PL Page: Senior Night!

More than a hundred people participated in an open house on June 14th at Ivy Tech Community College to celebrate Grant County students and Twenty-first Century Scholars who:

1) Graduated from high school.

2) Devoted four years to a good citizenship pledge.

3) Participated for four years in Project Leadership’s mentoring program.

Families, mentors and community
members gathered to celebrate their successes and wish them well on their dreams to go to college.

To keep up to date with Project Leadership's programming, check out the PL page in the Chronicle-Tribune!

PL Page: Meet 28 of Grant County's Dreamers!

Our Community had a dream four years ago: Educate students and families about a life-changing Twenty-first Century Scholars program. Encourage them. Mentor them. Help them chase their dreams.

Community volunteers and students stepped forward.
Four years later, the first Project Leadership mentoring program class is graduating. Today, we profile 28 of those students and invite the community to celebrate their successes at a community open house from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Marion’s Ivy Tech campus.

To Keep up to date with Project Leadership's programming, check out the PL page in the Chronicle-Tribune!

PL Page: Scholars Unite!

Leadership. Community. Camaraderie.

Since the start of the school year, Twenty-first Century Scholars from Marion and Mississinewa high school have gathered once a month to celebrate all three. Club members take on leadership roles and responsibilities to help develop future skill sets. Each of the Scholars Club members make a good citizenship pledge and plan to go to college. In May, both groups gathered for an end-of-the-year reunion at Marion High School that included a cookout and prize drawings.

To keep up to date with Project Leadership's programming, check out the PL page in the Chronicle-Tribune!

PL Page: Students find college money at FASFA labs

Shawn Butcher’s 90-minute visit to a financial aid workshop this week was almost as euphoric as winning the lottery.

The mother of three high school seniors was one of several parents who attended a FAFSA lab at Mississinewa High School. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students who want to pursue college must complete the FAFSA by March 10^th. The Community Foundation of Grant County, Grant County Superintendents’ Consortium and Project Leadership partnered to host the labs, which are coming to each high school in Grant County this month. The labs are conducted by Murray & Associates: The National Center for College Costs.

The lab produced grins all around for the Butcher family.

“In half an hour I just made $16,000,” said Shawn as she completed her first FAFSA with her son Michael. “Where else can I go and make that kind of money in half an hour?”

Shawn completed online FAFSA applications for each of her three children who will be attending college next year. Thanks to the financial aid and FAFSA completion, Michael, Shawna and Amanda will be attending Lincoln Tech, Manchester College and Ivy Tech.

Based on her experience, Shawn encouraged other parents to participate in the FAFSA labs.

“It’s definitely worth taking your lunch break or personal time,” she said.

“If I don’t invest in my kids, who will?” Shawn said. “This is an investment in their future. They talk about human capital. I feel like I’ve increased the capital in my little part of the world.”

Grant County parents and students will have three more opportunities to attend labs. The high school labs will be Feb. 22 at Eastbrook; Feb. 23 at Marion; and Feb. 24 at Oak Hill. The labs are open from the start of school until 7 p.m. each of those days.

Shawn was thankful she didn’t miss the opportunity. On her way out of the Mississinewa FAFSA lab, she stopped for one last task.

Shawn, who’s pursuing her dream in a business career by attending Indiana Wesleyan University, decided to fill out her own FAFSA.

To keep up to date with Project Leadership's programming, check out the PL page in the Chronicle-Tribune!

Grant County Scholar Speaks at Leadership Summit

Jacob Barnett, a Marion High School junior and third-year participant in the Project Leadership mentoring program, was invited to speak at the recent Evan Bayh Service Leader Summit for youth in Indianapolis.

Barnett, whose speech focused on the topic of dedication, told his audience about the importance of teens aspiring to be leaders.

“We’ve got to have young leaders who can walk their talk, young leaders who can keep going despite obstacles or hard challenges, young leaders who are reliable and trustworthy, and young leaders who are prepared,” he said.

