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Current Students
Stay-in-School
Scholarships
Community Club students in the ninth through twelfth grades are eligible
for stipends in our stay-in-school scholarship program. These scholarships
were started in 1969 to encourage students
to stay in school until graduation (45% of District students don't
graduate) and offer them an alternative to jobs, which often hurt academic
progress. Scholarship amounts are scaled to students' class levels.
Stay-in-School Scholarship Rules
To get into the Stay-in-School Scholarship program, students must:
- Be enrolled in a D.C. public or charter school, grades 9-12.
- Have participated in Community Club for two full advisory periods.
- Maintain a grade point average (GPA)of at least 2.5 for two consecutive advisories.
- Take at least 4 full-credit courses each advisory period.
- Attend Study Hall regularly, come on time, work on homework each week, give advance notice to their tutor and class leader of absences, and follow all Community Club policies.
- Turn in their report cards promptly.
To stay in the Scholarship program, students must:
- Maintain a GPA of at least 2.5.
- Take at least four academic courses per semester.
- If your GPA falls below 2.5 for ONE advisory, you remain on scholarship. BUT:
- If your GPA falls below 2.5 for TWO consecutive advisories, you will be taken off scholarship.
- You must then improve to at least a 2.5 for TWO consecutive advisories to get back on scholarship.
- Continue to attend Community Club regularly, come on time, work on homework each week, give advance notice to their tutor and class leader of absences, and follow all Study Hall policies.
- Turn in their report card promptly.
Scholarship Calculation:
Scholarships checks are issued monthly, based on the weeks a student has attended Study Hall on time that month, in the following amounts:
9th Grade - $12.50 per week
10th Grade - $15.00 per week
11th Grade - $18.75 per week
12th Grade - $25.00 per week
SAT Deadlines
Seniors: Registration deadlines for taking the SATs, or SAT Subject
Tests, this fall are fast approaching. Check the test
date schedule.
Juniors and Sophomores: Find out when your school will give
the test, and the registration deadline.
For more information, or to register for these tests, go to the College
Board’s home page.
College and Career Planning
Program
Helping to prepare our students for life after high school is an important
goal for Community Club. Our program offers educational programs, individual consultation, test preparation tips and
strategies, college application assistance and information about scholarships,
grants and other financial aid material. Learn more about college and career planning.
Timetable for College Preparation
Freshman Year
- Get to know your school counselor.
- Get involved in school activities: do what you enjoy.
- Get involved in community activities and service.
- Earn the best grades possible.
- Take the most challenging (but appropriate) courses.
- Read on a regular basis, even if you have no school assignments.
- Depending on your courses, you might decide to take an SAT II Subject Tests at the
end of the year; talk with your counselor.
- If your family passes near a college campus during spring or summer
vacation, stop and take the tour.
- In addition to enjoying your time off, plan to do something constructive
with your summer vacation.
Sophomore Year
- Stay in touch with your school counselor.
- If your school offers them, take the PSAT or PLAN in the fall.
- Remain involved in school and community activities: follow your passions!
- Earn the best grades you can.
- Continue to take the most challenging courses you can.
- Depending on the courses you take this year, it is even more likely
that you would consider an SAT II Subject Test at the end of the sophomore
year; talk with your counselor.
- In the spring, look at the list of senior college acceptances: who
do you know and where are they going? Talk to them about their choices.
- Continue to take advantage of college visits if your family is near
a college to get a feel for different types of colleges.
- Use your free time in the summer productively, while also enjoying
your time off.
Junior Year
- This is the most important year academically: do your best and challenge
yourself appropriately. Continue to remain involved in activities; try
to move into positions of responsibility or leadership.
- Take the PSAT and/or PLAN in the fall.
- Follow your school's guidelines for meeting with your counselor to
start the college process; in many schools, the process begins in the
late fall or after the holiday break.
- In the winter, think of how you will prepare for your first SAT and/or
ACT.
- Review the typical junior year standardized testing schedule from
your college coordinator or guidance counselor.
- When you select your courses for senior year, get advice and choose
wisely.
- With your tutor and counselor, develop an initial list of colleges
during the spring.
- Try to make some preliminary visits to colleges during spring break.
- Take advantage of college representative visits to your school, college
fairs and evening programs in your community.
- Research colleges; collect information.
- Use your summer vacation time productively; visit colleges during
the summer.
Senior Year
- Don't forget how important your grades continue to be: the first semester/trimester
is critical.
- Remain in close contact with your counselor.
- Stay involved in activities that you enjoy; assume leadership positions
and more responsibility.
- Continue to add or subtract colleges from your list as you learn about
schools, make visits, etc.
- Pay attention to in-school deadlines and procedures established by
your guidance or college counseling office.
- If you are applying early, be aware that application deadlines are
just a few weeks
after school begins.
- Make arrangements with teachers, tutors and others for recommendations;
follow
your school's procedures.
- By Thanksgiving, your list of colleges should be final: six to eight
schools is a good number for most students looking at selective colleges;
get advice from your
counselor.
- Before the holiday break, meet early deadlines and/or preferred or
recommended
application deadlines for state universities, honors programs, rolling
admission schools and scholarship programs. Give yourself plenty of
time to work on applications, especially essays.
- Know what financial aid forms are required, and submit them on time.
- Take advantage of interviews when given the opportunity.
- After completing your applications, continue to work hard: senior
slump can have
disastrous consequences.
- As you receive decisions, inform the counselor, teachers, parents,
tutors and class
leaders who helped you; thank them.
- In April, consider participating in the open house/accepted student
programs hosted by colleges.
- Have your one deposit at the school you will attend by May 1.
- If you are on a waiting list, get advice from your counselor or tutor.
DCPS Graduation
Requirements
To Graduate, every DCPS Student must complete 23.5 Carnegie Units successfully,
regardless of the program in which the student is enrolled. One Carnegie
Unit equals two semesters of study in a particular subject. The distribution
of course requirements is as follows:
COURSE CARNEGIE |
UNITS |
Art |
0.5 |
Career / Vocational Education |
1.0 |
D.C. Government and History |
0.5 |
English |
4.0 |
Foreign Language |
2.0 |
Health and Physical Education |
1.5 |
Mathematics (including one year of Algebra or its equivalent) |
3.0 |
Music |
0.5 |
Science (including one year of laboratory science) |
3.0 |
U.S. Government |
0.5 |
U.S. History |
1.0 |
World Geography |
0.5 |
World History |
1.0 |
Electives |
4.5 |
100 Hours of Community Service |
0.0 |
TOTAL |
23.5 |
The health and physical education requirement (1.5 Carnegie units) is
waived for students receiving an evening high school diploma. For career/technical
education certificate, additional courses are required.
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