<p>@Cheeringsection The NHS process is similar at our school but I don’t think the selection process is very picky. Leadership is much more than holding an office. My D listed some of the roles she has had in Girl Scouts, some of her friends listed church and sports experiences. Your son should be fine talking about his JV leadership role even if it wasn’t a formal office.</p>
<p>@bajamm – Your points are well-taken, and I also apologize for any hurt feelings. As @Mysonsdad pointed out, many of us here have kids who would not be thought of traditional ‘high achievers’. Among our four kids we have one with disabling ADHD (and other chronic disease issues), one in her 30’s with no college degree, and another who ultimately went to college, but who upon graduation decided that she’d rather waitress at a restaurant where the menu was a laminated placemat than to go to the somewhat selective college to which she’d been admitted. And FWIW, all of these kids are more or less squaring away pretty well.</p>
<p>You’re certainly correct that this thread, like many on CC, is populated by a lot of parents whose kids will be shooting for the most elite of schools. But if it turns out like the Parents of the Class of 2016 thread there will also be a sizable number of parents of kids who are not in that category, but whose kids are no less precious to all of the parents on this thread. What, to a great extent, does differentiate parents/kids here is that by and large our kids are not involved in alcohol, drugs, sex, and other temptations that can derail them from a successful academic career. And by virtue of the self-selection process that brings parents to CC our kids are also blessed by having parents who are totally committed to their children’s success, and are doing everything in their power to educate themselves about how to help their kids get to the next step. </p>
<p>Again, I am so sorry if I, or anyone on the thread, comes off as elitist. I honestly don’t think that’s the case. It’s a community where we’re all rooting for each other’s kids. Finally, it’s a community that is ready to lend support. Over the next couple of years many of us will suffer setbacks. Kids will stumble on their path. There will be divorces, lost jobs, illness, deaths in the family, and crises none of us can even guess right now. And we’ll know that there are people all around the country, none of whom we have met face-to-face, but who genuinely care and will be hoping and praying for all of our kids’ and families’ well-being. As others have posted I hope that you stick around. </p>
<p>@AsleepAtTheWheel thanks! I am one who was active at the beginning on this board but became disengaged because of where it was leading. I have a S who struggled as a sophomore because of NOT liking his classes, not because not having the ability. So our search has had a radical change in less than 12 months.</p>
<p>There were a few posters that I no longer see; maybe they will dip their toes back in? These posters were experience in the admission process. I have learned a lot on CC but the biggest that needs to be a Mantra for many: Run your own race. </p>
<p>My D just completed all applications for her colleges and now we will begin with S. He will not test until January SAT and the last ACT June because of the lack of math. But if it’s done correctly it should be one and done and if not he has the whole summer before senior fall to study for one or the other.</p>
<p>Hi everyone. I’m joining in the discussion again after feeling a little discouraged. My S16 is my third child and has had some struggles these past few years. He is very bright with mediocre grades and not a lot of ambition.I have no idea where he will end up! </p>
<p>I’m just starting to search for places where he will fit in socially and academically. Hoping to mutually encourage each other on this thread and as AsleepAtTheWheel said “root for each other’s kids”. </p>
<p>@cheeringsection : Yes, we have the applications and the “leadership role” piece as well. S16 has been…well, a band kid, very little time to do anything else. And he does not currently hold a leadership position for reasons that are far too long to go into (keywords “rampant favoritism”). He’ll apply anyway, as will D16. She’s already in Spanish Honor Society so I’m assuming the leadership role requirement, at least at our school, is flexible.</p>
<p>The only thing I have to add to others’ most excellent comments is that yes, S16 is indeed one of the kids who is aiming high and has as fair a shot as anyone applying (which is to say “crap shoot”). D16 is a unicorn of a slightly different colour and comes with her own alphabet soup of labels and a history of being bullied by her peers. (IEP purchased separately.) If I give the impression that S is slightly more worth talking about here it’s down to three things: first the fact that there is also a Class of 16 3.0-3.3 thread, and I post more about D there; second, with two there’s always overlap and wheel-reinvention, so quite a lot of it applies to both; and three, that…well, right now he’s not the one who has me ticked off for stealing my bath towel to bathe the cat.