Barnett said he has a number of dedicated people in his life, including, his parents, his grandmother, his youth pastor, and his mentor, Stephanie Santarosa. Barnett recognized his mentor in his speech.

“Stephanie represents my definition of dedication — to be come more involved in the things you say and to invest or spend more time in whatever you are into,” Barnett said.
Barnett has been a mentee in the Project Leadership mentoring program since his freshman year. Mentors, who are matched with students in the Twenty-first Century Scholars program, meet with mentees weekly to encourage them in their personal and academic efforts. Scholars, if all program requirements are met, receive four years of tuition to one out of 80 public Indiana colleges or universities.

The Service Leader Summit is to recognize the efforts of Indiana’s student volunteers. Senator Bayh, along with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, sponsors the summit each October to coincide with National Make a Difference Day. The summit consists of a morning presentation and program, a leadership lunch, an afternoon service project and a time of reflection.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact TAMMY PEARSON/Project Leadership/765-651-0650

New Community Partnerships Yield Higher Enrollment in College Scholarship Program for Delaware County Youths

More than 7 out of 10 eligible 8th-grade students (73%) have been recruited into the state’s Twenty-first Century Scholars Program this enrollment year in Delaware County. This is a 29% increase from March of this year and an 18% increase from last year.

Students are enrolled for the state program while in middle school. Seventh-grade enrollment this year is 39%, a 9% increase from last year. Sixth-graders were able to enroll this year for the first time because of changes in the program guidelines. In Delaware County, 35% of the eligible students in this grade level were recruited. Across all three recruitment grade levels —6th, 7th and 8th — 799 students or 49% of those eligible were enrolled in Delaware County.

“We set very aggressive goals for Delaware County,” said Dick Daniel, Community Scholarship Liaison for Project Leadership, which partners with schools and the TCS regional office to recruit students. “We came very close to meeting those goals which were 50% enrollment overall and 75% of eligible eighth graders. We found that the biggest increases came at the schools that allowed Project Leadership to meet with students one-on-one. We hope that all schools will recognize the value of personalized contact during the coming school year.”

This spring, Project Leadership Delaware County partnered with area schools and the regional office in one-on-one meetings with eligible students at school and in mailings sent to individual homes as part of its recruitment strategies. Seventh-grade Delta Middle School student Rachel Smith was the winner of a Wii through a drawing Project Leadership Delaware County held for students who enrolled in the Twenty-first Century Scholars program this spring.

Grant County's Twenty-first Century Scholars Enrollment Soars

More than 9 out of 10 eligible 8th-grade students have been recruited into the state’s Twenty-first Century Scholars Program this enrollment year in Grant County, a 22% increase from last year and a 40% increase from two years ago.

Students are enrolled for the state program while in middle school. Seventh-grade enrollment this year is 73%. Sixth-graders were able to enroll this year for the first time because of changes in the program guidelines and in Grant County, 78% of the eligible students in this grade level were recruited. Across all three recruitment grade levels —6th, 7th and 8th — 1,107 students were enrolled in Grant County.

“These are phenomenal results that exceeded our expectations,” said Tammy Pearson, director of Project Leadership, which partners with schools and the TCS regional office to recruit students. “What these recruitment numbers tell us is that families are beginning to get the message that the Twenty-first Century Scholars program is one that they cannot afford to pass up. The increase also is a positive reflection on the successful partnership that has formed with Grant County schools.”

ABOUT THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCHOLARS PROGRAM:
Students enrolled in Indiana’s Twenty-first Century Scholars program receive four years of tuition to one out of 80 public Indiana colleges or universities. The Scholars program was established to decrease drug and alcohol use, reduce juvenile crime, decrease the number of student dropouts, increase the number of students entering post-secondary education, better prepare students for the workforce after graduation, and improve the overall quality of life for Indiana residents. Scholars and their families must meet income guidelines – ones that mirror free/reduced lunch guidelines – to be eligible for the program. Scholars, upon enrolling in the program, pledge to graduate from high school, achieve a cumulative high school GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, agree not to use illegal drugs or alcohol or commit a crime, apply to an eligible Indiana college, university or technical school as a high school senior, and apply on time for state and federal financial aid.

