An email went out to Lakeside families today about a bomb threat at Lakeside yesterday. The principal decided not to evacuate the students and instead put them in lock-down in their classrooms while a search was conducted. In the intercom announcement to students, he called it an "Intruder Alert Drill" rather than a "Bomb Threat". We, here at the blog, have been discussing these kinds of threats and similar types of incidents and wondering if there is written code or standard protocol for principals to follow in such events. We can't find any - apparently, there is discretion in the principals ability to decide how to handle these kinds of events.
Read the notice - and let us know - do you think the principal made a good decision? Do you think there should be an airtight, stringent, standard protocol for handling threats? Or do you think it should be left up to principals to decide on what action (if any) to take?
Notice of Bomb Threat
August 21, 2009
Dear Lakeside Families,
This morning shortly before 10:00 a.m., the 911 center received a non-specific call from a cell phone stating that there was a bomb at Lakeside. I met with our SRO (school resource officer) and Dekalb Police. Because of the nature of the call and after listening to their advice I decided to do an intruder alert and lock down the school. The Dekalb Police, our SRO and the SRO from Shamrock, our campus supervisors and our custodians conducted an extensive search of all common areas inside and outside the school for any sort of suspicious package. We found nothing.
It is normal procedure in these cases to contact Homeland Security. The Dekalb Police did this and they arrived at 10:20. They will do a trace on the phone call and if they find who made the call, the consequences could very likely include time in prison. The Homeland Security officials were satisfied with my decision not to evacuate the building. I ended the intruder alert at 10:30.
I have also communicated this information to our faculty and staff.
Joseph P. Reed
Principal
Lakeside High School
On another note - what is it about Lakeside and bomb threats? They had at least three last year that we're aware of here at the blog. Do other schools have bomb threats and we just aren't hearing about them? What causes someone to call in such a thing and what - if anything - can we do to stop this madness?
In the unlikely event the item was real, it would likely be small. Not enough to knock down a wall, much less a building, but likely to shred a human body.
ReplyDeleteIf the kids were evacuated, and a device went off, I think the loss of life would be greater than if kids stayed in class. Also, first line of defense would be the teachers and students in the classroom -- is there something that's out of place? If you are evacuating, you miss it. Stay put, look around, you'll find it quicker.
Its a judgment call, in the end. There's not enough information, so you have to go with your gut and hope you made the right call. I don't fault the principal in this case.
I'm not faulting anyone, I just didn't realize that principals had this much discretion. There are certainly some principals whom I would never trust to be able to make a good decision where safety is concerned. Do they have the same flexibility? I wonder if we have bomb threats going on in other schools that aren't reported whatsoever??? Maybe principals allow kids to go about their business as usual having no clue that a bomb threat has been called in??? I mean, we did have a real bomb go off here in this city during the Olympics - it's not beyond unthinkable. I'm not totally comfortable with a lack of explicit protocol...
ReplyDeleteI see both sides. I was under the impression the school had to be evacuated for safety purposes. My baby was there and his safety is more important than anything he could learn in that period of time so I feel an evacuation is always in order. Of course I do not know all the facts. I also did not think the principal had a choice. I am in shock. This bothers me. The safety of our children should always come first.
ReplyDeleteI think Joe Reed is great. I am sure he had his reasons so I am not questioning his decision. But, I do feel students health and safety is the most important thing.
This was a courageous decision to make and probably the right one. We don't know the specific nature of the call that was made but I suspect it was not a threat to "blow up" the school. The principal had the counsel of DKPD and seemed to have no reason to believe the threat was of a potentially catastrophic nature.
ReplyDeleteAs for protocol, there surely is a general protocol for such threats but I think that the judgment of the principal and law enforcement ultimately must be trusted. If we don't trust our principals' judgment, there is a bigger problem. They are responsible day-to-day for the life and safety of every child in the school. The person in these positions had better have impeccable judgment ...
I made the earlier post, at 7:36. I know when I was faculty, we were given an emergency procedures manual. It seems that many decisions would come from the district, but a principal is the captain of the ship, and when there's a call to be made, he makes it.
ReplyDeleteFor one thing, he's the guy on the ground, and he's got to have the authority. Much better than having to wait for some higher up several layers removed who can't see what's on the ground. There was a fight, and kids started massing around the fight. Hold the bells, tell teachers to lock their doors, and the situation is easily managed. Let the bell go off, kids run into the fight, it becomes a riot. I've seen it happen both ways, and both times it came down on the principal.
