Knowing enough to pick the right path is important for the future of Kosciusko youth. No one knows that better than the school district Director of Counseling & Student Support Services, Dr. Chancey Fort.
It was only a few short months before her graduation with bachelor’s degree in early education that Fort got into a real classroom and realized she had chosen the wrong path. That realization set her back, returning to college to pursue a more fitting path, costing her both time and money in the process.
“When they finish high school, I don’t want them wasting time at college,” Fort now says of the students her department advises. She does not want them picking the wrong majors or not having the requisite coursework under their belts to succeed on their chosen paths.
For some students, she said, it might mean the realization that college is not the right fit in the first place.
To that end, the district is now employing a program called Xello, which will be used with students grades 7 through 12 to help them identify interests and career paths that best suit them.
The program allows students to see videos of real people in those careers, provide listings of education necessary to pursue the career and see schools they might attend to get the necessary training. It also teaches them how to right a college resume and send transcripts to apply for college programs.
It basically amounts to giving students a five-year plan working up to and through the first year of life after high school graduation. It is also a response to a state mandate for districts to help students develop an individual success plan.
“If we use this program with our kids, they will be ready and know their career pathways,” Fort said.
The district is also fully implementing the Mississippi Scholars and Mississippi Scholars Tech Masters programs this coming year.
Mississippi Scholars is an initiative bringing business leaders into the schools to help motivate and mentor high school students. It encourages college-bound students to go above and beyond graduation requirements in preparation for a successful college career.
Participants must complete 40 hours of community service, maintain a 2.5 GPA and 95% attendance rate and attain at least an 18 ACT composite score. They must also gain the recommendation of three adults who are not family members.
The Mississippi Scholars Tech Masters program is a related effort having virtually all the same requirements but is geared toward students who may be heading toward technical education and careers rather than pursuing a college degree. The only difference is ASVAB or Silver Level WorkKeys attainment can take the place of ACT scores.
Students currently in the eighth, ninth, tenth or eleventh grades who are interested in participating in these programs can register through their assigned counselor for the coming academic year.
Fort said that since most KSD students to go on to higher education of some type, she hopes to have half of high school students participating in one or the other Scholars program by next year.
