Author: mbrown

TWO MONTHS TO GO! How to finish the school year strong!

For a deeper dive on this article from School Habits, click here. 

1. What is your current situation?

Know where you stand. Are your grades in a good place? Are you struggling? It’s not too late to make things better. And we know it might be tough, but talk to your teachers or your counselor. If you’re willing to help yourself, they’ll help you do it.

• If you have one class that’s an issue, you know where to focus. 
• If you’re struggling in more than one class, figure out where you should focus to make the most improvement. 
• Are you missing assignments? Ask if you can get partial credit. 

2. Pick a goal. 

If you don’t have a target, you don’t know where to aim. 

• Do you want to go from a C to a B in science? Find out what you can do, like turning in missing work or going above and beyond on a final project.
• Is your goal to maintain your grades, but do really well on finals? Create a study plan and stick to it. 

3. Prepare for finals and final projects – NOW! 

Do you want to finish on a good note? Start prepping now! 

• Two months may seem like a long time, but it’s not. Taking 20 minutes of study each weekday can pay off in a big way.
• If you have a final project, start now. Figure out obstacles you’ll face, while you still have time to overcome them. You’ll thank yourself later when other students are stressing over that deadline. 

4. Show up. 

We get it. The sun is out. The weather is warm. There are a lot of things you’d rather be doing. But don’t get distracted now. Show up to class, physically and mentally. Remember, this is your last chance to:

• Pull up your grades 
• Earn class participation points 
• Strengthen your connections with teachers

Plus, you DON’T want to miss assignments and deadlines that could tank your grade at the last minute. 

5. Work WITH your teachers. 

Keep a good relationship with your teachers, especially as the year finishes up. Teachers can be really helpful in your future. They can provide letters of recommendation for college applications, job applications, or internship opportunities. And they might even be talking to the teachers you’ll have next year. Having a good relationship with your teacher now might result in getting off to a great start with next year’s teachers in the fall. 🙂

Going to college is intimidating. You have lots of questions. We get it. So, we spoke to recent Virginia Tech graduate Maranda Patterson, who provided some great advice and guidance to our Crosby Scholars. Check it out, from someone who was (recently) in your shoes!

We don’t know about you, but 2024 gave us a lot to celebrate. Student success is our goal, and as this photo retrospective shows, Iredell Crosby Scholars were engaged and taking charge of their future! Thanks to everyone who made 2024 a great year.

…and now, onto 2025!

Here’s great news for students planning to apply for college. The FAFSA form is now open!

See the details below regarding completion of your FAFSA. Keep in mind, it starts with setting up an FSA ID first. Then, you’ll need to wait a few days until the ID syncs with the system before completing the full FAFSA form. See below for a step-by-step guide to the process!

A few things to know:

• Students and parent(s) will need their own FSA IDs. Each contributor to your FAFSA will need a unique FSA ID. Students and parents cannot use the same email address when creating individual accounts. (See FSA ID creation below.)
• This is still technically a Beta version of the FAFSA! As the FAFSA is still in a Beta testing stage, there are unknowns surrounding any future steps a student/parent will need to take after the Dec. 1st official open date. It is also possible that any information out there at this time may change. Once the FAFSA has its official release, a student/parent who completed the Beta version may have nothing more to do or may be advised to take additional steps.
• You need to complete a Residency Determination Status. To receive in-state tuition and state funded financial aid, you will need to complete a NC RDS. If you already have a CFNC login, you will need it to log in. If you don’t have a CNFC login, you can create one for residency determination.
• If residency is an issue, it’s best to wait until Dec. 1. If you are a student who has had issues with their RDS or if you have a parent without a social security number, it may be best for you to wait until the full release on Dec. 1st before completing your FAFSA.

Creating Your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID

Your Federal Student Aid ID, or FSA ID, is an account created at www.studentaid.gov, and is required to complete your FAFSA form. It takes one to three days after an FSA ID is created for the account to become verified. Filling out your FAFSA before your FSA ID is verified will result in additional questions and possibly errors. With that in mind, visit www.studentaid.gov to create your account. This video will walk you through the process, step-by-step:

Apply for Scholarships!

Now that you’ve completed your FSA ID, waited a few days, and filled out your FAFSA application, it’s time to apply for scholarships! You’ll need to do this through Submittable. This video will show you, step-by-step, how to proceed:

Now that the 2024-2025 school year is well underway, we’ve taken a moment to look back at everything our students accomplished over the summer break. For students on vacation, they were awfully busy!

Check out our summer review on issuu here!

Our summertime review includes a review of these programs and great photos of our students:

Try It Tuesdays

• Computer Science/Graphic Design
• Social Work
• Healthcare Careers
• Law and Criminal Justice
• Business Careers with CINTAS
• Education Careers
• Entrepreneurial Skills

Workshop Wednesdays

• Essay Writing
  • Brainstorming Topics
  • Final Draft Review
• SAT Test Prep
• Common App Navigation

College Campus Tours

• UNC Asheville
• Western Carolina
• Lenoir Rhyne
• NC School of Math & Science/Morganton Campus

Leadership Training

• Middle School Ambassadors
• High School Officers
• Crosby Launch for 6th and 9th Graders

Enjoy!

Each student in Iredell County is on their own unique journey.

In the first video in our series, “Student Journeys,” you’ll hear Johnny McLean’s personal story and how Iredell Crosby Scholars contributed to their achievement of being awarded a full-ride QuestBridge Scholarship to attend Duke University this coming fall.