The district's job? Investigate the aftermath, issue consequences and commendations, and help develop the next level of procedure...but not micromanage a situation in flux.
I can see your point, Kim. There's a big difference between "I'm going to blow up Lakeside" and "I've put a bomb in the building"... I think it all comes down to what was said and how it was said. And - apparently, the police weighed in.
ReplyDeleteI guess I had never thought much before about these things. When we were kids - even in my fairly small town in the midwest - we had many bomb threats - and we always evacuated. We always figured it was someone who hadn't studied for a test... Of course, this was way before caller ID, etc.
There are so many safety issues that principals must be concerned about on a daily basis -- pretty stressful. I'm sure they have an emergency protocol - I've just never seen or thought about it. Until now - when this principal made a different decision than I'm used to.
Luckily there was no bomb. Hopefully - there never, ever will be. In any school - anywhere.
DeKalb County School procedures do include an evacuation depending on "what is said." Principal Joe Reed followed protocol, plain and simple. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteTough stuff. I've never really thought too much about these kinds of decisions principals have to make. I guess I just always assumed these things were written in stone. But apparently it depends on what was said and how the caller sounded. (This caller apparently called 911, so it's certainly on tape and they can re-listen and make a decision with the police.)
ReplyDeletePrincipals really must have to have a good inner gut and nerves of steel. I wouldn't want to have to deal with stuff like this - and so much more - that principals deal with every day. Obviously, the good ones earn their keep!
You know,the one aspect of this that I've been thinking about is the impact on the students. Mr. Reed is a new principal. The LHS kids had more than 4 bomb threats last year, an intruder alert and a fire, and all but the freshmen know what the proceedure is for a bomb threat-- by rote. They got really good at it. They got it down pat. Some of the kids got to the point where (like the US was pre-9/11), they knew that each threat was a "here we go again" and it was another prank. Other kids, mine included, got increasingly more shaken by the threats and had a hard time concentrating and feeling safe. It unnerved those kids. Al Kaida became increasingly more secure in the US's non-responses (or weak responses) pre-9/11 and we wound up with 9/11. Here we are a year later, with a new principal, Class of 2009 out of the building and a new freshman class, that of 2013, in the building, but 2/3 of the kids are essentially the same, there's another bomb threat (so anyone's assumptions that they had been directed at getting rid of last year's principal are now being disproven), the kids who were unnerved last year by the bomb threats now will have lost some trust in the new principal because they were told at the time that it was an intruder alert drill and then found out it was an actual bomb threat, for which they reamained in the building, in lock down (so if it was a bomb and went off, perhaps they then would have been caught in an aftermath, unable to even then get out -- overall these are fairly bright young adults who can think this way and they have feelings and emotions... lots of them!). What happens if there does happen to be an actual bomb at some point? These kids are aware of stories that are in the news, they watch True TV; they know it's a possibility. There is no metal detector going into the building. It used to be that doors were left ajar. It used to be that you knew all the kids but now a good percentage of the kids are not local kids, so they haven't been with their classmates since kindergarten. Was this really the right decision? To the extent it proved to a prankster that the prank won't work -- great! Good job! Perhaps he or she will learn not to call in another one. Premised on it being a prank, maybe, but do you gain credibility in the process with your community of high school aged students..... I just wonder. The County's promises last year to track down, prosecute and imprison the offending maker of the calls never went anywhere... wonder if they'll get any further this year?
ReplyDeleteGood points too, Anon. I also wonder why no one has ever been caught or prosecuted - with today's technology it seems like you could track them down pretty easily. A very highly publicized punishment may do more to deter future 'callers' than most other approaches, IMO.
ReplyDeleteI Googled this subject a bit and found that there are many cases of similar bomb threats where the perps have been caught - and lo and behold - they are almost always about 16 years old. One kid even made a "game" out of calling in threats to universities that have live web cams so he and his buddies could watch the evacuations live! He was even charging admission! He's on trial right now.
I see all sides but my baby was in that building. My baby. When you actually have a love one in the school. My first thought was, What if, and still is? I have always been taught as an educator you have to always take these things serious. You do not have the option to question or wait and see. You are talking about thousands of lifes. Now I am sure that the police were involved and because of all the fake call in the county is looking more seriously at this but again my baby was in this building. If your baby was in the building and a bomb went off by his/her classroom and the administrator decided not to evacuate and your child was killed or seriously injured how would you feel. Again, we are taking chances with children's lives. The safety of our children should always come first even over the education of our children.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I totally support Joe Reed. This may be a new policy from the county or the policy department. I question who any of you would feel if your child was killed or injuried and the school was not evacuated. No, nothing happened this time. But, you never know when it is the real thing or not.
