Page 11 - 2015 Back To School

Contributed Photo
Ready for school: Staff at Retta Brown Elementary show their school spirit during an opening session earlier in the week.
SAAC expands arts academy schedule for fall
Prep
Continued from Page 10
do not like, teaching. Most of the people I am familiar with just couldn't cope with classroom management and behavior issues. It is very different to observe in a classroom, and be in charge of a classroom. It is nice to think about a career that allows holidays off with family, but that is no longer the case. Teachers work long, hard, intense hours and the work isn't over at 3:15 or in May. There are too many teachers who teach because they have a teaching degree. It would be nice to learn early in school if teaching is the career for you!"
— Debra Wilson
"Be prepared! New students don't realize how difficult and time consuming college courses are so they aren't prepared and they frequently get off to a bad start, which cre- ates an uphill battle. Be organized! Many new students have no clue how to create a master calendar for themselves to keep up with due dates, exam dates, assignments, reading requirements, etc. Organization is the key to success. Be aware of the college calendar and important dates, such as drop deadlines. A number of students just quit going to class, which may result in academic failure and transcript nightmares for life! Be proactive. Get help and/or meet with the instructor when grades are poor. Many times, the instructor has good insight into what is needed to improve. Learn study tips and techniques. Students tend to think they'll be able to ace college courses without study- ing like in high school, which won't work. Learn which study methods work for your own learning style. Know the repercussions on scholarships and/or financial aid if you drop or fail courses. Limit distractions (boy/ girlfriend, parties, etc.), be serious about
your education as this is the highway to your future, your career and your success. Align yourself with the right crowd, find people to study with who understand the content. Be dependable, attend classes, listen, pay atten- tion, take good notes and always do your best. You never know where it will lead. I have hired numerous former students of mine who exhibited these and other good characteris- tics while they were students!
— Caroline Hammond
"Be informed on the impact that ACT/SAT scores have on general courses. For example, college algebra is a required freshman math class, but my ACT score in math allowed me to start with pre-calculus. I found out after changing advisors.
— Tonya Sims
"Don't be afraid of difficult subjects. Tutors are available everywhere now to get you through the courses and learn."
— Gary O’Keefe
"Teach them about building credit! I cannot emphasize this enough!"
— Christina Meeks
"Communicate often with your advisor and make your career goals clear, a portion of fees is used to pay their salary, use them! When you are receiving missed information, go to your advisor. They should be able to point to the person who can provide you with the cor- rect information. Most of them you can con- tact through email, phone call or in person. Remember college is not just about what you learn in the courses, but it's about preparing you for your adult life. The most important advice I would give is to know your resources and utilize those resources."
— Timmie Singleton
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Please send all submissions to Kelsey Womack at schoolnews@eldoradonews.com.
Insider Tips:
• If you’re a senior in high school, fill out the Free Application for Federal Stent Aid as soon as you can—even if you think that you won’t qualify or don’t think that you’ll be able to get the aid. It’s a fairly simple process (www.fafsa.gov) and filling it out early will save you, and your parents, headaches later.
• Something discussed very routinely in college—but not usually explained to potential stu- dents—is what is meant by college “hours.” These actually are credits (often called “credit hours”). The term isn’t meant to be hours in a strictly literal sense, so if you have signed up for 15 hours that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be in class for 15 hours a week. Different classes carry differing numbers of credits; these credits are totaled up and lead to your degree or graduate certificate. Consult a college’s catalog to determine how many credit hours that you will need in order to graduate with a particular degree or certificate.
• In Arkansas public colleges, so-called “developmental” or remedial courses do not bear credits at all, so they do not count toward the total number of credits you will need in order to graduate. Although, you will have to take them as prerequisites for other courses if you do not test high enough on college entrance exams to get into credit-bearing courses. So buckle down and learn all that you can in high school—it pays off!
—Heath Waldrop South Arkansas Community College
The Arts Academy at the South Arkansas Arts Center has an expanded fall schedule. According to Beth Burns, executive director, the SAAC’s con- cept changes for the fall focus the educational acad- emy on families and qual- ity arts experiences. “We want to elevate the student and the family. We have added classes and changed the schedule so there are more offerings on the same day. Students don’t have to make choices and it’s easy on the family,” she said.
In the area of the per- forming arts, courses have been designed to build a well-rounded skill set beginning with the basics. The fall schedule will include offerings in basic concepts of techni- cal theatre, acting for the camera and the stage, and improvisation techniques. “There will be something for everyone...design, con- struction, lighting, film, stage and comedy,” Burns
said.
The dance schedule has
been expanded to include additional advanced ballet courses. “Ballet requires discipline and repetition so advanced students need that level of intensity. By the time a dancer reaches a Level 3 or 4 course it is time to give it the added commitment. It will also give our younger students something to strive for,” she said.
Opportunities for pre- school students have been designed in both the areas of performing and visual arts. Goals for the pre- school project will include enhancing essential hand and eye coordination skills, developing cognitive think- ing skills and providing the building blocks for com- munication. Burns said, “Our TADA! Class will be 90 minutes long and will expose children to every area of performance and art.”
Because it is never too
late to learn or expand a love for an interest, the SAAC fall schedule has adults in mind. “I might be most excited about what experiences we have lined up for adults. We often for- get it is the parent, single person, or grandparent that most needs to fulfill some burning desire or need to participate in a new proj- ect,” she said.
Adults can take ballet, participate in an intensive scene study, take an art class with a focus, learn to make a simple movie, or fix some family pho- tos. “We have two dozen teaching artists on our fac- ulty for the fall. They all have extensive training and experience. I know it is the most exciting fall line- up we have ever had,” she said.
The complete fall sched- ule can be found at www. saac-art.org or by contact- ing the SAAC staff at 870- 862-5474.
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