Yesterday, students at the Senior High all had a chance to dream, plan and start preparing for their futures during Exeter's first-ever College & Career Readiness Day. This event, which was held at many schools across the nation yesterday, offered all sophomores and juniors an opportunity to take the PSAT during school hours. The PSAT gives students and their families valuable insight and practice to take the SAT for college admissions, and allows juniors with qualifying scores the opportunity to earn prestigious scholarships and national merit recognition. While 10th and 11th graders worked on their exams, freshmen worked in Naviance on entrepreneurship activities and completed other grade-level activities and meetings. Seniors who chose to come to school listened to presentations from RACC, CareerLink and the Dream Team of Berks County. 

The majority of seniors, however, opted to arrange their own independent college visits, independent job shadowing experiences or enjoyed a tour and lunch at a local university on school-sponsored trips to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and Millersville University or RACC and Alvernia University. 

Senior High Principal Tom Campbell said he chose to dedicate a day for College and Career Readiness because it demonstrates the district’s commitment to have each student college or career ready by graduation–an initiative, he says, that has to begin in 9th grade. Assistant Principal Julie Davis said that students were already providing great feedback about the day. “Seniors were so excited about their opportunities to spend a day away from school to really focus on taking their next steps after graduation. We heard great feedback all afternoon as students said they were wowed by the experiences they chose.” 

Although the day was a massive undertaking to organize different activities for different grade levels and students with different interests after graduation, the principals said that the effort truly seemed to be appreciated by students and their families. “Parents expressed thanks for organizing the PSAT opportunity, and students showed up yesterday prepared to test and committed to do their best,” said Mr. Campbell, continuing, “Meanwhile, our seniors really appreciated the opportunity to take a day to tour colleges or arrange a job shadowing experience that they may not have done on their own or when it required missing a day of school.”