Last week was College Week here at RB, and that meant it was time for juniors to start considering where they will be after graduation in 2012, and for seniors to take a serious look at where they will be next fall. The high school has set up a wonderful opportunity for prospective undergraduate students to get a closer look at college life.

The week started with an extended 2^nd hour on Monday. The extra time was given to the teachers in the building to share their own college experiences of the past. Applied Arts Department Chair Patty Sarkady felt it was, “a worthwhile experience for students to hear about different perspectives on college life. My students asked many questions ranging from internships to job opportunities upon graduation.”

The first day of college week also kicked off the college gear contest between all second hour classes. Also, all throughout the week, seniors came on over the morning announcements to talk about their application process and where they planned on attending school next year.

On Tuesday morning, the junior class took a practice ACT exam in the main gym. The test is one of two practice exams the students will take before the real ACT examinations take place this upcoming April. Junior Haley Scaman thought the practice ACT was, “there for our own benefit to help prepare us for the real thing in April.”

Tuesday night RB hosted College Planning Night exclusively for juniors and their parents and featured speakers and admission counselors from ISU, Xavier University in Ohio, Northwestern, and Triton. This event is a good way for college bound students and their parents to obtain a better understanding of how the college admissions process works, and have the opportunity to hear from the admissions representatives themselves.

On Wednesday students had the opportunity to head to the cafeteria and talk to their counselors about their future educational plans after high school. The experience was called “College Literacy” and there was a word wall constructed in the café.

Thursday’s festivities brought in former RB graduates who came back to their alma mater to represent their respective colleges. Representatives spanned from Concordia University, Dominican University, Elmhurst College, Loyola University, Columbia College, Aurora University, Kendall College, Benedictine University, St. Xavier University, and DePaul University. Tables were set up outside of the cafeteria during all lunch periods for any students to come and ask questions or gather more information about the aforementioned universities. Throughout the day, juniors also had the opportunity to perform college searches on Naviance with the help of their teachers.

The students had the chance to navigate the Naviance website once again on Friday, while the mini college fair was set up for the second day in a row. However, this time the fair was held in the commons and featured specific programs from Triton Automotive, Hospitality Administration, Criminal Justice, Horticulture, Music, Allied Health, Scholars Program, Financial Aid, and Admissions. It was also announced that Kathy Peterson’s second hour class won the college gear contest.