Again, I am sorry. I disagree with many. I think you alway air on the side of the safety for the children. You never know when the wolf is the real wolf.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of this that is a bit troubling is that the students were told that it was merely an intruder alert drill. Later in the day they found out (through the grapevine) that it was a bomb threat. I can see why they may not have been told, but now they are thinking that the new administration doesn't come clean with them. This type of stuff doesn't get past these kids.
ReplyDeleteI see not giving positive reinforcement to the person who called in the bomb threat, but you never know if it is or is not the real thing and it is always taking a chance. What if the gamble was wrong? I would never gamble with the lives of children.
ReplyDeleteI have referenced this site before -
ReplyDeleteNational School Safety and Security Services
They offer some great advice regarding this issue.
Ella's correct - you never know when the wolf is real. Here are some examples of pre-Columbine school bombings -
A number of high-profile incidents involving bombs and bomb threats took place prior to Columbine including:
A January, 1999, explosion in a high school locker in Kansas City sent 11 students to the hospital.
An irate parent took the deputy superintendent and an associate superintendent of a California education office hostage in late November of 1998. The standoff resulted in police killing the parent, who had a gun and seven bomb devices as a part of his siege.
Ten bombs, fireworks strapped to aerosol cans, forced the closure of a California elementary school.
One Maryland school district experienced more than 150 bomb threats and 55 associated arrests in one school year.
Up to a pound of ammonium nitrate was brought to school by a Nevada middle-school student.
Eight boys confessed to making three homemade bombs, two of which were placed at a Minnesota elementary school.
School buses have also been the target of terrorist bombings in the Middle East, so it would be wise for school officials to include school bus and transportation facilities in their bomb threat and suspicious device planning and training.
Many schools across the nation do not automatically evacuate their schools upon receiving a bomb threat. Many still do, however. Decisions and protocols on these issues should be determined by school officials and their public safety (police, fire, etc.) partners as a part of their emergency planning process and prior to an actual incident.
Another major issue for schools involves conducting of searches following bomb threats. Many teachers and support staff have been advised by school and public safety officials to conduct searches of their area for suspicious items when a bomb threat is received by the school. The rationale for this request is that the facility users (teachers, support staff, administrators, etc.) are most familiar with what does and does not belong, and therefore are best equipped to recognize what is and is not suspicious where public safety officials are not that familiar with the school and individual classrooms.
They offer much good information as well as an article by their president entitled, "How to Handle Bomb Threats and Suspicious Devices"
(Anon from 7:36 again)
ReplyDeleteElla - you are right - your baby was in the building, and you have every right to question why a decision was made.
I don't think the decision was based on instructional terms vs. safety. I think it was more on the order of, if the threat is real, and a bomb goes off...are we better off with the kids in the hallway in the chaos of an evacuation, or are we better off staying put. He had the facts, he had the experts weighing in, and he made the call.
If a bomb goes off in a closet....and no ones in the hallway..and no one gets hurt...or scenario two, you evac the building, and then the bomb goes off.
I saw the LHS announcement and immediately forwarded to my husband at work with I LOVE THIS PRINCIPAL!!
ReplyDeleteAll posters are correct in their own way. But, listen. Eric Rudolph phoned in a bomb threat during the Olympics. No one got it in time. And the security guard just happened to notice the backpack and was clearing the area because of his own concerns.
Ask yourselves -- how long does it take to relay a message from a 911 operator to the police to the Principal to Homeland Security? I'm thinking the bomb would go off by then.
A better statistic to pursue would be how many called-in bomb threats do schools across the nation get and how many of those resulted in the explosion of a bomb (or even finding a bomb)?
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planted a diversionary bomb in a field several miles away from Columbine High School with the hopes that all the police in tiny Littleton would go that way. They then carried into the cafeteria, just before lunch with people watching, the protane-tank bombs they hoped would actually blow up the school (during Lunch A, because that was the largest lunch period and they would kill more kids that way.) They ran back out to their cars and waited for the timed devices to explode. The bombs never blew. Not discouraged, they decided to start their rampage anyway. Once inside the building they threw smoke bombs to confuse and frighten people. And by the way, their diversionary bombs never blew either.
