looking for their classrooms. The ETS advisors have
been working to get all of our students to this stage. If during the school year there
is a college that interests you, let your advisor know. They plan the fieldtrips, and
maybe your college of interest is one of them.
We are looking forward to greeting the new students at all of our schools
this fall. Also, it is always good to see the familiar faces from our past years and
hearing about your summer exploits. Let us know how we can be of help to you.
Have a great fall semester!
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ETS Staff
Kathleen Hirsch, Director
hirschk@uwstout.edu
Jill Lewis,
Senior Academic Advisor
lewisji@uwstout.edu
Dale Dahlke, Academic Advisor
dahlked@uwstout.edu
Carolyn Mertz, Academic Advisor
lockyerc@uwstout.edu
Bonni Falkner, Accountant
falknerb@uwstout.edu
Millie Kotulek, Grant Assistant
kotulekm@uwstout.edu
FEATURES
News from Washington
Students tour CVTC
Exploring Green Bay
Educational Talent Search Graduates
Freshmen Personality Types
Getting the Most Out of Parent-Teacher
Conferences
Building Blocks of Education....A Note to
9th Graders
Top 10 Ways....
Requesting Letters of Recommendation
Minnesota Science Museum Trip
College Checklist
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Exploring Green Bay
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Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School
Sophomores visit UW-Green Bay to learn about
the college experience.
Students tour CVTC
Mr. Dahlke took a group of students from Menomonie High School
to tour CVTC in April. Some of the areas toured included Marketing,
Hotel/Restaurant Management, Diesel/Heavy Equipment, Medical
Assistant/EMT, Criminal Justice, Welding, Automotive Maintenance,
Civil Engineering and Accounting.
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Educational Talent Search
GRADUATES
The Educational Talent Search Program is always pleased to gain insight from
those students going to postsecondary education. These students become
our greatest advocates because they have witnessed first hand the tools that
Educational Talent Search has to offer. Most importantly, they offer practical
TED SCHAAR
Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School
Graduate-2004
life experience and priceless advice for current high school students. We
asked each of the following graduates to respond to a few questions.
Read below for excellent recommendations from successful Educational
Talent Search graduates.
BEN KEGGI
Menomonie High School
Senior 2006-2007
JODEE MARTIN
Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School
Senior 2006-2007
1. Please tell us your name, a little bit about yourself, where you are currently going
to college and what program you plan to pursue?
3. If you could go back and do one thing differently in high school, what would
it be?
Ted Schaar:
RE/MAX Real estate agent and full time college student going to University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
in Milwaukee, WI majoring in Marketing with real estate and entrepreneur certificates. I am in college
to not only better my education and myself as a person, but professionally as well. College also
allows me to network by meeting new friends. “It’s not always what you know but who you know.”
Ted:
Nothing really, but I guess I would have taken different classes – higher level classes. Some
teachers underestimate what one particular student can do – I tried a lot harder in high
school than I ever did in middle school. I would talk with your teachers more one-on-one
and then ask them to help with scheduling. It will make such a difference by the time you’re
a senior.
Jodee Martin:
My name is JoDee Martin. I am originally from Mesa, Arizona but I now live in Wittenberg, Wisconsin.
I am going to be attending UW- Stout in the fall of 2007. I want to major in Business Administration
and Fashion Merchandising. I am in college to better myself and give back to my community.
Ben Keggi:
My name is Ben Keggi, and I will be going to the University of Montana Missoula for their pre-medical
program. Missoula will be perfect for me because of my love of the mountains, and the pre-medical
program should be a fun academic challenge.
2. What is the best thing a high school student can do to prepare for postsecondary
education of any kind?
Ted:
Learn to study. My high school years I really didn’t need to study all that much and received B’s. So
I thought that would be the same for college – WRONG! College can be very difficult. However, being
in college for the third year I can really see that if you don’t slack and GO TO CLASSES, college is a
lot easier. Once you get into the habit of not going to class, you miss again and again, and soon
you are not going to class at all – or even worse, no classes – and become a “drop out”. I just
cannot count the times that I have seen students drop out. in the beginning of the semester the
class is full, by the end, some classes are lucky to still have ½ of the students left. I would also tell
them that it DOES get better as the years go by. Don’t overload the semester with classes – take
advantage of the winterm and summer classes that are offered and schedule accordingly. That will
allow more time during the semester to work or get done with school. Lastly, meet with your advisor
at least once a semester to make sure that you are scheduling the right classes and that you are
scheduling efficiently.