Three is subject to change without notice. At least the ticked off part. D is the only one who tries to bathe the cat though; I doubt that part will change.</p>
<p>I think sometimes cc could have a “Facebook” effect: everything is perfect in paradise. As AsleepAtTheWheel said not all our kids are the same. My DS06 is very much different from D16. He has a lot of ambitions, but for some reason struggled in HS. To this day I do not know why, since he is a very private person, and I was a young parent, and did not know then what I know now. I feel very guilty now with all that help and advices I give to my D16 that I was not involved at all in his college search. He took community college route, got his BS from our state university, but by the time he graduated, hated his major so much that took a job in completely different field. He can support himself with his earning, but he works very hard, long hours, fortunately from his home, and my H and I wish he selected an easier route. </p>
<p>Hey everyone, I am jumping in to say there weren’t really hard feelings here, just a feeling of wanting to take part and not really being able to because the front presented here is so different than what we are experiencing at home. I have posted here several times in the past and felt brushed aside or ignored, not sure which. I did not feel the openness to other experiences that I felt on the HS’11 thread for my D. But, it is a different group here with a different personality. And, my D is a way different person, she is one that was in band, choir, show choir, cross country, track, speech team, earned her GS gold award, earned her silver cord, was in the top 3% of her class, etc. All with missing 25+ days of school every year due to health issues.</p>
<p>@cheeringsection my s will never qualify for NHS and he attends a different school than my D did. D had to go pick up an application and did not really want one. I needed to push her. Her school allowed 2nd semester sophomores to apply, though they had to be motivated to go find out about the application themselves. She did all of the application and submitted it on time. She had started at a new school in the fall of 10th grade and the teachers did not know her and she did not have a lot of leadership since she was a new kid. Then she didn’t hear back for the longest time. She ended up in the hospital for a week right when the committee was making its decisions. So, I emailed the sponsor and apologized for writing for my D, I told him I knew she should be contacting him herself but she was in the hospital and we wanted to know if her app was complete (we knew it was) or if there was anything else she needed. He wrote back and said her app was complete but he needed to know why she had so many absences, an NHS student should have stellar attendance. So, I explained her health issues. I never heard back from him. When D returned to school she receive a notice that she had been accepted. I don’t know why the sponsor couldn’t have asked the school counselor about the absences. I would hate to think that a qualified kid could be turned down for not disclosing health issues and the sponser was too lazy to ask the counselor if the absences were excused or valid in some way.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your responses. I will encourage my DS to apply. I am glad to hear that many have earned that honor while taking their own path. Personally, I think many of our kids lead by simply doing that–being who they are and not following the crowd. For those that will not be part of NHS, I am sure I am only unaware of what makes them uniquely qualified to take on life post-HS. I look forward to becoming informed as we all go through this process together. </p>
<p>Just wondering what other schools charge for student parking permits. At our school it’s $150 but that’s not for an assigned spot. The sophomore/junior lot is a mad house. The school’s education foundation sells assigned spots closer to the school but I’m having a hard time swallowing the price. They auction off these prime parking spots, starting bid @ $500 with $100 increments and a “buy it now price of $2500” From watching these auctions last year, most spots go for $2-2.5K It just seems crazy to me. At least they do say that you can claim any amount over $500 as a tax deduction. Is this common?</p>
<p>OH MY GOODNESS! I don’t think I’ll ever complain about our $45 permit again!</p>
<p>Parking permit already? We just beginning to think about driving lessons. D16 is actually not 16 yet, so she can not take the test until next year. Will probably postpone it until next summer, since she does not have time this year.</p>
<p>Assigned spots are 100. Students are assigned to a lot based upon their class (jr/sr). There was a minor accident yesterday of the side swipe variety. I think it was unusual. </p>
<p>Student parking is free at my kids’ public high school but parents have to sign a consent form (to search) to get the permit. My kids park on the public street because I won’t sign the form. </p>
<p>S’16 schedule is still a mess 4 days into school. He wants a different Science class since they put him in regular Physics. He is running into problems with certain APs only taught at the same time as other classes he is taking. He has 3 blocks out of 8 where classes can be changed so hopefully they can find him a Science AP that fits. I really don’t think he’ll be able to get the 4th year of German this year. The plan to share the German teacher with another HS fell through and I think now his high school is planning to use K12.com online German. The crazy thing is they only want to allow them to use block 5 for the 4th year German class and that is the only block for AP Calc AB so it won’t work for my son. I also don’t think the 4th years are any kind of priority since the max state requirement for foreign language is 3 years. I have Rosetta Stone so I’m hoping he’ll continue that and maybe take the SAT2 for German or try to take 4th year in 12th grade. He was able to start his virtual AP Economics class but I had to buy the book. </p>
<p>Parking is free but our public HS has NO parking lot for students. It is all on street public parking (except some that are reserved for teachers). Spots are hard to come by and students arrive early. People with driveways across the street from school do occasionally auction off a space or two as a fundraiser for the school.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t know the details of our parking permits-- I can’t afford to insure S16 (over $3k in our area for a teenaged boy). And D16 probably won’t drive for several more years, if at all. It’s her goal to live somewhere where she can use public transport exclusively.
I can’t imagine parking permits going for thousands, though. I don’t think ours is over $100, if that. They try to keep things affordable because our demographic is so wide.</p>
<p>@petrichor11 - I hear you wrt insurance costs. Even with “good student” discounts and all the rest, on our cheaper car (2002 Corolla) it would double our premiums, so we’re not rushing to go from permit to license.</p>
<p>I have never heard of parking permits being so expensive!</p>
<p>Wow! My daughters school parking permit was $8.00. I cant imagine paying that price.</p>
<p>D won’t be 16 for another month, but she won’t be gettin a license any time soon. Even with 30 hours in, she is still a scary driver. We purchased 8 hours with an instructor just to get more practice without her fearful parents in the car with her. I hope with much more practice she starts to make the connections that driving demands.</p>
<p>She is totally different from her 3 sibs. While smart, she doesn’t really like to stretch herself academically, much preferring to engage in the school musical, show choir, swim team, and theater. She is content to slide through, taking honors but no APs, though grades are becoming more important to her (3.9, 26/300), and shine in the classes/activities she loves.</p>
<p>College for her? Maybe LAC, maybe state uni, who knows. Her dream job is to work for Disney as a performer or interpreter (she is fluent in Spanish. She self-studied in middle school to pass out of Spanish 2 so completed Spanish 4 sophomore year.)</p>
<p>Parking permit costs $20/yr for student lot.</p>
<p>My D’s parking permit cost $5 and lasted until graduation, even if it was issued in 10th grade. This was at a public school in a very upper middle class community.</p>
<p>I don’t know how much it will cost for S. He has not taken driver’s ed. Next summer will be the soonest. I am not looking forward to the insurance, though I know insurance will be less for him if he has taken drivers ed instead of waiting until he is 18 and just driving for the DOT. I may let him take drivers ed but wait to get his license. </p>