All that to say, your child is in far more danger going to school with other teenagers who have anger management issues and access to firearms and knives. Your child will be hit by a stray bullet during a failed drug deal on the football field (in the cafeteria? Before Biology class?) long before he or she will be blown up. (Read first post's second paragraph). Anon 10:03, don't let your kid read this.
I'm not trying to diminish your legitmate fears, but too much fear will paralyze you. Remember, we have nothing to fear, but fear itself.
We've just been assigned a REAL principal. Let's not start second guessing him on the 9th day of school. Let him do his job.
BTW, you should read the book "Columbine" to see how that tragedy was handled by the principal and how it has affected him. Joe Reed doesn't want to get blown up any more than you do.
As to what Mr. Reed heard on the phone call that you didn't -- you don't know what you don't know. The kids are fine now let's move on.
I didn't ever want to imply that I was second-guessing anyone. I just wondered what protocol was - if there is one - or if these decisions are more at a principals discretion. We've discovered it's really the principals discretion - but they do confer with law enforcement and there are written guidelines. I think it would be a horrible decision to have to make and apparently our principals have to make them surprisingly often. As we've discussed, Lakeside had 4 bomb threats last year - but I've heard that we have other high schools in DeKalb that had more.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it sad that we have to even discuss something like this?
No Duh, I think Joe Reed is great. I just still am shocked. I really was not aware that there was a choice when you are talking about the safety of anyone.
ReplyDeleteI do not know all the facts. I just know what the literature indicates and the protocol I have been around for 3o years as an educator. Now, things changes and maybe there is much I do not know.
But, emotionally I just could only think about my baby. He would die if he thought I called him my baby also.
No Duh, it is nice to finally disagree with you on something. You are the best.
Well, unless I am reading his statement wrong, Reed made his decision based upon the advice of the police. Indeed, this is what the kids were told by the teachers later in the day, when they all asked why they hadn't been evacuated and were told it was an intruder alert. The kids took it to mean he passed the buck, that it was the police who told him to do it this way.
ReplyDeleteGetting past the issue of evacuation or no, why lie to them? Why not just say the school is in lockdown, without any specific reason? That part of it has me a bit uneasy. They are practically adults, so treat them like it--and don't ask them to be truthful if you are not.
@Anonymous: "why lie to them? Why not just say the school is in lockdown, without any specific reason? "
ReplyDeleteI have no particular knowledge of the protocols in question. However, I can easily imagine that the "Intruder Lockdown" may have been used because it created the desired actions by faculty and students. There may not be a procedure for "we've-received-a-bomb-threat-that-we-do-not-think-is-a-threat-to-the-general-school-population-but-we-want-to-keep-everyone-safely-in-their-rooms-while-we-sort-it-out" protocol.
That doesn't make it a lie, it makes it expedient and wise. Again, I don't have any idea what happened but this is as plausible as anything discussed here.
Calling this event an intruder alert has created a level of distrust. Why didn't they just say we have a situation and we are going into lockdown? By using the word intruder when there is no intruder you purposefully distort the truth. I'm glad I didn't have a child in the building, I'm w/ Ella on this one.
ReplyDeleteTruth is -- we really don't know. Since the police were involved and suggested the lock down, I would think there was good reason. In fact - maybe they really were looking for a person - not a bomb. Maybe it's easier to find that person if the building is in lock down -- rather than if everyone in the building moves to outside. We don't know -- we have to trust.
ReplyDeleteCere- Trust? I wouldn't trust DCSS to teach my dog to sit much less my child. The higher ups in DCSS only look out for numero uno. The administration has long lost sight of what it takes be successful in the classroom. I would be willing to bet that every new curriculum, computer program and construction project has lined the pocket of many in the administration or their relatives.
ReplyDeleteThat said - let the teachers teach, and let the principals run their schools. I would let many teachers teach my family (& dog) but the situation is desperate for new blood much higher up the ranks. Joe Reed dodge what could have had a horrific outcome if indeed a bomb was in the school. Let's hope that finally has come to an end.
Valid points. But I do feel better that the police were involved (even before Joe, since it was a 911 call) - they are much more realistic about what can happen - no denial from these guys.
ReplyDeleteDepends on if it was the school police also. I will not make any comment on this one. MY experience with school police has been ______________. I have seen them lie and manipulate information.
ReplyDeleteThis has been in multiple counties.
