Thrasher students consider college choices

photo The Thrasher Elementary College Advisory Team consists of, top row from left, counselor Jane Welch, Joshua Pickett, Andrew Siner, Sarah Kate Bailey and Orie Bautista. Bottom from left are Davis Kelly, Garrett Poteet and Virginia McEvoy. Photo by Emily Crisman

Students at Thrasher Elementary are getting a head start on their college search through the school's first College Week.

Two students from each fifth-grade classroom were chosen based on their leadership qualities to be a member of the Thrasher College Advisory Team, said school counselor Jane Welch.

"In school we talk about goal setting, and this is a long-term goal," said Welch as to one reason she and principal Aimee Randolph decided to organize the event. "We thought it would be a good idea to see what it takes to start exploring different colleges and universities and give them some ideas."

Students were made aware of a variety of facts about colleges which may not have previously occurred to them.

"Big colleges are a lot of money to go to out of state," said Joshua Pickett.

"We learned colleges give you a great education and they're worth it," said Garrett Poteet.

Students were allowed to bring in pennants from their favorite colleges to decorate the halls and wear jerseys from the schools of their choosing.

Most students selected schools where their parents or other family members attended, or places where they had been to watch sporting events.

Others, such as Davis Kelly, based their decision on how their choice in college would affect their lives.

"I picked North Carolina instead of the University of Memphis, because [U. of Memphis] is in the center of the city and there are lots of cars going by," he said.

"We wanted them to visualize what [college] will feel and look like," said Welch. "This is going to become a Thrasher tradition."

She said they discussed reasons the students should consider continuing their education beyond high school, and the Signal Mountain High School college counselor came to speak to the students as well.

Scholarships were one topic that surfaced during the week, serving to motivate students who want to attend top colleges to excel in academics and extracurricular activities even at a young age.

Top colleges by a vote of Thrasher studentsUTKUTCAuburn UniversityUniversity of Alabama and University of Notre Dame (tie)

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