On Wednesday, October 11, the freshman also got the opportunity to visit a college campus for a day.  The visits correlated with the students’ career pathways, provided them with an insight on college life, and informed them of the importance of high school.

Approximately 324 students left from the school around 8:30 and spent the entire day touring campuses. Eight busses departed from the school to eight different colleges and universities including: Slippery Rock University, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Seton Hill, Westmoreland County Community College, Robert Morris University, Chatham University, California University, and Washington and Jefferson College.

In the second year the freshman class grew in number and so did the program. The prior year only six colleges were involved, but two additional ones were added to accommodate for the larger group.

“Our goal is to give freshmen an opportunity to see what it’s like to study and live on a college campus,” said Mrs. Kuhn, the ninth grade counselor. “Additionally to see the career pathway at the postsecondary level.”

 The tours provided the students with the chance to think about the type of college setting they would feel most comfortable in. They considered whether the college visited was a match. Autumn Wright, who attended Washington and Jefferson, said, “I would consider attending this college, because I like small colleges and I really like their campus.”

Each school connected with a different career pathway. Prior to attending the campus tours, students took a survey in their history classes. It helped to place them in the pathway and school best suited for them. The students could have been placed in one of five pathways: human services, business, health and science, engineering, and art and communication.

Multiple lectures from real college professors and admissions counselors took place during the visits. During these presentations, the students got the opportunity to be in a college classroom setting. The professors spoke mainly about how they go about teaching their class and even provided the students with some information that connected to their chosen pathway.

   Most importantly, the students learned the necessity of their success at the high school level. “Our average GPA is 3.4 and average SAT is 1100,” said Heather Kabala,an admissions counselor at UPG. “About 70 percent of our incoming students have taken some AP, dual enrollment, or honors classes in high school.” Good high school academics will not only improve a student’s chances of being accepted into a school, but they can also qualify them for many scholarships. Through scholarships the high price of tuition can greatly decrease and give students more options when deciding on a school.

Most all the students walked away with something positive to say about their visit. For Autumn Wright it was just the entire day. “My favorite part would definitely be the tour,” said Wright. “I loved walking around the college campus and getting to see all the different buildings around it.”

GLSD provides so many great services for their students. “I am not aware of any of the local school districts who provide this service,” said Mrs. Kuhn.

As the GLSD mission statement says, “The Greater Latrobe School District shall prepare students to become lifelong learners and responsible, productive citizens.”