Red Bank High School graduate Kaitlyn Curtis, right, stands next to a photo of herself while she and Stacy Lightfoot, left, director of college and career success for the Public Education Foundation, listen during a news conference Thursday at the Red Bank Bi-Lo to launch the “College Bound!” program. The program features a graduate from each Hamilton County public school that is pictured on billboards and life-size displays in stores and schools, telling where the student will attend college this fall in an effort to encourage high school students to continue their educations.IF YOU GO
What: College Knowledge Lunch BreaksWhere: PEF, 100 E. 10th St., Ruth Holmberg Center for Excellence, third floorWhen: Wednesday, noon to 1p.m.Lunch: $5 buffet or bring your own mealRSVP: www.pefchattanooga.org/registerapply/SCHEDULEWednesday: Financial Aid 101Feb. 20: Top Ten Financial Planning Mistakes by Parents About CollegeMarch 15: How PEF Creates Connections from Kindergarten to College and Beyond for Your ChildApril 18: There’s a College for Everyone: What Colleges Look for in StudentsMay 22: How to Support Your Student in CollegeJune 10: STEM and Workforce Development
Operating on the belief that students can never be too prepared for college, PEF will start offering monthly college information programs for parents, teachers and community members.
The monthly noon meetings, dubbed “College Knowledge Lunch Breaks,” will bring in experts on financial aid, college entrance and workforce development. This week’s inaugural event, set for Wednesday, will help families traverse the complex world of financial aid and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Organizers say the events are open to anyone who works with high school or college students.
“We know that one of the most important decisions that students are going to make is to continue on to post-secondary learning,” said Stacy Lightfoot, PEF vice president of college and career success. PEF is a nonprofit, community-based organization that provides training, research and resources to teachers, principals and schools in Hamilton County and surrounding areas, according to its website.
Lightfoot said the College Knowledge programs are one way PEF is trying to reach out more to community members and parents. And while other resources are offered in schools and communities to help prepare college-bound students, Lightfoot said, “There can never be enough resources to help students on the road to college.”