W DECEMBER 2013 Bound Winter Newsletter - Central College · Iowa Homeless Youth Centers in Des Moines, ... 2014. Des Moines Public Schools will be administering this exam to all

On November 16, the tradition of our Student

Advisory Board participating in Reggie’s

Sleepout continued, in which the following

SAB members spent “sleeping under the stars

so kids can reach for them”: Htoo Say,

Marilyn Lo, Juan Pina, Izak Yaw, Reannan

Barlow, Jesse McGregor, Mikolina Lowe,

and Scottie Yang. TC, Miranda Wehde & UB

Coordinator, Tiffany Berkenes, also joined the

group, braving the cold temperatures by

sleeping in cardboard boxes overnight. It is the 8th year for the event, which is hosted by

Iowa Homeless Youth Centers in Des Moines, and held at the Drake University football

stadium. 2013 marked UB’s 3rd year participating. Reggie’s Sleepout raises awareness and

donations for Central Iowa youth homelessness. Our students are always surprised to hear

that approximately 10,000 youth are homeless in Polk County, and some TRIO students

throughout the state are impacted by

homelessness. These SAB members did a great

job working together as a team to create a shelter

made from boxes and a tarp, learned more about

the issue, and did some dancing with the provided

entertainment. We are proud of these student

leaders for spending their Saturday night getting

involved in Upward Bound and our community!

Learn more at www.reggiessleepout.org.

Student Advisory Board members and 2013

Emerging Leaders, Scottie Yang, Cheyenna Fisher, Erin Shannon, Juan Pina, Marilyn

Low, Alexa Phisith, Izak Yaw, Jeilah Seely, Reannan Barlow, Jesse McGregor, and

Mikolina Lowe spent their Friday the 13th of

December raising money for our UB Bridge

Scholarship Fund among the excitement of the

Iowa State Cyclones vs. Iowa

Hawkeyes basketball game, serving in

the walking taco and “Clone Cone”

ice cream concession stands. We

appreciate their hard work and look

forward to hearing the final amount

raised!

WINTER NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

DEC/JAN TIPS FOR

SUCCESS

2

IOWA COLLEGE GOAL

SUNDAY LOCATIONS

3

SPOTLIGHT SCHOOLS 3

UPCOMING EVENTS IN

2014

4

DECEMBER

WORKSHOP REVIEW

4

CONTACT INFO 4

Central College Upward

Bound Winter Newsletter UB LEADERS IN ACTION: REGGIE’S SLEEPOUT & FUNDRAISER!

“The best and most

beautiful things in

the world cannot be

seen or even

touched. They must

be felt with the

heart. Wishing you

happiness. ”

~ Helen Keller

December Tips Did you attend the Financial Aid Night at your high school? Remaining evenings are:

1/6/14 @ Oskaloosa HS and 1/23/14 @ North HS.

Finish ANY college admission applications you haven't already completed!

Save your year-end payroll stubs. (This goes for your parents, too.) You may need them for estimating information on the

FAFSA. Also, schedule an appointment to have your taxes prepared early.

To file the FAFSA online, you will need to request a PIN # at www.pin.ed.gov. The student and one parent will each need a PIN.

January Tips ● File the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as soon after Jan. 1 as possible. Watch the

FAFSA priority filing deadlines at the colleges of your choice. The deadline is the date the FAFSA needs to

be received at the processing center, not the postmark date.

● Complete your tax returns as soon as possible. If you have to for college deadlines, you may use

estimated tax information on the FAFSA. Remember to make copies of your completed FAFSA and tax

returns.

● Have your high school send your first semester transcripts to the colleges where you've applied.

December Tips ● Talk to your UB Coordinator and/or school counselor about college admission

requirements so that you're staying on the right track with your class schedule when

registering for next fall. Stay enrolled in core classes : English, Math, Science, Social

Studies and Foreign Language!

● Think about volunteering during your holiday break. Check out the Iowa Commission

on Volunteer Service for a list of options at www.volunteeriowa.org

January Tips ● Get off to a great start by analyzing your study habits. Make changes, if necessary. Create a study schedule and stick to it!

SOPHOMORES: STAY ON TRACK AT SCHOOL—

PAGE 2

JUNIORS: PREPARE FOR THE ACT—

The time to begin preparing for the infamous ACT is vastly approaching.

Any non-DMPS 11th grade students should plan to take the ACT on April 12,

2014. Des Moines Public Schools will be administering this exam to all juniors

on April 22 during the morning. Since your scores on this test are part of your

college application process, you will want to put forth your best effort!

Currently UB has been doing it’s part to introduce you to the ACT—and there is certainly more help

to come. But you can also advocate for yourself and start working individually on different test

preparation material.

One of the best online resources is ACT.org. This website allows you to take sample tests and to receive immediate feedback

concerning your answers. The best part about this site is most of the materials are completely FREE! Log on during the

holiday break and exercise your brain!