I agree Ella. I certainly meant the DeKalb County police - they were very involved since the call came in on 911. They are nothing to fool with - and here for the people!
ReplyDeleteEver occur to anyone that "intruder alert" was used to prevent kids like Anon 10:03's who have worked themselves into a frenzy from running through the school screaming.
ReplyDeleteIf you are teaching your child to distrust the principal of the school, then it's time for you to homeschool.
You're looking for fly crap in the pie. Stop it!
We're simply having a discussion here, No Duh. You are entitled to your opinion, but so is everyone else. Please be courteous and allow them to voice those opinions - don't try to intimidate people into shutting down because you disagree. We don't do that here.
ReplyDeleteOkay,
ReplyDeletePLEASE, stop it!
ok - so I'm here in CA and the talk on the news is about a kid who brought and exploded pipe bombs on a high school campus... just wanted to share -- it really does happen
ReplyDelete"Hillsdale High School in San Mateo will be closed again Tuesday after a near-disaster was averted Monday morning.
Police say a former student walked into the school just after classes began Monday carrying a cache of weapons.
The 17-year-old set off two pipe bombs before being tackled in a hallway by three teachers.
The suspect was found carrying eight more pipebombs in his vest. He also had a chainsaw and a sword with him, according to police."
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Hillsdale-High-School-Evacuated-54547877.html
just wanted to share -- it really does happen.... Yes Anon unfortunately it does. The school this article is speaking of had so many bomb threats last year that I believe they've become complacent. The drill became... oh boy, here we go again, we get stand in the boiling hot sun and wait for the all clear. This school doesn't fit the bill of what you'd expect to see in a school where this could really be an actual bomb threat. But then again neither did Columbine. One of the issues I have is that the decision was made not to evacuate the building. It was called an intruder alert placed everyone in lockdown. I'd like to hear the 911 call so I can understand why you would not evacuate when a bomb threat is called in.
ReplyDeleteLast night I attended Lakeside's curriculum night. I wonder if other parents agree with my observations:
ReplyDelete1) The new principal Joe Reed seems impressive, and appears to be wired completely differently than most other DCSS principals. Reed appears to be a philosopher posing as a principal.
2) I checked with a few other parents and they agreed that Reed called out about fifteen names of cafeteria staff. The names are not listed on Lakeside's web page. Fifteen seems profligate. Is this correct? Who gets these jobs?
3) Many parents were wearing DCSS badges. Does anybody know how many children of DCSS employees currently attend Lakeside? Can this information be obtained under Georgia's Open Records Law?
4) Does anybody know how many Lakeside graduates from the past couple of years are currently attending the eight ivy league colleges? Any? Other top US News high schools flaunt such statistics on their web page. Not Lakeside. Is there any Lakeside faculty or staff member with the knowledge and time to help the strongest academic students apply to these top schools? The graduation coach seems to be a nice lady but she seems mostly concerned with keeping kids in school.
I, too, attended and while thought event was okay, thought it unnecessary to introduce all the teachers. Made the evening run way late. Also not necessary to go over construction issues again--there was a separate meeting for that.
ReplyDeleteAs for bomb threat, there were two police cars at Lakeside this morning, and two officers outside speaking with Mr. Reed. Another bomb threat?
Not many kids from LHS go ivy. This year there was one going to MIT, one to Cornell. Last year one got into Yale. It is usually maybe one per year, if that. This year was unusual.
I have a senior at LHS and have not had the first bit of guidance offered to my child this school year in regards to college apps. There isn't a counselor dedicated to only college counseling and the graduation coach's job is to keep kids in school; not help them get in college. Right now my child hasn't been able to get near the counseling office as they are still swamped trying to clean up the mess that is eSIS. Why in the heck did Joe Reed introduce every single person on the payroll at LHS. This was a painfully long process and the time would have been better spent speaking w/ the teachers individually.
ReplyDeletefyi: Case Number: 09-109345
ReplyDeleteDate: 8/27/2009 12:46 AM
Description: TERRORISTIC THREATS/INTIMIDATION
Location: 3800 BLOCK BRIARCLIFF RD
Nothing happened at LHS (eg -- no evacuation, no intruder alert or lockdown, no school-wide e-mail). Don't know any other details.
It is not at all unusual for a police car to be parked outside Druid Hills at any time. When my kid tells me, I ask whether anyone was led out in handcuffs - the answer is yes about a quarter of the time...
ReplyDeleteI do wonder about it.