GRANT COUNTY’S RECRUITMENT HISTORY
A small percentage —16% — of eligible Scholars were signed up for the state program in Grant County in early 2007. Since that time, Grant County schools, the region’s Twenty-first Century Scholars office and Project Leadership have partnered to dramatically and consistently improve on the number of local families taking the state up on its scholarship offer and life-changing opportunity for students. Since this partnership, recruitment has increased over the past two years from 16% in early 2007 to 82% total enrollment in June 2009.

“The partnership has resulted in new and innovative approaches among our collective recruitment teams,” said Linda Lowe, Project Leadership Assistant Director and Community Scholarship Liaison.
For example, for the first time, each Grant County middle school registration was staffed by enrollment teams last school year, resulting in about 500 newly recruited students, Lowe said.
“In another first, applications were completed one-on-one with eligible students at each middle school in a spring recruitment blitz,” Lowe said. “We’re repeating both recruitment strategies beginning this fall because they were so successful last year.”
Recruitment teams will be working Grant County middle school registrations, beginning the last week of July and through the first part of August. Lowe said students and parents should come prepared to complete an application for their 6th, 7th and 8th graders at the time of their registration. The application process is made easier this year because students that qualify for and are enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program do not have to complete the income section of the application. For more information or to enroll in the program, students and families may contact Project Leadership at 651-0650, the regional Twenty-first Century Scholars office at 1-877-717-2121 or their school.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact TAMMY PEARSON AND LINDA LOWE / Project Leadership / 765-651-0650

Former Principal will Lead Project Leadership Delaware County

Long-time Delaware County resident and former school administrator Dick Daniel has been selected to lead Project Leadership Delaware County, an initiative to improve high school graduation rates and promote post-secondary educations.

Project Leadership, a non-profit agency based in Grant County, is expanding its education work into the Delaware County community through the support of the Ball Brothers Foundation. The Ball Brothers Foundation awarded a grant that will focus on these key areas:
· Recruiting eligible 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade students into the state’s Twenty-first Century Scholars program, which offers four years of tuition assistance to state colleges.
· Retaining students who have been enrolled into the Twenty-first Century Scholars program through mentoring and accountability initiatives designed to ensure they complete high school and pursue higher educations.

Daniel, who retired in spring 2008 as the principal of Muncie Central High School, has a 30-year history with Muncie schools, working closely with school administrative teams, teachers, parents and community members.

“Mr. Daniel’s education background, administrator experience, high visibility in the community and passion for Delaware County and its youths made him an ideal choice,” Project Leadership Director Tammy Pearson said.

Project Leadership is partnering with the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce to launch the program, which is being supported through funding by the Ball Brothers Foundation through June 2012. Program objectives will include:
GOAL 1: Develop a strategic plan, concentrating on program sustainability, accountability and project partners.
GOAL 2: Increase the number of Delaware County 6th, 7th and 8th graders enrolled in the Twenty-first Century Scholars program.
GOAL 3: Launch a mentoring program for Twenty-first Century Scholars that matches students with community volunteers.
GOAL 4: Guide students in their career paths, coaching them through the development of portfolios they will use to apply for future scholarships, college and jobs.
GOAL 5: Educate students and bring hope to families by helping them develop college costs plans.

Project Leadership Delaware County will be housed in the Muncie Career Center, ADDRESS. Daniel’s will begin in his position March 9th.

Twenty-first Scholars Application Available Online

Just in time for the 2008-2009 school year, the State Student Assistance Commision of Indiana has unveiled an online version of the Twenty-first Century Scholars application. Now 6th, 7th and 8th graders can log on to the internet to complete their application.

Please be aware that the current version of the application is not compatible with Firefox web browsers and Microsoft's Internet Explorer is reccomended.

You can find the new online application here:

http://www.in.gov/ssaci/2429.htm