COUNSELORS
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College In Colorado News
January 2007
Dear Counselors,
College In Colorado Outreach
Welcome to our first “Counselor E:Newsletter.” This is our way to
stay in touch with all of you – to let you know what we at College
In Colorado are doing and efforts we have underway to help
Colorado students plan, apply and pay for college. It is also a
way for us to solicit input from one of our most important
constituencies – counselors.
GoTo resource kit deliveries were made to counselors at more than
125 high schools and middle schools throughout the state last fall.
Although our small team was disappointed we could not visit every
school, we did mail kits to the remainder of the high schools in
Colorado in mid-November. The mailing included the new Plan, Apply
and Pay brochures, display rack and posters, the new College Guides
and Pre-Collegiate Directories. All of these materials may also be
downloaded at www.collegeincolorado.org/Couns/materials.asp.
We had the pleasure, early in the fall, to personally meet many of
you through our GoTo Kit delivery efforts, and we hope that you
have found the one-on-one personal contact with us as beneficial
as our conversations with you have been for our team. Just to give
you an idea of how busy we have been, we personally delivered
GoTo Kits to more than 125 middle and high schools with nearly
140,000 enrolled students. We also mailed our GoTo Kits to the
remaining schools, totaling over 280 high schools and over 220
middle schools. In addition, we attended over 80 day/night fairs
and other events/workshops – and we are only a staff of 11!
Additionally, all of these schools have or will receive copies of
the College Guide and the Pre-Collegiate Directory, two helpful
and free resources for students, parents and educators.
I have officially served as executive director for College In
Colorado for nearly a year now, and I cannot begin to describe
how rewarding the experience has been for me. At the risk of
sounding cliché, it is a great feeling to wake up in the morning
excited to go to work, and excited about the notion that what
we at College In Colorado do each day helps students realize the
dream of higher education. But as I have said many times, we
could not do it alone. We look to you to serve as our eyes and ears
in the school, providing us with suggestions and advice,
with information and feedback.
We have a lot of great events coming down the pike, and we will
keep you informed of everything we are doing. In the meantime,
if you have any questions about College In Colorado, please
do not hesitate to contact me at (720) 264-8570, or at
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Thank you also to the Colorado Council on High School/College
Relations for including us in their Day/Night fairs. We were able to
connect with thousands of students and parents across the state.
Check Out Our Website
If you have not already set up a FREE account with
CollegeInColorado.org, now is the time to do so! Here are
just a few things our Website offers:
• The financial aid portion of the Website has been updated with the new rates and terms for student loans
• Information about two new federal grants for students:
the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART)
Grant Program
• A new section – “Pre-Collegiate Resources” providing
information about the Pre-Collegiate Partnership, services
and networks
• Spanish versions of the College Guide, and the College
Opportunity Fund and College In Colorado Scholarship
brochures
Setting up an account is FREE, and it provides great information for
you and your students.
Exciting changes are coming to the College In Colorado
Website. More details in the February newsletter, and at
the CACTA Conference on February 14-16.
The College In Colorado staff.
Dawn Taylor Owens
Executive Director
Hold the dates: Pre-Collegiate Conference, Friday, March 16th.
Contact [email protected] for more information.
Team College In Colorado
Are you looking for someone who can motivate your students to
start thinking about life after high school? Lance Carl from College
In Colorado is your man! Lance played college football for the
University of Colorado at Boulder in the mid-1980’s before signing a
professional football contract with the Washington Redskins.
Upon retiring from professional football, Lance was able to utilize his
college education and today shares the message of the importance
of academic achievement and leadership for all students, regardless
of their background, interests and future career choices. He has an
incredible story and has been motivating students around the state.
If you haven’t scheduled a visit from Lance, your students are
missing out! To schedule a presentation for your school or youth
group contact him at [email protected] or (720) 264-8569.
Lance Carl talks with a student at Life Skills Center following
one of his motivational presentations.
Scholarships from College In Colorado Available
for Your Students
College In Colorado is in the process of reviewing applications
for the 850KOA “Get Schooled” gift certificates and an $850
scholarship give away. The entry information was posted on
CollegeInColorado.org. Make sure your students are checking
the Website often to sign up for other scholarships.
In partnership with the Colorado High School Activities Association
(CHSAA), College In Colorado will award three $1,000 scholarships.
Be sure to tell your students attending CHSAA events to look for the
College In Colorado/CollegeInvest table to find out how they can
register and receive money for college now!
Students from George Washington High School being
trained on the CollegeInColorado.org Website.
HB1057 Letters
The State of Colorado-mandated letter for parents of 8th grade
students will be mailed soon. The letter will include information
about the Higher Education Admissions Requirements, the College
Opportunity Fund and the College In Colorado Scholarship. As a
counselor, you will receive an advanced copy of this letter.
“Train the Trainer” half- or full-day sessions on the College
In Colorado Website are now available.
Contact [email protected] to schedule a training
session at your school today!
Go To Kit delivery with Centauri, Antonio and Sanford Middle
and High Schools. From left to right: Manuelita Quintana
from Centauri, Eldon Ruybal from Antonio Middle/High
School, Virginia Svaldi from Sanford Middle/High School,
Celina Espinoza and Gloria Valdez from Centauri Middle/
High School.
Need more materials? Email [email protected]
1801 Broadway, Suite 360 Denver, CO 80202 Phone: (720) 264-8570 Fax: (303) 296-1637