Off topic, but I find it curious (it was curriculum nite at DHHS last yesterday) that even though some class rooms have been renovated, they left the old (read at least 40 year old, maybe more) leaky windows in place.
Chem classes are a stretch - there is no gas for the lab. Use your imagination, kids.
"they left the old (read at least 40 year old, maybe more) leaky windows in place."
ReplyDeleteThat's not very green, now is it?
Well, no, it isn't... :>
ReplyDeleteLakeside had another terroristic threat yesterday morning. That is why the police cars were there. I guess the decision was made to roll with as any other day....no lockdown, no building evacuation, no email notice. While I can understand the thought process "if we don't acknowledge this nut job maybe they will go away." Maybe not, though. Scary to think about.
ReplyDeleteAt least it has windows! Ever see the prison block-like Stone Mountain High School? Oh wait, even prisons have windows for a little daylight.
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:48--that is a good point.
ReplyDeleteI am sure the thinking here is that if we don't evacuate, we will not be feeding into this joker's grandiose little scheme. However, what if this person just gets more hacked off because no one is taking them seriously, and decides to really do it? Without a call first? It really could go either way.
I don't know; I might err on the side of caution.
Replacing the single paned windows in all the older DCSS schools would have been a fabulous "shovel ready" project for use of the stimulus cash, but it seems to not get any traction with the administration.
ReplyDeleteIs DCSS classified as a historic building? This can be a stumbling block to window replacement.
Yes, I think DHHS is classified as historic. That said, these windows have metal frames, while the ones in the original school were wood. Additionally, they are layered with sloppily-applied caulk - which, perhaps is historic caulk, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI do know they leak.
I find it interesting that people are curious about how many Lakeside students go to Ivy League colleges - when what you should really be concerned about is the dropout rate. That school is such a mystery to me - there is a group of students who go all the way through with high test scores and success - but there are just as many who literally give up along the way. It's probably 50-50... Every freshman class starts out with 500-600 students, but only ends up graduating around 300. Does anyone really care where those missing 200-300 students go? Do they even know where they go?
ReplyDeleteIdea is useful Cerebration, but exaggerations will hurt the cause.
ReplyDeleteThe 500 to 600 number is recent--didn't have close to 500 frosh when Lakeside was down to 1350 kids six/seven years ago.
Lets not suffer from short-term memory loss. The loss of students is more of a recent phenomenon.
What happened 6-7 years ago to cause this extreme situation to begin to rise?
Point being, if up through about 2002, the school was maintaining a better percentage of its incoming students, what changed?
Very good point, Anonymous. This dropout problem at Lakeside is a fairly recent issue. I would submit that the failure rates have much to do with the change in population (as a guess, 1/3 of the school is made up of transfer students from failing high schools). Say, when did we start taking on so many transfers?
ReplyDeleteLakeside can't save the world, people! Fix what is wrong with the other schools - and it's much more than building pretty buildings.
It is very hard to track the drop out rate. When a student is witdrawn, a person must enter a code. If the code is entered incorrectly, a student who has moved to another area or school could be considered a drop out. A parent can withdraw a student and not have to give a reason, that student could be considered a drop out. This is not just a DCSS problem, the state will have to come up with a much better way of keeping track of students that are withdrawing from schools. Most schools will start with a larger freshmen class than will graduate as seniors. Also, please remember, economic times have impacted many people. There are students that seek schools with more flexilbe schedules so that they can work to help with the family or earn money to assist with college. On the discussion of the Ivy League Schools, they do not give Merit Based Scholarships. They give need based and there are some honor awards, but considering that it can cost 60,000 a year to attend that can be hard on a family. I have a family member who is a junior at an Ivy School. She is very bright. She got a small scholarship of about 8,000, the rest has had to come from loans, family and work. This may account for even some very strong Lakeside students considering other colleges for undergraduate and keeping the Ivy schools for graduate schools. If you are looking at colleges, start searching for scholarship as soon as possible. Lakeside counselors' and counselor's at other schools can guide you, but you really have to take the time to apply yourself and do the searching. It is worth it and can reap great benefits. The counseling department of the DCSS has a scholarship search program that anyone can use. I will try to find the information about it and post it. In the mean time, let us pray for our educators. It is a hard job and their are some very hard working and dedicated people working in the schools. Bless all of you and this blog is a tremendous communication tool.
ReplyDeleteI worry about not taking these threats seriously.
ReplyDelete