CENTRAL COLLEGE UPWARD BOUND WINTER NEWSLETTER

SENIORS: COLLEGE IS COMING—

The Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) can ease your FAFSA anxiety by providing free services to

seniors and their parents. During the month of February, Iowa seniors may schedule appointments with

ICAN professionals to complete the FAFSA form and/or attend one of the multiple sites for free assistance. Iowa “College Goal Sunday”

was created to support parents and students with this sometimes confusing process. The dates and locations of these FREE events are as

follows:

Do you feel a “Storm” coming or a “Cyclone”? Twenty-three (23) UB junior and/or senior students

attended a group visit to Iowa State University and Simpson College on November 20. Here’s some

quick information for you about these schools of possible interest:

Website: www.iastate.edu Website: www.simpson.edu

County: Story County: Warren

Setting: Urban, Ames Setting: Small town/Suburban, Indianola

Enrollment: 25,553 undergraduate, 4,607 graduate Enrollment: 1,844 undergraduate

Tuition & Fees: $7,726 Tuition & Fees: $30,999

On-campus Room & Board: $7,726 On-campus Room & Board: $7,963

Priority Deadline for Aid Filing: March 1 Priority Deadline for Aid Filing: March 1

Types of Programs: Engineering, Ag & Life Sciences, Types of Programs: 80 majors and minors

SPOTLIGHT SCHOOLS OF THE MONTH: IOWA STATE & SIMPSON

PAGE 3

Sixty-six (66) Central College Upward Bound (UB) participants, staff and chaperones attended the performance

of “Wicked” at the Des Moines Performing Arts Center on Sunday, November 10, 2013. The musical

performance was spectacular! Following the cultural event, students enjoyed dinner at Spaghetti Works

on Court Ave. We hope you enjoyed this “wicked” experience!

DECEMBER 2013

‘TIS THE SEASON—FOR FILING FOR FINANCIAL AID—

A “WICKED” EXPERIENCE IN DES MOINES—

Host Event Location City Date Start Time End Time

AIB College of Business AIB College of Business Des Moines Feb 20, 2014 2:00 PM 6:00 PM

Des Moines Area Community College

DMACC, Urban Campus Des Moines Feb 21, 2014 9:00 AM 5:00 PM

Des Moines Public Library Central Library Des Moines Feb 23, 2014 1:00 PM 4:00 PM

Des Moines Public Library Forest Avenue Library Des Moines Feb 22, 2014 2:00 PM 5:00 PM

Des Moines Public Library Central Library Des Moines Feb 19, 2014 4:00 PM 7:00 PM

East High School East High School Des Moines Feb 12, 2014 3:00 PM 8:00 PM

East High School East High School Des Moines Feb 13, 2014 3:00 PM 8:00 PM

Grand View University Grand View University Des Moines Feb 22, 2014 10:00 AM 1:00 PM

Indian Hills Community College Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa Feb 23, 2014 1:00 PM 4:00 PM

Individual appointments may also be scheduled by calling ICAN, 1-877-272-4692

Check out the details for what materials/information you need to bring with you, http://www.iowacgs.org/

This year any student who attends an Iowa CGS event and completes a survey will be entered to win one

of four $500 scholarships. Scholarships may be used to any U.S. accredited college or university.

Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow.

I have a place in the pattern, and so do you. Thinking of you this holiday season!” ~ T.A. Barron

School Meetings & December stipend checks distributed:

Week of December 16-20th

Final Exam Study Sessions for DMPS students at the downtown Public Library: Thursday, January 9 @ 3:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday, January 12 @ 2:00-4:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 14 @ 5:30-7:30 p.m. *Math and science instructors will be present for assistance!

Kansas City Art Institute campus visit (select students): Sunday, February 16th– Monday, February 17th

Academic Workshop

Saturday, February 1 @ Central College *Parents of senior students invited for FAFSA assistance

Academic Workshop & Senior Recognition: Saturday, March 29 @ Des Moines *location TBD

Student Advisory Board Spring Leadership Retreat Saturday, April 12 @ Des Moines *location TBD ** Additional events, such as small and/or large group campus visits, scholarship working sessions, etc.

will also be communicated when dates are set.

UB 2014 SPRING EVENTS SCHEDULED—

CHECK OUT THE

UB WEBSITE!

HOLIDAY FUN AT THE DECEMBER WORKSHOP—

Upward Bound held its second formal academic workshop of the 2013-2014 academic year

on Saturday, December 7. The workshop was held on the campus of Central College. The

thirty-four (34) students in attendance divided into grade-level sessions and learned about

the following topics: Grade 12: SSS Programs/Transitioning to College. Matt Diehl,

Central College SSS Program Coordinator, shared about the services provided by Student

Support Services (SSS) on a college campus and tips on how to have a successful transition

from high school to a college campus. In addition, a panel of college freshman, who were

UB Alumni, shared challenges and successes of their first semester at college; Grade 11:

ACT Preparation in English & Reading. Current and former UB teaching staff, Donna Boots and Gina Linn, focused on

improving student skills in English, reading and writing. Students developed problem-solving strategies for completing practice

test questions in each specific content area; Grade 10: Stress Management. George Clark, Central College Counselor and UB

summer counselor, provided skills to manage stress and taught relaxation techniques. Grade 10/12: Emotional Intelligence.

George Clark helped students develop an understanding of Emotional Intelligence to enhance relationships and allow for

greater happiness; Grade 10/11/12: Financial Literacy. Maria Guevara, Iowa College Access Network (ICAN)

representative, guided students through a simulated game of a “real life”, learning about budgeting and future expenses.

Following academic sessions, UB participants and staff members enjoyed writing “Wishes for 2014”, decorating cookies and

raffle gifts, that were all donations from area businesses. A special thank you to the UB alumni and summer 2013 tutor

counselors (TCs) who stopped by to say “Hi” to all of the current students.

@UBTiffany www.facebook.com

/ubtiffany http://departments.central.edu/

upwardbound