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Michael Yi
Students and parents will be able to speak face-to-face with representatives from more than 70 colleges ranging from Kansas State University to Johns Hopkins during the Shawnee Mission College Clinic on Oct. 9. The event is free to attend and will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Attendees need to sign up for strivescan.com prior to the fair. The website allows students to give their contact information to colleges for updates and newsletters.
The representatives will set up at tables in the main gym, and some colleges will offer presentations in classrooms about scholarships and specific college programs for majors like engineering or business.
“I think everything looks the same, and very vanilla when you’re learning online [about colleges],” PTSA coordinator Stacey Grecian said. “But when you can actually go and have a conversation with a representative, you can feel their passion for their university.”
Grecian recommends that all juniors and seniors attend the event to learn details about specific major programs, scholarships and college application tips that are harder to find online.
After attending the College Clinic last year, senior Carter Smith learned about two of his most-desired college paths — honors business programs at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Creighton University. Smith said the clinic helps students make a personal connection with colleges.
“It’s very helpful to see what colleges are there, and how you can actually connect with them to get started with applying,” Smith said. “You have to start thinking about college eventually.”
The Multicultural Student Union kicked off its second year with three district-coordinated diversity, social justice and leadership conferences in September. The new student leadership team plans to expand the union through sub-groups such as Asian Student Union, Black Student Union and Latinos of Tomorrow.
The heightened activity of the MCSU arrives as SMSD is emphasizing diversity groups. The new “Belonging” section of the district strategic plan allocates district resources to “strengthen belonging support groups for marginalized or underrepresented groups of staff and students.”
“[There are] so many events this year,” said MCSU sponsor Samantha Feinberg. “As I told the students, it’s a very ambitious calendar.”
New MCSU co-presidents sophomore Jamie Wilborn and senior Kevin Gomez Rodriguez want to see the program establish and develop the union’s sub-groups and grow the union’s presence as a whole with more social media content and potential assembly events.
“A big part of what we’re trying to do is put out a lot of information about our culture so people can see and get interested in the things we’re doing,” Gomez said.
The SHARE fundraiser and homes tour Renovation Sensation was hosted all day on Sept. 19, raising more than $60,000 in ticket sales and sponsorships. More than 600 people visited and toured four unique estates.
Pickwick and Co. provided special-edition Renovation Sensation candles, which were sold for $25 at a shared profit with SHARE. During the event, three volunteers at each of the four houses were stationed in different rooms to discuss the different architecture, renovations and the homes’ decor.
“We [tried] to have volunteers in each room that could talk about what’s been renovated and what the different paint colors are,” said Renovation Sensation Chair Betsy Ballard. “When people came through, if they liked a certain style or certain wallpaper, they could take that information and go do it in their house.”
The event is the primary fundraiser for the SHARE program, funding various volunteer project expenses such as Senior Service Day shirts, Care for Chemo packages and Pack of Pals event reimbursements. The proceeds also pay for the salaries of the two SHARE coordinators, Cheryl Kaplan and Erin Billingsley.
“Without them, we’d basically be lost without the heart and soul of the program,” said SHARE Executive Esparanza Lemon.
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