Jodee:
If applicable, take all of the college preparatory classes you can. They can only help you! Also, start
good study habits. Do not procrastinate either; it will catch up with you and you will be sorry.
Ben:
Just take a wide variety of classes and not just “slacker” classes. It’s good to keep coursework
challenging.
Jodee:
I would stay out of all of the high school drama. Just be nice to your peers and stop worrying
about what everyone thinks about you. You will be graduating soon and all of the drama will
just disappear and you will be left thinking about how dumb you were and how you wish you
could go back and change things. Instead, keep your friends close and ignore the people who
try to bring you down!
Ben:
Maintain a higher GPA and take more challenging classes. I was capable of getting straight
A’s from day one, but I didn’t really apply myself until [senior] year.
4. How can, and did, the Educational Talent Search Program help you connect
to college?
Ted:
Yes, Jill really explained the ENTIRE process to me – the individual attention and how “college
works” was real essential to the start of my college experience. Financially waiving the
college application fee, and showing me scholarship resources was a GREAT HELP. Learning
the different job opportunities, what each job does, etc. Although I changed what I planned
to do from high school, it still was a great help!
Jodee:
TRiO helped me connect to college by providing me with an amazing advisor. I don’t know
how they choose them, but she was amazing. She really wanted the students in my school to
understand the options that were out there. She told me about the programs TRiO provided
such as ACT prep help and financial waivers. If it were not for this wonderful program, I
would be completely lost. Thanks to TRiO, I picked a college that will suit all of my wants
and needs!
Ben:
The application fee waivers really encouraged me to apply to a wide variety of places, some
that I didn’t realize I could afford until ETS informed me of all of the financial aid available
to me.
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Getting the Most Out of
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Freshmen Personality Types
The key to a parent-teacher conference is to remember one
underlying objective: you are both there because you care
about the well-being of the child. By being specific and
honest in your questions and answers, you can find out a lot
about how to help your child succeed. Most teachers value
support provided by parents on the home front and appreciate
your input. Here are some tips for a successful conference:
Mr. Dahlke works with freshmen at Menomonie
High School on a lesson about personality types
and the benefits of working in groups. Student
groups were asked to build a boat out of only straw
and masking tape that would float on water. The
boat able to remain floating while holding the most
pennies wins! One important question he posed
to the class: Is it better for people with similar
personalities to work together or for those who are
completely different to work together for diversity?
Either way you look at it, learning to work in a
group is an essential tool in being a successful
student and employee.
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•
Be prepared to listen as well as to talk. It helps to write out
questions before you leave home. Also, jot down what you
want to tell the teacher. You may even want to take notes
during the conference.
•
Be sure the teacher offers specific details about your child's
work and progress. If your child has already received some
grades, ask how your child is being evaluated. Perhaps ask
to see a sample grading rubric or checklist.
•
Try to avoid focusing on the negative. Talk about your
child's talents, skills, hobbies, study habits and any special
sensitivities (s)he may have.
•
Tell the teacher if you think your child needs special help
and about any special family situation or event that might
affect your child's ability to learn. Mention such things as
a new baby, an illness, etc. This insight is very valuable to
a teacher and can often explain behavior changes.
•
Ask about specific ways to help your child at home. For
example, if the teacher gives a spelling test every Friday,
ask when you can expect to see the spelling list come
home and then develop a study plan to practice the words
with your child.
•
Follow up on your child! If the teacher has told you that
your child needs to improve in certain areas, check back
in a few weeks to see how things are going. Communicate
these things to your child.
•
Nothing is more appreciated by a teacher than a thank
you. Teachers are often responsible for a large number of
students, so be sure to thank them for their support and
concern.
