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The College Week celebration will highlight “the four E’s” — Enrollment, Enlistment, Employment and Exploration. GRAPHIC/SDOC
Note: this piece was prepared ahead of the threat of Hermine. The storm may affect the school schedule this week.
Welcome to the Osceola County School District’s annual College Week!
It’s a week of themed events to bring awareness to some sort of post-secondary education paths, be it a college or university, the military or the professional trades.
Prizes awarded for best dressed each day, most Spirited for the whole week at each grade baby level, and most spirited school. Submit those photos on Instagram, @Friendlyneighborhoodccc.
It’s all part of a concerted effort on the part of the school district to . Those efforts ramped up about a decade ago, when Osceola County ranked 61st out of 67 Florida counties for high school students continuing on to college or some path.
“As of last year, we were 19th,” said Osceola School District College and Career Coordinator Anthony Cook, noting that was in spite of the effects of the pandemic.
This week, the College Week celebration will highlight what Cook calls, “the four E’s” — Enrollment, Enlistment, Employment and Exploration.
“Our themed days are more comprehensive, so our elementary school kids, as young as kindergarten, can start to participate,” said Cook, who’s in his fifth year in the district role after serving as Poinciana High’s college and career counselor.
“(His district predecessor, Amanda Lopez) made it a district-wide thing, and Dr. Pace asked that our themed days be more comprehensive to include our youngest students.”
This week’s themes:
Matriculation Monday — wear your college colors to promote the importance of continuing education;
Support our Troops Tuesday — wear camouflage to celebrate students with a plan to serve the country after graduation;
What to Be Wednesday — “Dress for Success” for the career path you have in mind;
Fund your Future Thursday — Wear neon colors to promote the Florida Bright Futures and other financial aid options;
School Spirit Friday — Wear your favorite spirit shirt and learn about the various activities school has to offer.
Cook reported that 61% of Class of 2023 seniors have completed their FAFSA financial aid paperwork, way above the state (37%) and national (42%) figures.
“Osceola Prosper (the county plan to pay for this year’s seniors to attend Valencia College or Osceola Technical) had something to do with that, because they had to complete their FAFSA to be a part of that,” Cook said. “We’re upper-trending because of that.
“We’ve created field trips for middle and high school students to check out Valencia and O-Tech, and have been able to create immersive experiences for them.”
And, live Decision Days, where students acknowledge their college choices with a signing ceremony normally reserved for athletes, will return in May after being virtual for two years.
“I have to give Amanda credit for that, starting it at Poinciana,” Cook said. “She took it from a Poinciana event to a county-wide event, and now they’re celebrated state-wide.”
