SACS students tour colleges in Maine and Vermont

    On St. Patrick's Day, 23 students and seven chaperones, chartered a Cyr Bus with an aggressive goal of touring six college campuses in two days. The trip was made possible by a MELMAC Education Foundation grant the school received last spring. The purpose of the grant is to increase the number of Maine students who enroll in postsecondary training in the fall immediately following graduation. One of the required yearly activities of the grant is to take all sophomores on a college visit. Research shows that students who visit a college campus are more likely to enroll and stay enrolled in college.      GEAR UP Adviser and Program Grant Coordinator, Jessica Walker said, “We wanted to allow them (students) an opportunity to visit a wide variety of college campuses around the state and Vermont.” 
    The six colleges toured included: Husson University, Thomas College, Saint Joseph's College of Maine, University of Vermont, Norwich University and Vermont Technical College.
    The first stop of the day was at Husson University in Bangor. Husson alumnus, Cliff Urquhart, had the unique pleasure of being a chaperone on the trip.
    “It was great to get back to the campus that I spent all my college days at,” he said. “Husson has really exploded in the last few years. I think that if a high school athlete wanted to continue to play at the next level, Husson would the an excellent place to experience that.” 
    Thomas College was the second tour of the day. The Waterville School graciously offered to feed the students lunch after the tour and also gave every student and chaperone a Thomas sling bag.
    “The campus and the people were very nice,” said chaperone Diana Rockwell. “The information session was great, I learned that you have an excellent chance of getting a job when you're done school because of their job placement program.”  
    The final tour of day one was Saint Joseph's in Standish. Sophomore, Anna McColligan said, “My favorite was Saint Joseph's. I liked it because it was a beautiful campus and it had a lot of programs that I am interested in.” 
    After staying the night in Burlington, Vt., students ate breakfast in one of the many University of Vermont cafeterias before their tour. University of Vermont is New England's fifth oldest university after Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Brown. 
    Joey Barnes said, “The food was perfect! I liked UVM because it's large and the people were welcoming. I liked the positive feel of the campus.” Shelby Hartin added, “I loved UVM, it was like its own little town! The campus was beautiful and to look at the buildings was like going back in time.” 
    The fifth campus toured was Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. Norwich is a private university, that combines a military tradition with a broad range of traditional undergraduate programs. It was the first private military college in the United States (founded in 1819) and the birthplace of the nation's ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program. 
    “It was nice to see the military students act so respectful,” said Cody Robinson. “There is a lot of history at Norwich.”  Another student, Amanda Goodness added, “Our tour guide was excellent at Norwich. He told us just about everything about the college, such as the centennial steps that could not be stepped on and the memorial for fallen soldiers.”  Walker agreed, “Norwich was an experience I will never forget. There is so much history and tradition and I would strongly encourage anyone to tour the campus. It was moving.”
    The last stop of the trip was at Vermont Technical College in Randolf Center, Vt.  VTC is a small, public college set in a picturesque country setting. Programs offered include but are not limited to the following: diesel technology, electrical engineering nursing, dairy farm management, and veterinary technology. 
    Kayli Farrar said, “My favorite was VTC because it's a small, close-knit campus.  It also offers the courses and programs that I am interested in.”  
    Since their return, Charlotte Durr, SACS guidance counselor, has seen an increase in the number of students talking about post-secondary plans. 
    Anyone with questions can call 757-8206 or visit www.melmacfoundations.org.