 |
|
|
P.O. Box
2100 * Boothwyn, PA * 19061
|
|
|
High School (HS)
HS Home HS Contact Us
HS Guidance PROFILECLASS OF 2008Prepared by Linda K. Bailey Guidance
Department Moderator PROFILE: Class of 2008
* Statistics include graduates who are enrolled in Special Education Programs, Approved Private Schools, Vocational Technical School, Alternative School, and potential Summer School graduates. ETHNIC PROFILE: CLASS OF 2008
Statistics as of June: Based on Senior Survey
CLASS OF 2008 HIGHLIGHTS Robert F. Kennedy pondered the future and challenged, “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?” Never before have we seen so clearly that dreams can become reality and non-traditional roles can become commonplace. In 2008 we have seen a woman and an African-American emerge as viable presidential candidates, watched underdogs win the big game, and cheered as small-town youth with big-city dreams became “American Idols.” Looking at the Class of 2008, one could justifiably be content with “things as they are” for their accomplishments are impressive. Our graduates have earned acceptances at such prestigious institutions of higher learning as Cornell University, Emerson College, Penn State University, The University of Colorado, Drexel University, and Ursinus College. Over one hundred merit-based scholarships have been awarded including the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Award, Presidential and Dean’s Scholarships, and the Chichester Education Foundation Scholarships. Seventy-three percent of the Class of 2008 will enroll in programs ranging from a few months to six-year masters degree programs. Some students will venture only a few miles to local colleges, while others will expand their horizons to Colorado, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Arizona, and Virginia. Family and community ties have kept many students right in our neighborhood. Eleven students will enroll at Neumann College, three at Widener University, four at Cabrini, and seven at Drexel University. The affordable tuition at state and community colleges has enticed forty-two students to attend Delaware County Community College and five to enroll at Delaware Technical and Community College. Eight graduates will attend West Chester University, three will enroll at Bloomsburg University, two at Millersville, and one each at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Cheyney University, Shippensburg University, and California University of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Universities have attracted sixteen graduates to Penn State, two to Lincoln University and two to Temple University. The Class of 2008’s most popular majors include criminal justice, computer technology, healthcare, and public education. Many women, students of diverse ethnic backgrounds, and special needs students have opted for non-traditional science and engineering careers, utilizing both the skills and the inspiration received in Chichester classrooms. The class includes thirteen prospective engineers with mechanical, civil, architectural, and computer concentrations. Ten students will embark on a teaching career. Several will enter the field of special education implementing new ideas to ensure that no child with special needs is “left behind.” Allied health careers and pre-professional science majors have attracted twenty-three students. Health majors include such specialties as medical assistant (six students), ultrasound technology, nursing (fourteen students) and dental hygiene. Increased awareness of healthy lifestyles will encourage students to major in athletic training, exercise science, and sports medicine. Thirteen graduates will pursue business careers including majors in international business, management, accounting, and business administration. Among the remaining declared majors are journalism, psychology, communications, advertising, and culinary arts. Six students will enhance our culture with the visual arts as they train in fashion design, animation, illustration, and computer game simulation. Prospective graphic designers will unite creative talents and computer expertise at the Art Institutes of Philadelphia and Washington, Hussian School of Art, and Delaware College of Art and Design. The sounds of success will be heard at the Berklee College of Music. Trade and technical schools will provide postgraduate training to fifteen seniors. Graduates will enter DeVry Institute, Chubb Institute, Venus Beauty School, Pulse Beauty Academy, Harris School of Massage Therapy, and the Delaware County Career and Technical Schools. Seven future automotive specialists will study at the Automotive Training Center and at Universal Technical Institute. The Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades will provide one of our graduates with an education in masonry that is valued at over $50,000. Seven graduates will serve the United States in the Armed Services. Many will apply vocational skills acquired in high school to a variety of professions including automotive mechanics, cosmetology, fire science, emergency medical technician, food service, carpentry, and building construction. Graduates of the Delaware County Technical Schools hope to secure apprenticeships in the electrical and carpenters’ unions. Nine percent of the class will enter the workforce immediately upon graduation, many with intentions to pursue higher education in September 2009. But let us turn from well-deserved praise of accomplishments and contemplate things that “never were.” To quote Mr. Kennedy again, “few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total, of all those acts will be written the history of this generation”. Will this generation and specifically, the members of the Class of 2008, be the one to save our environment, feed the children, or find the cure? I look at these graduates and their resume of achievements and ask myself, “Why not?”
|