This question is on the minds of most older students. The average high school graduate will change careers seven times in his/her lifetime.
Exploring career options begins at an early age for students attending Perry Township Schools. In elementary and middle school, students participate in CollegeGo! Week and experience field trips to universities and career centers. Students also participate in interest surveys to begin to understand all of the career paths that exist. Their options are beyond belief. The world literally is at their feet.
Scheduling classes for more than 4,000 students at Perry Meridian and Southport high schools is an interesting and nonending challenge that’s met by our guidance counselors. Courses are constantly being reviewed for their selection and relevance, and new offerings are developed, proposed and approved by the school board. Five new courses will be offered next year, including one on statistics for the modern-day researcher and another on critical thinking/augmentation, which will cover problem-solving methods.
Did you know that a student can elect to take courses at both high school campuses? Virtually every interest level can be met through this program offering.
Everything a parent or student would like to know about courses can be found on the schools’ online course catalogs. There is important terminology used in the schedule planning:
• One credit is awarded for each class passed.
• Required classes that must be passed to graduate include English, math, science, social studies, health, and physical education.
• Elective classes such as art, business, math, music, consumer science and others may be chosen to help fulfill credit requirements.
• A prerequisite course must be passed before taking another course in the same subject.
• Grade point average is the number representing a student’s average letter grades. The grade of a B equals 3 points. An A in a regular class counts 4 points, and an A in an honors or honors/GT class counts 5 points toward the GPA.
• College prep classes are for students planning to attend a four-year university.
For incoming freshman, teacher recommendations in the areas of language arts, math, science, foreign language and music are strongly considered. This ensures that the student will be placed in the most appropriate class. High school counselors visit the middle schools to present information about scheduling as students begin building a plan for their high school career.
There are also informational meetings for parents with counselors who are available for questions.
It is important to note that students are able to graduate with an honors diploma and participate in electives such as fine arts and classes at Central 9 Career Center.
If you would like more information about planning your child’s future, you are invited to a college night at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Perry Meridian Middle School, 202 W. Meridian School Road, where pizza and drinks will be served at 5:30 p.m. Representatives from various institutions of higher education and the Army will field questions. Call 789-4163 or email aengelhardt@perryschools.org for reservations.
Your guidance counselors are ready to assist as needed. Please do not hesitate to make contact with these helpful individuals.