Lastly, the question of whether or not students should attend
conferences with their parents. This is usually up to the
parent’s discretion. On one hand, having your child there can
make them truly aware of their progress and behavior in class
by talking one-on-one with the teacher. On the other hand,
sharing personal information with a teacher when the student
is present can be embarrassing for the child. The bottom line
is to remember that educating a child is a community effort,
and keeping parents and teachers in communication is very
important.
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Building Blocks of Education... A Note to 9th Graders
Wow! You did it! Officially you are 75% done with
required schooling! There are only 4 years left and
then the “choice” will be yours if you continue with
education. Be sure to do the right things in 9th, 10th,
and 11th grade so that by the beginning of your senior
year, you have the options of going on for college or
technical training.
While middle school has mattered, this last 25%
(9th through 12th) of your schooling is what COUNTS!
Think of it this way…your middle school years are
like the building blocks, your high years are your
foundation, after that you choose the type of building
you want to put up based on the sturdiness of those
years. Why not make this foundation as strong as
possible?
Here are a few reminders for what you need to keep in mind as
you enter 9th grade! Your high school record is what will be looked
at by future employers, college admissions and technical school
programs. They look at your:
• Grade point average beginning in NINTH GRADE:
If you do poorly in 9th grade it is very difficult to
bring this average back up in a hurry. Start your
record off right. Because you apply for schools in
the beginning of your senior year, you only have 3
years of grades on your record. Be sure EACH year
you do your best!
• Attendance: Do not miss days unless necessary. In
high school it is harder to make up the homework
and employers as well as colleges look at how often
you missed school.
• Involvement: By getting active in committees,
sports, clubs, music, and groups you learn important
skills, have fun, and meet new friends. Colleges as
well as employers like to see that you are involved
with a variety of things. Having participated in
things outside of the classroom also looks good on
scholarships.
• Types and difficulty of classes you take: In high
school you have options to take additional credits
and/or electives. Make sure that you take the
toughest classes you can handle for math, science,
English, and social studies. Not only will this better
prepare you for college class work but it will give
you better options for the types of schooling or
programs you can go into. Put together a 4 year plan, show
your high school counselor and find out if these classes meet the
minimal requirements for colleges and technical schools that you
might be interested in.
Make the most out of your high schools yearschoose wisely on how strong to make your foundation!
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Top 10 Ways....
to have a school year
that is out of this world!
10. Eat breakfast
9. Get enough sleep (develop a regular schedule)
8. Join at least one school activity whether it is a
sport or a club
7. Use your assignment notebook
6. Wear a smile to class each day
5. Learn to prioritize daily
4. Make at least 10 new friends
3. Develop a habit of studying early for exams
2. Learn to manage your stress in a healthy way
1. Remember that the time and effort invested
into your education is priceless.
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Requesting Letters of Recommendation
Asking someone for a letter of recommendation can be a bit
nerve-wracking. Receiving a solid letter of recommendation
will help a college admission director see you through the eyes
of another adult and can really aid in whether or not you are
admitted to a college/program.
Before asking, spend time brainstorming those who could attest
to your talents and skills. Make a list of possible teachers,
coaches, counselors and employers that you think would be
willing to write you a letter and then narrow that list down to
your top three or four. The person you ask to write you a letter
should know you well, be a good writer, describe you and
your work positively, and be familiar with your personal and
educational goals.
Once you decide who to ask, be sure to ask in person. Ask
at a time when the person has a moment to give you their
undivided attention (in other words, right before the bell rings
to start class is a bad time). Don’t simply ask “Could you write
a letter of reference for me?” Just about anyone can write a
letter! It is a good idea to give them more guidance and see
if they truly feel comfortable writing you a recommendation.
Remember, their name is on the line too! Instead, ask “Do
you feel you know my work well enough to write me a good
recommendation letter?” or “Do you feel you could give me a
good reference?” Give the referee plenty of time (usually three
to four weeks). Nothing is worse than having to ask someone
for a letter of recommendation that is needed by the next day!
Be sure to provide each referee with details
regarding:
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•
•
•
•
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what school and program you are applying to
what is required in the letter
(an outline may be helpful)
whom it should be addressed to and where to
send it
application deadlines
what you would like them to write about or focus
on in the letter
* Have you earned specific awards and
honors? Are you a captain of a team? Are
you a member of activities or sports clubs?
You may also want to provide them with a stamped
envelope if they are required to mail the letter on
their own. Don’t forget to request an extra copy for
yourself.
Keep in mind that no one person may be able to
write about all of these things within one letter. It
helps if you choose a group of people who know
you in a variety of ways. For example, your
English teacher may know about your academic
abilities and strengths, while your soccer coach
may be more familiar with your perseverance and
leadership skills. Your employer may best describe
your work ethic and attitude.
It is wise to check in a few weeks before the letter
is due to make sure it has in fact been written and
mailed. The best thing that you can do to ensure
that your letters cover all the bases is to provide
your referees with all the essential information.
Don’t assume that they will remember everything
about you! Yes, as memorable as you may be (and
are), don’t forget that teachers see hundreds of
students a year! Provide those writing a letter with
solid evidence and details to ensure that you receive
a high-quality recommendation. A brief resume
or summary of achievements gives the referee
examples, proof and ideas of what you have been
involved with.
Lastly, be sure to send a thank you note or give
thanks in person to those who have written a letter
on your behalf.
For more information, check out
www.quintcareers.com/printable/college_recommendations.html.
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News from Washington
Dr. Maria D. Martinez, director of the University
of Connecticut’s Center for Academic Programs,
told member of the House Subcommittee on Higher
Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness
that TRIO has been working effectively at UConn
for forty years. After describing the impressive
results of Student Support Services, Talent Search
and Upward Bound programs at UConn, Martinez
said: “What I need you to appreciate is that our
record of achievement confirms the success of
TRIO and its impact nationwide.”
Martinez closed with a brief description of UConn
SSS alumnus Franklin Chang-Diaz, America’s
first Hispanic astronaut. “Dr. Chang-Diaz, who
flew seven space missions vividly, remembers the
challenges of his early years and credits TRIO
with helping change his life. When asked about
TRIO’s impact, Dr. Chang-Diaz said it best: ‘TRIO
is one of the ways this country really becomes the
Land of Opportunity’.” Yet another reason to take
advantage of all TRIO and ETS have to offer!
For more on the subcommittee hearing, go to www.coenet.us.
‘TRiO is one of the ways
this country really becomes the
Land of Opportunity’.
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Minnesota Science Museum trip
In April, Mr. Dahlke and Ms. Lockyer took
forty Menomonie High School students to the
Minnesota Science Museum to see the featured
exhibit entitled “Race”. This exhibit took a look
at discrimination, segregation and the history of
race within our society. Students were also able to
view the Omnimax presentation of “Hurricane on
the Bayou”, a film about Louisiana and the effects
of Hurricane Katrina, both before and after, which
essentially tied in with the theme of “race”. A big
thank you to all of the wonderful chaperones and
students who attended.
Mr. Sam Vang with a student
dressed in a traditional Hmong
outfit.
MHS students enjoy
learning about the Hmong
exhibits at the Minnesota
Science Museum.
Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. -Wil Rogers
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Attention Juniors and Seniors!
– College Checklist –
SENIORS
JUNIORS
* If you haven’t taken your ACT or SAT, register for the
earliest test date.
* Start the application process (write your personal
statement or essay).
* If you need letters of recommendation, start deciding
who to ask.
* Continue to visit colleges that interest you and do
some online research.
* Begin researching scholarships and financial aid.
* A date to remember - January 1st financial aid
applications are available
* Explore postsecondary possibilities for college majors
and careers. Job shadow to help you narrow the
possibilities.
* Start to think about what you want from your college
experience. What matters most to you? Least?.
* Visit colleges that interest you and do some online
research.
* Talk with your school counselors and your Educational
Talent Search Advisor about college preparations.
* Take the ACT or SAT at the end of your junior year.
* Attend college and career fairs.
Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human
mind is our fundamental resource. -- John F. Kennedy
Our Mission:
Educational Talent Search empowers students to make informed decisions on education by
connecting school success with career choices.
University of Wisconsin-Stout
13 Harvey Hall
Menomonie, WI 54751
Educational Talent Search
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